- Paperback: 144 pages
- Publisher: Paul Dry Books (Sep 1 2003)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 158988003X
- ISBN-13: 978-1589880030
- Product Dimensions: 18.5 x 10.9 x 1.1 cm
- Shipping Weight: 136 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #845,444 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
"The human race publishes a book every thirty seconds," writes Mexican author and consultant Zaid. How can the average reader keep up with even a fraction of the latest new releases, let alone the multitude of classics stretching all the way back to Homer and Plato? The prospect is daunting to even the greatest bibliophile; furthermore, Zaid argues, people seem more interested in writing books than reading them (a recent survey shows 81% of Americans feel they should write a book). Though frustrated by this state of affairs, Zaid takes a philosophical perspective on the state of book publishing today, claiming that the industry doesn't always recognize one of its greatest strengths: its overwhelming diversity. In the publishing industry, a book that appeals to just a few thousand readers stands a good chance of getting published, whereas the commercial film industry and other mass media must function almost exclusively on a mega-budget scale. He celebrates the small printings that appeal to segmented clienteles, specialized niches, and members of different clubs of enthusiasts because "just a few thousand copies, read by the right people, are enough to change the course of conversation, the boundaries of literature, and our intellectual life." Not a groundbreaking book, but an appealing, meditative collection of thoughts and observations on the book industry and the state of literature in the early 21st century.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
"The human race publishes a book every thirty seconds," observes Mexico City-based poet and essayist Zaid, and therefore "how is a single book among the millions to find its readers?" This is the conundrum upon which Zaid builds his incisive, wry, ultimately celebratory meditation on the chaotic and wasteful, yet exciting and felicitous world of books. Believing that culture is a conversation conducted on many levels around various foci, of which books constitute a vital and crucial number, Zaid reminds readers that books don't have to reach a huge audience to have impact but, rather, must be read by the right readers. Zaid also considers our ambivalence regarding books: we want them to be readily available--that is, produced and sold as commodities--but we also hold them sacred. He then parses the absurdities inherent in the economics of publishing, notes with stinging wit the frustrating fact that more people want to write than to read, and delights in the fecundity and diversity of book ecology. Lively, cosmopolitan, and piquant, Zaid's treatise will engage every serious reader. Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great short essays on the reading life,
By
This review is from: So Many Books: Reading and Publishing in an Age of Abundance (Paperback)
I knew that this book was written for "my kind of people" when in the opening paragraphs he describes the dual awe and anxiety that compulsive readers feel upon entering used book stores and libraries filled with literally tons of unread books. Zaid discusses the problems and opportunities faced by readers (and the whole book industry) in a world already full of books and where a new book is published every 30 seconds. Much of what he finds is Library Science 101 material: collections must be about selectivity and exclusion, not simply quantity. He is compelling when he argues that above all reading should be viewed and used in a social context. A manuscript's value must be measured by how it affects you. Books should change how you feel, help you to feel more alive, improve relationships and understanding, or help you participate in a conversation.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hello, bibliophilia!,
This review is from: So Many Books: Reading and Publishing in an Age of Abundance (Paperback)
In this delightful critique, Zaid explores the publishing industry and the joys of having a plethora of books to read. He touches on the culture and technology of books, as well as the functions of libraries and bookstores in the whole scheme of publishing. Entertaining, informative, and laudatory, "So Many Books" is a bibliophile's must-read and reminds readers exactly why it is we find such happiness in books.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful meditations on the place and value of books,
By
This review is from: So Many Books: Reading and Publishing in an Age of Abundance (Paperback)
It's largely coincidental that I read this at the turn of the old and new year, but I may just make re-reading this thoughtful little book an annual event. Both elegant and wise, "So Many Books" is not simply a defense of the book as a medium. It's also, on a larger scale, a defense of reading, of those who choose (and, as the author notes, really know *how*) to read, and of the place of reading in inter-cultural and inter-generational "conversations."Gabriel Zaid looks at the economics of the publishing industry, and also the relative merits of books over both older (oral tradition, parchment) and newer (e-books, CD-ROMs) means of storing and exchanging information. He places reader, author, and individual book within a "constellation" of books in which ideas are exchanged. And he weaves "a hairshirt for masochistic authors" by showing how few books are read, preserved, or -- frankly -- even noticed by the reading public. But most of all, Zaid shows that books are nothing less than the cornerstone of the effort to define, preserve, and expand culture. The fact that there are so many books to read shouldn't depress us but, instead, excite us and make those of us committed to reading a bit more secure in what some no doubt consider our eccentricity. This is a title I hope to return to again and again.
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