Another fantastic seller., 12 Jan 2006
This book is the 4th in Danny King's crime series and is an absolute diamond. Every book I've read I've thought 'wow, can it get better than that?' and it invariably does.

This book is no different.

It's truely brilliant.

Combining seriousness and humour is a tricky thing to do, as well as being able to tell a story really well being sure not to confuse the reader by skipping back and forth to different points etc. Danny manages to nail this efforlessly with ridiculously sharp-witted, un-PC and shocking jokes and comments you can't help but re-read them and laugh harder and harder each time.

He speaks from a true perspective of life (particularly as he previously worked for Mayfair, the dirty porn mag) so knows what he's talking about.

This will definately be one of the best books you read this year.

And if the above is no reason for you to buy it, well how about just because I've got a mention in the acknowledgements myself?

Every Man's Dream, 11 Apr 2005
Took this book on holiday and finished it in one night much to my partners dismay! Laugh outloud funny without being offensive - pornography, every man's dream and in reality it never really happens except in this book! Written in first person narrative the main character, Geoffrey Bishop is about to embark on the job of a lifetime - what a job! Can't believe his luck when he lands a job at a porn magazine! Some of the antics and situations he gets himself into are hilarious. A must buy, so much so that I have gone out and bought another three of Danny Kings books for this years holiday!

Dire Literary Straits, 06 Apr 2005
Seemingly based on his own banal experience King has written a lazy, cynical fiction devoid of plot, pace or character development.
King seems unable or unwilling to comprehend that humour might consist of more than constant juvenile references to adult interactions. Overall this is a dull, repetitive read that seeks to shock but rapidly outstays its welcome.

Lovely Stuff, 29 Nov 2004
I bought this book after buying the previous three which I thought were massively funny and original, not too pompous and highbrow. In my opinion this is easily the best of the three as bizarrely enough this was the nearest profesion I could relate to. I lent it to a couple of my mates and they more or less agreed.

I laughed, I cried. Actually, I didn't cry., 18 Aug 2004
I was a bit worried about what was a diversion away from crime by one of my favourite authors, but I needn't have have been, it was really enjoyable. He makes working in porn sound horrible at times, but also a bit of a laugh at others, and really provides a crash course in pornography through his main character. I think what this book proves is that King's humour translates onto subjects other than crime - he captures the average working bloke's attitudes, worries and way of speaking very accurately. 7 thumbs up.

Another fantastic seller., 12 Jan 2006
This book is the 4th in Danny King's crime series and is an absolute diamond. Every book I've read I've thought 'wow, can it get better than that?' and it invariably does.

This book is no different.

It's truely brilliant.

Combining seriousness and humour is a tricky thing to do, as well as being able to tell a story really well being sure not to confuse the reader by skipping back and forth to different points etc. Danny manages to nail this efforlessly with ridiculously sharp-witted, un-PC and shocking jokes and comments you can't help but re-read them and laugh harder and harder each time.

He speaks from a true perspective of life (particularly as he previously worked for Mayfair, the dirty porn mag) so knows what he's talking about.

This will definately be one of the best books you read this year.

And if the above is no reason for you to buy it, well how about just because I've got a mention in the acknowledgements myself?

Every Man's Dream, 11 Apr 2005
Took this book on holiday and finished it in one night much to my partners dismay! Laugh outloud funny without being offensive - pornography, every man's dream and in reality it never really happens except in this book! Written in first person narrative the main character, Geoffrey Bishop is about to embark on the job of a lifetime - what a job! Can't believe his luck when he lands a job at a porn magazine! Some of the antics and situations he gets himself into are hilarious. A must buy, so much so that I have gone out and bought another three of Danny Kings books for this years holiday!

Dire Literary Straits, 06 Apr 2005
Seemingly based on his own banal experience King has written a lazy, cynical fiction devoid of plot, pace or character development.
King seems unable or unwilling to comprehend that humour might consist of more than constant juvenile references to adult interactions. Overall this is a dull, repetitive read that seeks to shock but rapidly outstays its welcome.

Lovely Stuff, 29 Nov 2004
I bought this book after buying the previous three which I thought were massively funny and original, not too pompous and highbrow. In my opinion this is easily the best of the three as bizarrely enough this was the nearest profesion I could relate to. I lent it to a couple of my mates and they more or less agreed.

I laughed, I cried. Actually, I didn't cry., 18 Aug 2004
I was a bit worried about what was a diversion away from crime by one of my favourite authors, but I needn't have have been, it was really enjoyable. He makes working in porn sound horrible at times, but also a bit of a laugh at others, and really provides a crash course in pornography through his main character. I think what this book proves is that King's humour translates onto subjects other than crime - he captures the average working bloke's attitudes, worries and way of speaking very accurately. 7 thumbs up.

A delicious treat for bibliophiles to savour, 28 Aug 2008
A sparkling treat of a book - the kind that you just know, after a page or two, that you will treasure forever. With its neat hardback format and thick creamy pages, it even looks right.

Buzbee combines everything bookish here, beginning with his own 'calling' to the world of books, at 15, reading 'The Grapes of Wrath' at school, and moving through his time as a bookseller and publishing sales rep to his current role as reader, writer and compulsive book buyer. On top of the autobiographical elements, Buzbee traces the history of the book and bookselling, from papyrus scrolls to roadside stalls, through developing bookshops, censorship and printing to the e-commerce of today. To cap it off there is a wealth of personal insight, from the author's favourite bookshops across the globe, lovingly evoked and fairly evaluated, to the simple joys of books - their texture and smell, the pleasure of admiring shelves and stacks of books, the slow contentment of coffee and browsing...

A magical little tome, definitely worth not only reading, but buying, rereading and passing down to the next generation of bibliophiles.

A 'must have' book for ALL bibliophiles!, 20 Mar 2008
I really enjoyed reading this book from start to finish. It's small and manageable; not too long, not too short. Although described as a memoir, it's not all about the author but contains snippets of information and history that all booklovers will devour. It's quite nicely bound and is lightweight enough to carry around. All-in-all if you're a true bibliophile, then this book is for YOU.

Lewis Buzbee tells his story as a partial memoir; the history of his interest, and then love, of books is described in some detail. He writes about his career as a bookseller (although always as an employee - he never ran his own shop) and as a publishers rep, and he writes about his love of visiting bookshops of all shapes and sizes. In-between this narrative is neatly woven a basic potted history of bookselling, from ancient times, through the Gutenberg press, and on into the production of mass market paperbacks. I was particularly fascinated to read about the scandal surrounding the publication of James Joyce's 'Ulysses', and how the publishing of the book was taken on by one of Joyce's friends, the proprietor of the little but exclusive Shakespeare & Co. bookshop in Paris. Copies of the book then had to find their way into England and America where it had already been censored. A fascinating account.

