Where Books Fall Open [Hardcover]

Bascove (Editor, Illustrator)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1567921868 | ISBN-13: 978-1567921861 | Publication Date: October 2001 | Edition: 1

This is a book about books, about the pleasures, passions, and rewards of reading, about authors who are dedicated to the act of writing, and readers who are devoted to the joys of words in the right order. Funny, moving, and beautiful, it features an eclectic selection from some of the world's finest writers, as well as sixteen full-colour paintings by artist and editor Bascove.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: David R. Godine Publisher; 1 edition (October 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567921868
• ISBN-13: 978-1567921861
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #483,516 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars prose, poetry and art about your favorite subject, March 6, 2003

By 

audrey (white mtns) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Where Books Fall Open (Hardcover)

This anthology of prose and poetry starts out strong .... prose selections from Italo Calvino, Lynne Schwartz, Roy Blount and Anne Fadiman are wonderful, affectionate tributes to reading, Also, I think this is the first time Steve Martin and Jane Austen have appeared together, and both are fine. There are also a LOT of poems here, and some are better than others, as with all poetry. This is a mix of contemporary (Fran Lebowitz, Billy Collins) and classic (Cervantes, Elizabeth Barret Browning) selections that explore reading, writing and books. Artwork by Bascove is of a style consistent with the cover -- bold, colorful and primitive, sixteen paintings that also feature books. A percentage of the profits go to First Book, a literacy program for children.

I'd say the quality of the selections is uneven, but you will undoubtedly find something, and probably many things, that will please you. This is a small volume that can be read quickly, or savored, and as an object it is very pleasing. This would make a fine gift for a bibliophile you know.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars treat yourself to this book, February 3, 2002

By 

Robert S. Ackerman (New York, NY, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Where Books Fall Open (Hardcover)

This is a perfect gift--but first give it to yourself. Bascove takes the same care selecting and arranging prose and poetry as she does composing her lush oils, which tell their own stories. I savored the book cover-to-cover, at one point stumbling up the subway steps because I had my nose buried in it. This is a singularly beautiful book in every way.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A bibliophiles ecstasy, December 3, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Where Books Fall Open (Hardcover)

The perfect book. If you need an uplifting, get-back-to-normal, let's go to where great literature and poetry takes us, just thumb through some of these pages. Oh, and the paintings...simply luscious. A real treasure of a book.