The Most Wonderful Books: Writers on Discovering the Pleasures of Reading [Paperback]

Michael Dorris (Editor), Emilie Buchwald (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 26, 1997

Most people can remember the first book they really loved--or the person (a teacher, a parent, a librarian) who showed them how words could make magic. These are the memories that 57 of today's best writers share in The Most Wonderful Books--the stories, the experiences, and the people that made them lifelong readers.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Perhaps as many people set out to be writers now because of things they've seen--movies and TV--as do because of what they've read. This is for those in the latter category. A cozy compendium of authors discussing first books they've loved, letting the mysteries and pleasures of becoming readers--requisite before becoming any kind of writer--envelop them. Editors Michael Dorris and Emilie Buchwald have assembled a range of stories, from Nicholson Baker's shock at a death in The Hobbit, to Mona Simpson's "ABC" lessons with alphabet soup, and more. You'll be reaching for old Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books before you know it.

From Library Journal

Editors Dorris (Cloud Chamber, LJ 11/15/96) and Buchwald, editor and publisher of Milkweed, intend this collection to inspire readers and to serve as "a love letter and thank-you note to every librarian, English teacher, friend, relative, and parent" who introduced someone to a book. The collection of short, mostly original essays is lively and personal. In alphabetical order, 57 contributors, some better known than others, describe the first book they remember or how reading, and often writing, began for them. Short story writer Charles D'Ambrosio, for instance, describes how he used his first book to beat his sisters over the head, though he also read it with great interest. Other contributors include Sherman Alexie, Nicholson Baker, Gretel Ehrlich, and Robert Pinsky. Published in cooperation with the Library of Congress's Center for the Book and the "Building a Nation of Readers" campaign, this is appropriate for all libraries.?Nancy P. Shires, East Carolina Univ. Lib., Greenville, N.C.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 180 pages
• Publisher: Milkweed Editions; 1 edition (August 26, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1571312161
• ISBN-13: 978-1571312167
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,139,477 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars writers = readers of books, June 3, 2000

By 

"libarian" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Most Wonderful Books: Writers on Discovering the Pleasures of Reading (Paperback)

Most adults who are avid readers suffered the same condition as a child. Here are reminiscences of contemporary writers revealing their introductions to a life-long preoccupation with the magic and mystery of words and reading. Many common elements emerge: being read to at a very young age, fascination with the ideas and lives of other people, a special person (friend or family) who passes on a love for reading to a child. (Are we all closet voyeurs, peeking in at the childhood experiences common to many?) It's been a pleasure to read about the pleasures of reading.

3.0 out of 5 stars An average book about books, August 11, 2011

By 

Sibelius (Palo Alto, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Most Wonderful Books: Writers on Discovering the Pleasures of Reading (Paperback)

This was a mixed-bag assortment of essays on the pleasures of reading that varied in quality from stale and meaningless to the occasional brilliant nugget that ultimately made the entire experience worthwhile.