I have a couple of very small quibbles about Buzbee's style. At one point early on he mentions shop-lifting a book as a teenager; he narrates this in such a way that it sounds as though this is considered acceptable practice, or at the very least is an activity which lots of people have done and can understand. This did shock me a bit and marred my enjoyment slightly. In a couple of places he does also go over a point he's already mentioned which is a little repetitive. However, tiny quibbles aside, I found this book a delightful journey from cover to cover and will be cherishing my copy for some years to come.

THE JOY OF BOOKS, 10 May 2007
Can't remember where I heard about this volume but it sounded like I had to add it to my collection of books about books. Having read it I am so glad my local independent bookshop in England (sorry Amazon) managed to get hold of a copy. The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop is a joy from beginning to end. Buzbee writes fondly and wittily of his subject and interweaves his personal experience as a bookseller and publisher's rep with a history of printing and the book in general. He must have done his background reading and manages to clarify aspects of the printed word of which I only had partial knowledge and does so in a style which is a pleasure to savour. The story of Ulysses and Shakespeare and Co., for example, I knew a bit about but now I know the whole story.
This book is a little gem and for me is the next best thing to emerge from America since Anne Fadiman's Ex Libris. And I must praise this book as object - its design and production values are among the highest. The typeset pages are a delight (well, apart from one or two typos!), the paper is perfect and I love the uncut fore-edge - not something that British publishers indulge in. The endpapers are yellow, of course, and the cover design inventive and witty.
I was a librarian for 10 years, an independent bookseller for 25, and I have been publishing and writing books since 1979. Although so many of your references are particular to the USA I too have shared many of your experiences and most definitely the same enthusiasms. Thankyou, Lewis Buzbee. If you read this and consider e-mailing me then please do - I have a book I should like to give you.

Another fantastic seller., 12 Jan 2006
This book is the 4th in Danny King's crime series and is an absolute diamond. Every book I've read I've thought 'wow, can it get better than that?' and it invariably does.

This book is no different.

It's truely brilliant.

Combining seriousness and humour is a tricky thing to do, as well as being able to tell a story really well being sure not to confuse the reader by skipping back and forth to different points etc. Danny manages to nail this efforlessly with ridiculously sharp-witted, un-PC and shocking jokes and comments you can't help but re-read them and laugh harder and harder each time.

He speaks from a true perspective of life (particularly as he previously worked for Mayfair, the dirty porn mag) so knows what he's talking about.

This will definately be one of the best books you read this year.

And if the above is no reason for you to buy it, well how about just because I've got a mention in the acknowledgements myself?

Every Man's Dream, 11 Apr 2005
Took this book on holiday and finished it in one night much to my partners dismay! Laugh outloud funny without being offensive - pornography, every man's dream and in reality it never really happens except in this book! Written in first person narrative the main character, Geoffrey Bishop is about to embark on the job of a lifetime - what a job! Can't believe his luck when he lands a job at a porn magazine! Some of the antics and situations he gets himself into are hilarious. A must buy, so much so that I have gone out and bought another three of Danny Kings books for this years holiday!

Dire Literary Straits, 06 Apr 2005
Seemingly based on his own banal experience King has written a lazy, cynical fiction devoid of plot, pace or character development.
King seems unable or unwilling to comprehend that humour might consist of more than constant juvenile references to adult interactions. Overall this is a dull, repetitive read that seeks to shock but rapidly outstays its welcome.

Lovely Stuff, 29 Nov 2004
I bought this book after buying the previous three which I thought were massively funny and original, not too pompous and highbrow. In my opinion this is easily the best of the three as bizarrely enough this was the nearest profesion I could relate to. I lent it to a couple of my mates and they more or less agreed.

I laughed, I cried. Actually, I didn't cry., 18 Aug 2004
I was a bit worried about what was a diversion away from crime by one of my favourite authors, but I needn't have have been, it was really enjoyable. He makes working in porn sound horrible at times, but also a bit of a laugh at others, and really provides a crash course in pornography through his main character. I think what this book proves is that King's humour translates onto subjects other than crime - he captures the average working bloke's attitudes, worries and way of speaking very accurately. 7 thumbs up.

A delicious treat for bibliophiles to savour, 28 Aug 2008
A sparkling treat of a book - the kind that you just know, after a page or two, that you will treasure forever. With its neat hardback format and thick creamy pages, it even looks right.

Buzbee combines everything bookish here, beginning with his own 'calling' to the world of books, at 15, reading 'The Grapes of Wrath' at school, and moving through his time as a bookseller and publishing sales rep to his current role as reader, writer and compulsive book buyer. On top of the autobiographical elements, Buzbee traces the history of the book and bookselling, from papyrus scrolls to roadside stalls, through developing bookshops, censorship and printing to the e-commerce of today. To cap it off there is a wealth of personal insight, from the author's favourite bookshops across the globe, lovingly evoked and fairly evaluated, to the simple joys of books - their texture and smell, the pleasure of admiring shelves and stacks of books, the slow contentment of coffee and browsing...

A magical little tome, definitely worth not only reading, but buying, rereading and passing down to the next generation of bibliophiles.

A 'must have' book for ALL bibliophiles!, 20 Mar 2008
I really enjoyed reading this book from start to finish. It's small and manageable; not too long, not too short. Although described as a memoir, it's not all about the author but contains snippets of information and history that all booklovers will devour. It's quite nicely bound and is lightweight enough to carry around. All-in-all if you're a true bibliophile, then this book is for YOU.

Lewis Buzbee tells his story as a partial memoir; the history of his interest, and then love, of books is described in some detail. He writes about his career as a bookseller (although always as an employee - he never ran his own shop) and as a publishers rep, and he writes about his love of visiting bookshops of all shapes and sizes. In-between this narrative is neatly woven a basic potted history of bookselling, from ancient times, through the Gutenberg press, and on into the production of mass market paperbacks. I was particularly fascinated to read about the scandal surrounding the publication of James Joyce's 'Ulysses', and how the publishing of the book was taken on by one of Joyce's friends, the proprietor of the little but exclusive Shakespeare & Co. bookshop in Paris. Copies of the book then had to find their way into England and America where it had already been censored. A fascinating account.

