Author of the 1970s cult bestseller Zen and the Art of Motorcycle MaintenanceWhen, in 1968, Robert Pirsig, who has died aged 88, sent a synopsis and sample of his novel Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance to 122 publishers, only one showed any interest, and James Landis, the editor who responded from William Morrow, warned him not to expect either a large advance or big sales. But within a month Pirsig set off on his Honda Super Hawk, accompanied by his young son, Chris, and friends John and Sylvia Sutherland, on the 17-day journey from Minneapolis to San Francisco that, six years, two drafts and some 700,000 words later, became the basis of an immediate bestseller. Millions of readers were drawn to this guidebook for the transition of a culture from the rebellious 1960s to the “me generation” of the 70s.George Steiner’s New Yorker review, titled Uneasy Rider, famously compared the book to Herman Melville’s sprawling masterpiece Moby-Dick; other reviewers mentioned Thoreau, whose American transcendentalism also sought to link everyday life and the metaphysical. In a road novel in the spirit of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, Pirsig drew on the aphoristic humour of hippy writers such as Richard Brautigan. “Metaphysics is a restaurant where they give you a 30,000-page menu and no food,” he wrote. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2017-04-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Robert Graves (1895-1985) is now probably best-remembered for two prose works: his 1929 memoir Goodbye to All That, about his experience fighting in the First World War, and his 1934 novel I, Claudius, set in ancient Rome. But Graves was also a highly influential poet – and theorist of poetry […] Continue reading at Interesting Literature
[ Interesting Literature | 2021-11-24 15:00:55 UTC ]
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He distilled the passions of the antiwar movement into poetry during the Vietnam War and later, with his bestselling book "Iron John," awakened a movement of men in search of deeper masculinity. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-11-24 03:56:49 UTC ]
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Guardian sports writer whose wit and talent redefined what a football column could beIt is not customary to look forward to Monday mornings but, in the heyday of the Guardian’s print sales in the late 1970s and 80s, many readers relished Monday’s paper more than anything else.On a features page... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2021-11-19 17:41:00 UTC ]
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My father, John Hitchin, who has died aged 88, was a marketing and publicity specialist in the publishing industry who spent three decades with Penguin Books, where he was responsible for a number of innovations, including the first paperback gift set and the first display “dump” bin. As... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2021-10-28 19:33:32 UTC ]
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Macmillan Children's Books imprint Two Hoots has landed an "accessible and inclusive" account of LGTBQ+ activism from David Roberts. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-27 21:55:02 UTC ]
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Renowned children's book illustrator Jerry Pinkney, winner of the Caldecott Medal and five Caldecott Honor citations, widely acclaimed for his picture books honoring his Black heritage as well as for his richly detailed works reimagining well-loved fairy and folktales, died on October 20... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-10-21 04:00:00 UTC ]
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New York-based boss of News Corp set to be asked about private meeting with Scott Morrison and company’s new campaign for climate actionThe global head of Rupert Murdoch’s empire, Robert Thomson, will appear before the media diversity inquiry next week to answer questions about the dominance of... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2021-10-14 04:56:21 UTC ]
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Evelyn Loeb Beilenson, former publisher of Peter Pauper Press, died on October 4. She was 83. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-10-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Diane Lomonaco, who for decades worked in production positions at a number of publishers, died on October 4 of early onset Alzheimer’s disease. She was 67. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-10-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
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My friend, Roger Boore, who has died aged 82, was a Welsh-language publisher and author. He will be remembered for his dedication to the Welsh language and its propagation, particularly among children. A chartered accountant, returning to his native Cardiff in the late 1960s, and with a growing... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2021-10-10 16:09:06 UTC ]
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John Ziccardi, who led national sales efforts at Bantam and Bantam Doubleday Dell, died September 27. He was 78. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-09-30 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Daniel Moses, the longtime editor-in-chief of the San Francisco–based Sierra Club Books, died on September 12 in Ojai, Calif., of complications from three lung conditions caused by end-stage ankylosis spondylitis. He was 85. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-09-23 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Candice Chaplin, v-p and director of backlist sales at Penguin Random House, died of cancer on September 7 in Gladwyne, Pa. She was 53. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-09-10 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Peter Warner, the longtime president of Thames & Hudson, died on September 9 from complications due to myelodysplastic syndrome. He was 79. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-09-09 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Former publisher and bookseller John Hitchin died in August, aged 88. He is remembered by Tim Godfray and Dotti Irving. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-02 19:38:30 UTC ]
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Obituary: Bernette Ford 1950–2021 Boxer Books publisher David Bennett writes: About 30 years ago, while on a sales trip to New York, I met Bernette Ford. I had no idea then that she would become my best buddy and our families would grow so close. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-02 19:34:27 UTC ]
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Erika Seyfried, v-p and director of digital strategy and consumer engagement at Penguin Random House, died after going missing while vacationing in Vermont on August 29. She was 36. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-08-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jack Covert, founder of the business book bookseller and distributor Porchlight Book Company (originally known as 800-CEO READ), died on August 13. He was 77. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-08-18 04:00:00 UTC ]
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