Fourteen years of essays from an interesting writer who combines uncommon wit with keen observation in his first collection of essays. Topics range from puncturation to the lexicography of dirty words to Sam Johnson, Faust, Proust, and the demise of the library card catalog. The chapter Books as Furniture is especially interesting to us, as we do in fact live in the midst of enough books to build a house, but not for show. This is about books in adverts, but of course today we see this effect constantly because everyone is being interviewed on television or doing podcasts and zoom meetings in front of their bookshelves (guilty) and don't forget the guitars - how many of them actually play those guitars? Vintage. 1996. Paper. NEW. $5.00