I have a couple of very small quibbles about Buzbee's style. At one point early on he mentions shop-lifting a book as a teenager; he narrates this in such a way that it sounds as though this is considered acceptable practice, or at the very least is an activity which lots of people have done and can understand. This did shock me a bit and marred my enjoyment slightly. In a couple of places he does also go over a point he's already mentioned which is a little repetitive. However, tiny quibbles aside, I found this book a delightful journey from cover to cover and will be cherishing my copy for some years to come.

THE JOY OF BOOKS, 10 May 2007
Can't remember where I heard about this volume but it sounded like I had to add it to my collection of books about books. Having read it I am so glad my local independent bookshop in England (sorry Amazon) managed to get hold of a copy. The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop is a joy from beginning to end. Buzbee writes fondly and wittily of his subject and interweaves his personal experience as a bookseller and publisher's rep with a history of printing and the book in general. He must have done his background reading and manages to clarify aspects of the printed word of which I only had partial knowledge and does so in a style which is a pleasure to savour. The story of Ulysses and Shakespeare and Co., for example, I knew a bit about but now I know the whole story.
This book is a little gem and for me is the next best thing to emerge from America since Anne Fadiman's Ex Libris. And I must praise this book as object - its design and production values are among the highest. The typeset pages are a delight (well, apart from one or two typos!), the paper is perfect and I love the uncut fore-edge - not something that British publishers indulge in. The endpapers are yellow, of course, and the cover design inventive and witty.
I was a librarian for 10 years, an independent bookseller for 25, and I have been publishing and writing books since 1979. Although so many of your references are particular to the USA I too have shared many of your experiences and most definitely the same enthusiasms. Thankyou, Lewis Buzbee. If you read this and consider e-mailing me then please do - I have a book I should like to give you.

Excellent stuff!, 13 Oct 2007
I'm currently using this book as part of my publishing course and I strongly feel that it is incredibly useful for anyone wishing to become a commissioning editor. It contains many tips and advice on how to become confident and successful in the job. Highly recommended.

Useful, practical advice on all aspects of commissioning books, 19 Jan 2007
I read the first edition of this book on my Publishing Masters course, and it was one of the most useful books on our reading lists. I bought the new edition after starting out in a publishing job, and it's just as useful in a professional capacity as it was in an academic one. It has great practical advice on all aspects of commissioning books. I would recommend it to any Commissioning or Acquisitions Editor, and also to editorial staff in general and to anyone aspiring to editorial work.

Good solid advice, 12 May 2005
Neatly laid out and easy to follow, this book is a terrific introduction for aspiring Commissioning Editors. There is loads of solid, down to earth advice and some very useful checklists.
It will also give anyone entering or considering the publishing arena a terrific insider's view, a flavour for what goes on and an introduction to the terminology and mindsets of others in the business.

Another fantastic seller., 12 Jan 2006
This book is the 4th in Danny King's crime series and is an absolute diamond. Every book I've read I've thought 'wow, can it get better than that?' and it invariably does.

This book is no different.

It's truely brilliant.

Combining seriousness and humour is a tricky thing to do, as well as being able to tell a story really well being sure not to confuse the reader by skipping back and forth to different points etc. Danny manages to nail this efforlessly with ridiculously sharp-witted, un-PC and shocking jokes and comments you can't help but re-read them and laugh harder and harder each time.

He speaks from a true perspective of life (particularly as he previously worked for Mayfair, the dirty porn mag) so knows what he's talking about.

This will definately be one of the best books you read this year.

And if the above is no reason for you to buy it, well how about just because I've got a mention in the acknowledgements myself?

Every Man's Dream, 11 Apr 2005
Took this book on holiday and finished it in one night much to my partners dismay! Laugh outloud funny without being offensive - pornography, every man's dream and in reality it never really happens except in this book! Written in first person narrative the main character, Geoffrey Bishop is about to embark on the job of a lifetime - what a job! Can't believe his luck when he lands a job at a porn magazine! Some of the antics and situations he gets himself into are hilarious. A must buy, so much so that I have gone out and bought another three of Danny Kings books for this years holiday!

Dire Literary Straits, 06 Apr 2005
Seemingly based on his own banal experience King has written a lazy, cynical fiction devoid of plot, pace or character development.
King seems unable or unwilling to comprehend that humour might consist of more than constant juvenile references to adult interactions. Overall this is a dull, repetitive read that seeks to shock but rapidly outstays its welcome.

Lovely Stuff, 29 Nov 2004
I bought this book after buying the previous three which I thought were massively funny and original, not too pompous and highbrow. In my opinion this is easily the best of the three as bizarrely enough this was the nearest profesion I could relate to. I lent it to a couple of my mates and they more or less agreed.

I laughed, I cried. Actually, I didn't cry., 18 Aug 2004
I was a bit worried about what was a diversion away from crime by one of my favourite authors, but I needn't have have been, it was really enjoyable. He makes working in porn sound horrible at times, but also a bit of a laugh at others, and really provides a crash course in pornography through his main character. I think what this book proves is that King's humour translates onto subjects other than crime - he captures the average working bloke's attitudes, worries and way of speaking very accurately. 7 thumbs up.

A delicious treat for bibliophiles to savour, 28 Aug 2008
A sparkling treat of a book - the kind that you just know, after a page or two, that you will treasure forever. With its neat hardback format and thick creamy pages, it even looks right.

Buzbee combines everything bookish here, beginning with his own 'calling' to the world of books, at 15, reading 'The Grapes of Wrath' at school, and moving through his time as a bookseller and publishing sales rep to his current role as reader, writer and compulsive book buyer. On top of the autobiographical elements, Buzbee traces the history of the book and bookselling, from papyrus scrolls to roadside stalls, through developing bookshops, censorship and printing to the e-commerce of today. To cap it off there is a wealth of personal insight, from the author's favourite bookshops across the globe, lovingly evoked and fairly evaluated, to the simple joys of books - their texture and smell, the pleasure of admiring shelves and stacks of books, the slow contentment of coffee and browsing...

A magical little tome, definitely worth not only reading, but buying, rereading and passing down to the next generation of bibliophiles.

A 'must have' book for ALL bibliophiles!, 20 Mar 2008
I really enjoyed reading this book from start to finish. It's small and manageable; not too long, not too short. Although described as a memoir, it's not all about the author but contains snippets of information and history that all booklovers will devour. It's quite nicely bound and is lightweight enough to carry around. All-in-all if you're a true bibliophile, then this book is for YOU.

