By the Book: Writers on Literature and the Literary Life from the New York Times Book Review - Hardcover

"Invaluable." --Vanity Fair "The effect is like being at a very well-attended cocktail party, or peeking onto the nightstand of a favorite author... At times delightful and always entertaining, this book can be taken in large gulps, or small sips. Reading it will surely result in a monstrous and fascinating reading list." --Library Journal (starred) "A captivating hodgepodge of literary musings." --Publishers Weekly

Every Sunday, readers of The New York Times Book Review turn with anticipation to see which novelist, historian, short story writer, or artist will be the subject of the popular "By the Book" feature. These wide-ranging interviews are conducted by Pamela Paul, the editor of the Book Review, and here she brings together sixty-five of the most intriguing and fascinating exchanges, featuring personalities as varied as David Sedaris, Hilary Mantel, Michael Chabon, Khaled Hosseini, and James Patterson. These questions and answers admit us into the private worlds of these authors, as they reflect on their work habits, reading preferences, inspirations, pet peeves, and recommendations. By the Book contains the full uncut interviews, longer than the versions that run in the newspaper, and they reflect a range of experiences and observations that deepens readers' understanding of the literary sensibility and the writing process, forging a new appreciation for what goes into creating a work of the imagination. By the Book also features dozens of sidebars that reveal the commonalities and conflicts among the participants, underscoring those influences that are truly universal and those that remain matters of individual taste. If you are a devoted reader, By the Book is a way to invite sixty-five of the most interesting guests into your world. It's a book party not to be missed.