Lewis Buzbee tells his story as a partial memoir; the history of his interest, and then love, of books is described in some detail. He writes about his career as a bookseller (although always as an employee - he never ran his own shop) and as a publishers rep, and he writes about his love of visiting bookshops of all shapes and sizes. In-between this narrative is neatly woven a basic potted history of bookselling, from ancient times, through the Gutenberg press, and on into the production of mass market paperbacks. I was particularly fascinated to read about the scandal surrounding the publication of James Joyce's 'Ulysses', and how the publishing of the book was taken on by one of Joyce's friends, the proprietor of the little but exclusive Shakespeare & Co. bookshop in Paris. Copies of the book then had to find their way into England and America where it had already been censored. A fascinating account.

I have a couple of very small quibbles about Buzbee's style. At one point early on he mentions shop-lifting a book as a teenager; he narrates this in such a way that it sounds as though this is considered acceptable practice, or at the very least is an activity which lots of people have done and can understand. This did shock me a bit and marred my enjoyment slightly. In a couple of places he does also go over a point he's already mentioned which is a little repetitive. However, tiny quibbles aside, I found this book a delightful journey from cover to cover and will be cherishing my copy for some years to come.

THE JOY OF BOOKS, 10 May 2007
Can't remember where I heard about this volume but it sounded like I had to add it to my collection of books about books. Having read it I am so glad my local independent bookshop in England (sorry Amazon) managed to get hold of a copy. The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop is a joy from beginning to end. Buzbee writes fondly and wittily of his subject and interweaves his personal experience as a bookseller and publisher's rep with a history of printing and the book in general. He must have done his background reading and manages to clarify aspects of the printed word of which I only had partial knowledge and does so in a style which is a pleasure to savour. The story of Ulysses and Shakespeare and Co., for example, I knew a bit about but now I know the whole story.
This book is a little gem and for me is the next best thing to emerge from America since Anne Fadiman's Ex Libris. And I must praise this book as object - its design and production values are among the highest. The typeset pages are a delight (well, apart from one or two typos!), the paper is perfect and I love the uncut fore-edge - not something that British publishers indulge in. The endpapers are yellow, of course, and the cover design inventive and witty.
I was a librarian for 10 years, an independent bookseller for 25, and I have been publishing and writing books since 1979. Although so many of your references are particular to the USA I too have shared many of your experiences and most definitely the same enthusiasms. Thankyou, Lewis Buzbee. If you read this and consider e-mailing me then please do - I have a book I should like to give you.

Excellent stuff!, 13 Oct 2007
I'm currently using this book as part of my publishing course and I strongly feel that it is incredibly useful for anyone wishing to become a commissioning editor. It contains many tips and advice on how to become confident and successful in the job. Highly recommended.

Useful, practical advice on all aspects of commissioning books, 19 Jan 2007
I read the first edition of this book on my Publishing Masters course, and it was one of the most useful books on our reading lists. I bought the new edition after starting out in a publishing job, and it's just as useful in a professional capacity as it was in an academic one. It has great practical advice on all aspects of commissioning books. I would recommend it to any Commissioning or Acquisitions Editor, and also to editorial staff in general and to anyone aspiring to editorial work.

Good solid advice, 12 May 2005
Neatly laid out and easy to follow, this book is a terrific introduction for aspiring Commissioning Editors. There is loads of solid, down to earth advice and some very useful checklists.
It will also give anyone entering or considering the publishing arena a terrific insider's view, a flavour for what goes on and an introduction to the terminology and mindsets of others in the business.

A "Must Have" for Authors, 13 Jan 2008
Herman's annual volume is indispensable for new and established authors. I have used it to sell several of my 17 published books, most of them still in print. But beyond utility, it's an insight into publishing and how books are created and sold.

- Erich Hoyt (author, Creatures of the Deep, The Earth Dwellers)

Another fantastic seller., 12 Jan 2006
This book is the 4th in Danny King's crime series and is an absolute diamond. Every book I've read I've thought 'wow, can it get better than that?' and it invariably does.

This book is no different.

It's truely brilliant.

Combining seriousness and humour is a tricky thing to do, as well as being able to tell a story really well being sure not to confuse the reader by skipping back and forth to different points etc. Danny manages to nail this efforlessly with ridiculously sharp-witted, un-PC and shocking jokes and comments you can't help but re-read them and laugh harder and harder each time.

He speaks from a true perspective of life (particularly as he previously worked for Mayfair, the dirty porn mag) so knows what he's talking about.

This will definately be one of the best books you read this year.

And if the above is no reason for you to buy it, well how about just because I've got a mention in the acknowledgements myself?

Every Man's Dream, 11 Apr 2005
Took this book on holiday and finished it in one night much to my partners dismay! Laugh outloud funny without being offensive - pornography, every man's dream and in reality it never really happens except in this book! Written in first person narrative the main character, Geoffrey Bishop is about to embark on the job of a lifetime - what a job! Can't believe his luck when he lands a job at a porn magazine! Some of the antics and situations he gets himself into are hilarious. A must buy, so much so that I have gone out and bought another three of Danny Kings books for this years holiday!

Dire Literary Straits, 06 Apr 2005
Seemingly based on his own banal experience King has written a lazy, cynical fiction devoid of plot, pace or character development.
King seems unable or unwilling to comprehend that humour might consist of more than constant juvenile references to adult interactions. Overall this is a dull, repetitive read that seeks to shock but rapidly outstays its welcome.

Lovely Stuff, 29 Nov 2004
I bought this book after buying the previous three which I thought were massively funny and original, not too pompous and highbrow. In my opinion this is easily the best of the three as bizarrely enough this was the nearest profesion I could relate to. I lent it to a couple of my mates and they more or less agreed.

I laughed, I cried. Actually, I didn't cry., 18 Aug 2004
I was a bit worried about what was a diversion away from crime by one of my favourite authors, but I needn't have have been, it was really enjoyable. He makes working in porn sound horrible at times, but also a bit of a laugh at others, and really provides a crash course in pornography through his main character. I think what this book proves is that King's humour translates onto subjects other than crime - he captures the average working bloke's attitudes, worries and way of speaking very accurately. 7 thumbs up.

A delicious treat for bibliophiles to savour, 28 Aug 2008
A sparkling treat of a book - the kind that you just know, after a page or two, that you will treasure forever. With its neat hardback format and thick creamy pages, it even looks right.

Buzbee combines everything bookish here, beginning with his own 'calling' to the world of books, at 15, reading 'The Grapes of Wrath' at school, and moving through his time as a bookseller and publishing sales rep to his current role as reader, writer and compulsive book buyer. On top of the autobiographical elements, Buzbee traces the history of the book and bookselling, from papyrus scrolls to roadside stalls, through developing bookshops, censorship and printing to the e-commerce of today. To cap it off there is a wealth of personal insight, from the author's favourite bookshops across the globe, lovingly evoked and fairly evaluated, to the simple joys of books - their texture and smell, the pleasure of admiring shelves and stacks of books, the slow contentment of coffee and browsing...

A magical little tome, definitely worth not only reading, but buying, rereading and passing down to the next generation of bibliophiles.

A 'must have' book for ALL bibliophiles!, 20 Mar 2008
I really enjoyed reading this book from start to finish. It's small and manageable; not too long, not too short. Although described as a memoir, it's not all about the author but contains snippets of information and history that all booklovers will devour. It's quite nicely bound and is lightweight enough to carry around. All-in-all if you're a true bibliophile, then this book is for YOU.

Lewis Buzbee tells his story as a partial memoir; the history of his interest, and then love, of books is described in some detail. He writes about his career as a bookseller (although always as an employee - he never ran his own shop) and as a publishers rep, and he writes about his love of visiting bookshops of all shapes and sizes. In-between this narrative is neatly woven a basic potted history of bookselling, from ancient times, through the Gutenberg press, and on into the production of mass market paperbacks. I was particularly fascinated to read about the scandal surrounding the publication of James Joyce's 'Ulysses', and how the publishing of the book was taken on by one of Joyce's friends, the proprietor of the little but exclusive Shakespeare & Co. bookshop in Paris. Copies of the book then had to find their way into England and America where it had already been censored. A fascinating account.

I have a couple of very small quibbles about Buzbee's style. At one point early on he mentions shop-lifting a book as a teenager; he narrates this in such a way that it sounds as though this is considered acceptable practice, or at the very least is an activity which lots of people have done and can understand. This did shock me a bit and marred my enjoyment slightly. In a couple of places he does also go over a point he's already mentioned which is a little repetitive. However, tiny quibbles aside, I found this book a delightful journey from cover to cover and will be cherishing my copy for some years to come.

THE JOY OF BOOKS, 10 May 2007
Can't remember where I heard about this volume but it sounded like I had to add it to my collection of books about books. Having read it I am so glad my local independent bookshop in England (sorry Amazon) managed to get hold of a copy. The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop is a joy from beginning to end. Buzbee writes fondly and wittily of his subject and interweaves his personal experience as a bookseller and publisher's rep with a history of printing and the book in general. He must have done his background reading and manages to clarify aspects of the printed word of which I only had partial knowledge and does so in a style which is a pleasure to savour. The story of Ulysses and Shakespeare and Co., for example, I knew a bit about but now I know the whole story.
This book is a little gem and for me is the next best thing to emerge from America since Anne Fadiman's Ex Libris. And I must praise this book as object - its design and production values are among the highest. The typeset pages are a delight (well, apart from one or two typos!), the paper is perfect and I love the uncut fore-edge - not something that British publishers indulge in. The endpapers are yellow, of course, and the cover design inventive and witty.
I was a librarian for 10 years, an independent bookseller for 25, and I have been publishing and writing books since 1979. Although so many of your references are particular to the USA I too have shared many of your experiences and most definitely the same enthusiasms. Thankyou, Lewis Buzbee. If you read this and consider e-mailing me then please do - I have a book I should like to give you.

Excellent stuff!, 13 Oct 2007
I'm currently using this book as part of my publishing course and I strongly feel that it is incredibly useful for anyone wishing to become a commissioning editor. It contains many tips and advice on how to become confident and successful in the job. Highly recommended.

Useful, practical advice on all aspects of commissioning books, 19 Jan 2007
I read the first edition of this book on my Publishing Masters course, and it was one of the most useful books on our reading lists. I bought the new edition after starting out in a publishing job, and it's just as useful in a professional capacity as it was in an academic one. It has great practical advice on all aspects of commissioning books. I would recommend it to any Commissioning or Acquisitions Editor, and also to editorial staff in general and to anyone aspiring to editorial work.

Good solid advice, 12 May 2005
Neatly laid out and easy to follow, this book is a terrific introduction for aspiring Commissioning Editors. There is loads of solid, down to earth advice and some very useful checklists.
It will also give anyone entering or considering the publishing arena a terrific insider's view, a flavour for what goes on and an introduction to the terminology and mindsets of others in the business.

A "Must Have" for Authors, 13 Jan 2008
Herman's annual volume is indispensable for new and established authors. I have used it to sell several of my 17 published books, most of them still in print. But beyond utility, it's an insight into publishing and how books are created and sold.

- Erich Hoyt (author, Creatures of the Deep, The Earth Dwellers)

Brilliant Economic Insights about Books in Rambling Form, 15 May 2004
"Technologies change the world but human nature remains the same." That quote sums up the theme of the 7 essays in this interesting book. Mr. Epstein makes a persuasive case for electronics reducing the costs of reaching readers in ways so that authors and their readers will interact more directly, as they did before the 20th century. The bulk of the book is an anecdotal history of publishing and book retailing in the United States over the last 150 years. In most cases, Mr. Epstein uses his own career for examples of the changes that have occurred in the last 50 years.

Mr. Epstein takes on this challenge from a position of considerable authority. He been a top editor, working with authors like Norman Mailer, Vladimir Nabokov, E.L. Doctorow, Philip Roth, and Gore Vidal. Beyond that, he has been an important industry innovator, having helped introduce the quality paperback through Anchor Books, being a founder of The New York Review of books, and helping establish the Library of America (featuring authentic versions of important American works in paperback). When time-shared computer services were first expanding, he helped develop the "Reader's Catalog" for getting backlist books.... He was the first recipient of the National Book Award for Distinguished Service for American Letters for "inventing new kinds of publishing and editing."

Basically, the economics of creating a book involve getting the book edited and produced at the lowest possible fixed cost, and then being able to create copies at low marginal cost rates. Anything you can do to avoid any other overhead is all to the good. If an author simply publishes his own work electronically (as Stephen King has started doing), both costs reach a bare bones minimum. The potential for profits is enormous. Unfortunately for publishers and retailers, this new economic circumstance favors the authors and the readers. More and more book sales are coming from fewer and fewer authors (6 authors did over 60 percent of the top 100 books from 1986-1996). These authors now see themselves as needing business managers more than literary agents, so they can earn profits in more ways from their production. Mr. Epstein forecasts that more successful authors will simply buy the services they need from specialized firms rather than using publishers at all.

The implication of this is that the major publishing conglomerates will soon be dismantled in a scramble to avoid the diseconomies of bidding higher and higher advances. Having not focused on building a backlist business, these firms will be unprofitable compared with alternative investments. The book business will probably go back to being run by people who do it for love of books, rather than love of profits. He sees chain bookstores surviving, but more as a place to have a cup of coffee and meet with others to discuss books. Nonbook outlets (possibly including Kinko's) could become places where you can go to get any book you want made to order. .... Authors will flourish as books always remain in print. New forms of books will arise that allow different combinations of material to be created, just to match the needs of an individual reader.

This book is an expanded version of three lectures that Mr. Epstein gave at the New York Public Library in October 1999. The first chapter has already been published in the New York Review of Books. Unfortunately, after that chapter the book reads like a series of disconnected lectures rather than as one book.

The first chapter is dynamite. The rest isn't nearly as good. The other sections are just detailed expositions of the points in the first chapter. So the content, while charming and interesting, is an elaborated magazine article. If Mr. Epstein had developed his economic insights in more depth, rather than providing a lot of historical background on the industry, the book would have been a lot better. As written, the book is backward looking 85 percent of the time and forward looking 15 percent of the time.

Mr. Epstein needed a stronger editor to take his marvelous thoughts and shape them into something more visionary and coherent than this book is. But it must be tough to edit a legendary editor. I graded the book down one star for these faults. Some will grade it down more. If the book had been better focused and organized on the industry's future, I would have said that it was a more than five star book. So, you could say that I am really grading it down two or three stars for this problem.

Now, please understand that the book is well written. The sentences and thoughts are beautiful. It just isn't formed into the best book it could be. If you like to read books of lectures, you won't mind a bit. So "Book Notes" junkies will love it!

Ask yourself these questions: Where would you like to get your stories and information from the world's best writers and thinkers? How could the material be made more attractive and useful to you? How important are cost and convenience as issues for you?

Cherish the potential of technology to expand our access to each other . . . always!

Another fantastic seller., 12 Jan 2006
This book is the 4th in Danny King's crime series and is an absolute diamond. Every book I've read I've thought 'wow, can it get better than that?' and it invariably does.

This book is no different.

It's truely brilliant.

Combining seriousness and humour is a tricky thing to do, as well as being able to tell a story really well being sure not to confuse the reader by skipping back and forth to different points etc. Danny manages to nail this efforlessly with ridiculously sharp-witted, un-PC and shocking jokes and comments you can't help but re-read them and laugh harder and harder each time.

He speaks from a true perspective of life (particularly as he previously worked for Mayfair, the dirty porn mag) so knows what he's talking about.

This will definately be one of the best books you read this year.

And if the above is no reason for you to buy it, well how about just because I've got a mention in the acknowledgements myself?

Every Man's Dream, 11 Apr 2005
Took this book on holiday and finished it in one night much to my partners dismay! Laugh outloud funny without being offensive - pornography, every man's dream and in reality it never really happens except in this book! Written in first person narrative the main character, Geoffrey Bishop is about to embark on the job of a lifetime - what a job! Can't believe his luck when he lands a job at a porn magazine! Some of the antics and situations he gets himself into are hilarious. A must buy, so much so that I have gone out and bought another three of Danny Kings books for this years holiday!

Dire Literary Straits, 06 Apr 2005
Seemingly based on his own banal experience King has written a lazy, cynical fiction devoid of plot, pace or character development.
King seems unable or unwilling to comprehend that humour might consist of more than constant juvenile references to adult interactions. Overall this is a dull, repetitive read that seeks to shock but rapidly outstays its welcome.

Lovely Stuff, 29 Nov 2004
I bought this book after buying the previous three which I thought were massively funny and original, not too pompous and highbrow. In my opinion this is easily the best of the three as bizarrely enough this was the nearest profesion I could relate to. I lent it to a couple of my mates and they more or less agreed.

I laughed, I cried. Actually, I didn't cry., 18 Aug 2004
I was a bit worried about what was a diversion away from crime by one of my favourite authors, but I needn't have have been, it was really enjoyable. He makes working in porn sound horrible at times, but also a bit of a laugh at others, and really provides a crash course in pornography through his main character. I think what this book proves is that King's humour translates onto subjects other than crime - he captures the average working bloke's attitudes, worries and way of speaking very accurately. 7 thumbs up.

A delicious treat for bibliophiles to savour, 28 Aug 2008
A sparkling treat of a book - the kind that you just know, after a page or two, that you will treasure forever. With its neat hardback format and thick creamy pages, it even looks right.

Buzbee combines everything bookish here, beginning with his own 'calling' to the world of books, at 15, reading 'The Grapes of Wrath' at school, and moving through his time as a bookseller and publishing sales rep to his current role as reader, writer and compulsive book buyer. On top of the autobiographical elements, Buzbee traces the history of the book and bookselling, from papyrus scrolls to roadside stalls, through developing bookshops, censorship and printing to the e-commerce of today. To cap it off there is a wealth of personal insight, from the author's favourite bookshops across the globe, lovingly evoked and fairly evaluated, to the simple joys of books - their texture and smell, the pleasure of admiring shelves and stacks of books, the slow contentment of coffee and browsing...

A magical little tome, definitely worth not only reading, but buying, rereading and passing down to the next generation of bibliophiles.

A 'must have' book for ALL bibliophiles!, 20 Mar 2008
I really enjoyed reading this book from start to finish. It's small and manageable; not too long, not too short. Although described as a memoir, it's not all about the author but contains snippets of information and history that all booklovers will devour. It's quite nicely bound and is lightweight enough to carry around. All-in-all if you're a true bibliophile, then this book is for YOU.

Lewis Buzbee tells his story as a partial memoir; the history of his interest, and then love, of books is described in some detail. He writes about his career as a bookseller (although always as an employee - he never ran his own shop) and as a publishers rep, and he writes about his love of visiting bookshops of all shapes and sizes. In-between this narrative is neatly woven a basic potted history of bookselling, from ancient times, through the Gutenberg press, and on into the production of mass market paperbacks. I was particularly fascinated to read about the scandal surrounding the publication of James Joyce's 'Ulysses', and how the publishing of the book was taken on by one of Joyce's friends, the proprietor of the little but exclusive Shakespeare & Co. bookshop in Paris. Copies of the book then had to find their way into England and America where it had already been censored. A fascinating account.

I have a couple of very small quibbles about Buzbee's style. At one point early on he mentions shop-lifting a book as a teenager; he narrates this in such a way that it sounds as though this is considered acceptable practice, or at the very least is an activity which lots of people have done and can understand. This did shock me a bit and marred my enjoyment slightly. In a couple of places he does also go over a point he's already mentioned which is a little repetitive. However, tiny quibbles aside, I found this book a delightful journey from cover to cover and will be cherishing my copy for some years to come.

THE JOY OF BOOKS, 10 May 2007
Can't remember where I heard about this volume but it sounded like I had to add it to my collection of books about books. Having read it I am so glad my local independent bookshop in England (sorry Amazon) managed to get hold of a copy. The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop is a joy from beginning to end. Buzbee writes fondly and wittily of his subject and interweaves his personal experience as a bookseller and publisher's rep with a history of printing and the book in general. He must have done his background reading and manages to clarify aspects of the printed word of which I only had partial knowledge and does so in a style which is a pleasure to savour. The story of Ulysses and Shakespeare and Co., for example, I knew a bit about but now I know the whole story.
This book is a little gem and for me is the next best thing to emerge from America since Anne Fadiman's Ex Libris. And I must praise this book as object - its design and production values are among the highest. The typeset pages are a delight (well, apart from one or two typos!), the paper is perfect and I love the uncut fore-edge - not something that British publishers indulge in. The endpapers are yellow, of course, and the cover design inventive and witty.
I was a librarian for 10 years, an independent bookseller for 25, and I have been publishing and writing books since 1979. Although so many of your references are particular to the USA I too have shared many of your experiences and most definitely the same enthusiasms. Thankyou, Lewis Buzbee. If you read this and consider e-mailing me then please do - I have a book I should like to give you.

Excellent stuff!, 13 Oct 2007
I'm currently using this book as part of my publishing course and I strongly feel that it is incredibly useful for anyone wishing to become a commissioning editor. It contains many tips and advice on how to become confident and successful in the job. Highly recommended.

Useful, practical advice on all aspects of commissioning books, 19 Jan 2007
I read the first edition of this book on my Publishing Masters course, and it was one of the most useful books on our reading lists. I bought the new edition after starting out in a publishing job, and it's just as useful in a professional capacity as it was in an academic one. It has great practical advice on all aspects of commissioning books. I would recommend it to any Commissioning or Acquisitions Editor, and also to editorial staff in general and to anyone aspiring to editorial work.

Good solid advice, 12 May 2005
Neatly laid out and easy to follow, this book is a terrific introduction for aspiring Commissioning Editors. There is loads of solid, down to earth advice and some very useful checklists.
It will also give anyone entering or considering the publishing arena a terrific insider's view, a flavour for what goes on and an introduction to the terminology and mindsets of others in the business.

A "Must Have" for Authors, 13 Jan 2008
Herman's annual volume is indispensable for new and established authors. I have used it to sell several of my 17 published books, most of them still in print. But beyond utility, it's an insight into publishing and how books are created and sold.

- Erich Hoyt (author, Creatures of the Deep, The Earth Dwellers)

Brilliant Economic Insights about Books in Rambling Form, 15 May 2004
"Technologies change the world but human nature remains the same." That quote sums up the theme of the 7 essays in this interesting book. Mr. Epstein makes a persuasive case for electronics reducing the costs of reaching readers in ways so that authors and their readers will interact more directly, as they did before the 20th century. The bulk of the book is an anecdotal history of publishing and book retailing in the United States over the last 150 years. In most cases, Mr. Epstein uses his own career for examples of the changes that have occurred in the last 50 years.

Mr. Epstein takes on this challenge from a position of considerable authority. He been a top editor, working with authors like Norman Mailer, Vladimir Nabokov, E.L. Doctorow, Philip Roth, and Gore Vidal. Beyond that, he has been an important industry innovator, having helped introduce the quality paperback through Anchor Books, being a founder of The New York Review of books, and helping establish the Library of America (featuring authentic versions of important American works in paperback). When time-shared computer services were first expanding, he helped develop the "Reader's Catalog" for getting backlist books.... He was the first recipient of the National Book Award for Distinguished Service for American Letters for "inventing new kinds of publishing and editing."

Basically, the economics of creating a book involve getting the book edited and produced at the lowest possible fixed cost, and then being able to create copies at low marginal cost rates. Anything you can do to avoid any other overhead is all to the good. If an author simply publishes his own work electronically (as Stephen King has started doing), both costs reach a bare bones minimum. The potential for profits is enormous. Unfortunately for publishers and retailers, this new economic circumstance favors the authors and the readers. More and more book sales are coming from fewer and fewer authors (6 authors did over 60 percent of the top 100 books from 1986-1996). These authors now see themselves as needing business managers more than literary agents, so they can earn profits in more ways from their production. Mr. Epstein forecasts that more successful authors will simply buy the services they need from specialized firms rather than using publishers at all.

The implication of this is that the major publishing conglomerates will soon be dismantled in a scramble to avoid the diseconomies of bidding higher and higher advances. Having not focused on building a backlist business, these firms will be unprofitable compared with alternative investments. The book business will probably go back to being run by people who do it for love of books, rather than love of profits. He sees chain bookstores surviving, but more as a place to have a cup of coffee and meet with others to discuss books. Nonbook outlets (possibly including Kinko's) could become places where you can go to get any book you want made to order. .... Authors will flourish as books always remain in print. New forms of books will arise that allow different combinations of material to be created, just to match the needs of an individual reader.

This book is an expanded version of three lectures that Mr. Epstein gave at the New York Public Library in October 1999. The first chapter has already been published in the New York Review of Books. Unfortunately, after that chapter the book reads like a series of disconnected lectures rather than as one book.

The first chapter is dynamite. The rest isn't nearly as good. The other sections are just detailed expositions of the points in the first chapter. So the content, while charming and interesting, is an elaborated magazine article. If Mr. Epstein had developed his economic insights in more depth, rather than providing a lot of historical background on the industry, the book would have been a lot better. As written, the book is backward looking 85 percent of the time and forward looking 15 percent of the time.

Mr. Epstein needed a stronger editor to take his marvelous thoughts and shape them into something more visionary and coherent than this book is. But it must be tough to edit a legendary editor. I graded the book down one star for these faults. Some will grade it down more. If the book had been better focused and organized on the industry's future, I would have said that it was a more than five star book. So, you could say that I am really grading it down two or three stars for this problem.

Now, please understand that the book is well written. The sentences and thoughts are beautiful. It just isn't formed into the best book it could be. If you like to read books of lectures, you won't mind a bit. So "Book Notes" junkies will love it!

Ask yourself these questions: Where would you like to get your stories and information from the world's best writers and thinkers? How could the material be made more attractive and useful to you? How important are cost and convenience as issues for you?

Cherish the potential of technology to expand our access to each other . . . always!

AN UNDISCOVERED GEM!, 12 Jan 2008
I`ve never read a Dawn Powell book before and I`m so glad I did - it`s an undiscovered gem - it`s brilliantly written and could have been written yesterday. Dawn shoots down her targets with savage accuracy which is scathing and hilarious by turns, vivedly capturing the villians and inflated egos basking in the febrile atmosphere of New York prior to America entering the Second World War. Amanda Keeler is a study in opportunism, self centredness, and cynicism which may never be equalled - an outstanding achievement!

Mick Drake author of the comic novel All`s Well at Wellwithoute

A Cynical View Of Satire, 27 May 2006
Gore Vidal, admired and respected Dawn Powell and wrote a long article called,"Dawn Powell, The American Writer". Here he explains her writing "The novels of Dawn Powell have no truck with hypocrisies. She does not judge, excuse or sentimentalize, viewing her characters with a fine indifference to their manifold failings. Her almost Flaubertian aesthetic morality was often misread as sour detachment, but it was anything but. As she noted in her diary, "The satirist who really loves people loves them so well the way they are that he sees no need to disguise their characteristics -- he loves the whole, without retouching. Yet the word used for this unqualifying affection is 'cynicism.'" The Powell Effect is strikingly evident in her handling of the Clare Booth Luce character in her roman à clef "A Time to Be Born." The character is, in every conventional sense, a monster of sexual and literary deception, and a consummate liar and user, yet seen through Powell's clarifying lens her actions become understandable -- one even comes to accord her energies a respect akin to that we have for Becky Sharp. To feel, really feel, the heartbreak of an objectively contemptible character is an exquisitely mixed literary experience.. ." For his part, Gore Vidal offered a simple reason for Powell's sudden popularity: "We are catching up to her."

Dawn Powell came to New York City from Ohio. Many of her characters also were transplanted Midwesterners in the big city. The characters she writes about with her perfect economy, the writers and gallery owners, the publishers and businessmen juggling their mistresses, the gold diggers and sexual misfits and those that just slum, she offers no judgment about but is amused by their actions. We are all wise about these people, we see that virtue goes unrewarded and that luck smiles and frowns. However, her characters are rarely wise about themselves. We see through these people but at the same time understand their actions, they are not unworthy. Lisa Zeidner, writing in The New York Times Book Review, tells us Powell "is wittier than Dorothy Parker, dissects the rich better than F. Scott Fitzgerald, is more plaintive than Willa Cather in her evocation of the heartland, and has a more supple control of satirical voice than Evelyn Waugh." Ernest Hemingway called her his "favorite living writer." She was one of America's great novelists, and yet when she died in 1965 she was buried in an unmarked grave in New York's Potter's Field. It has only been recently that Dawn Powell's legacy has come to fruition. Her satire is perfect and biting and humorous.

"A Time To Be Born" is a study of cynical new Yorkers stalking each other. The story centers around a wealthy, self involved publisher, Julian Evans and his novelist wife, Amanda Keeler. Amanda Keeler has always been thought to be based on real life Clare Boothe Luce, who married Henry R Luce, cofounder of "Time" magazine. Her character is a monster of sexual deception, and a liar and user, yet we seem to agree that her actions are understandable. Dawn Powell always denied that Amanda Keeler was based upon the real-life Clare Boothe Luce, until years later when she discovered a memo she'd written to herself in 1939 that said, "Why not do a novel on Clare Luce?" Which prompted Powell to write in her diary "Who can I believe? Me or myself?" When Vicky Haven shows up in NYC from Ohio, Amanda assists her with a flat that Amanda uses as her love hideaway. Vicky falls in love with Amanda's lover, and thus all these characters in pre-war America 1942, are in "for a bumpy ride". We feel the heartbreak of all of these characters and that keeps us off-stride. A fast paced and literary novel, the like of which I have not read in a long time. Dawn Powell has written twelve novels, and I am set to read them all . She is an extraordinary satirical novelist and one to be admired. As she aptly states:

"Satire is people as they are; romanticism, people as they would like to be; realism, people as they seem with their insides left out." --Dawn Powell

Highly Recommended. prisrob 5-27-06



Dawn Powells "Time to be Born", 28 Jun 2005
Dawn Powell (1896 --1965) is an American novelist whose works have captured some attention in recent years. Powell grew up in a small town in Ohio but spent most of her life in New York City. Her 15 novels are autobiographical. They feature characters who move from the constraints of small-town America to attempt to make their way in New York City. The earlier novels focus on small town life while Powell's later novels are sharp, satiric pictures of New York.

Powell's "A Time to be Born" (1942) takes place in New York City just as the United States is preparing to enter WW II. It is a mixture of cutting satire, a coming-of-age novel, and a comedy of manners. The two major characters are two women who have left the same small Ohio town to come to New York and their varying and interrelated fortunes. The first, Amanda Keeler Evans, has become the wife of a powerful publisher, has written a novel, participates in highly-publicised war relief efforts, and is a syndicated columnist on world affairs (which are written for her). Her childhood friend, Vickie Haven, comes to New York after a failed love affair, and her life becomes intertwined with Amanda. In the complex plot, both women share an apartment, which Amanda uses for an affair with Kenneth Saunders, a lover from the days before her marriage. A triangle develops among Saunders, Amanda, and Vickie.

The book tells the story of Vickie Haven's coming-of-age as she gradually weans herself from dependence on her family in Ohio and from Amanda. She begins to act independently when she takes her own apartment and leaves the situation into which Amanda has manipulated her. As with all Powell's writings, the awakening is only partial and bittersweet.

This book presents an unforgettably picture of a bygone New York City as the United States prepares to enter the war. The story is sharply and wittily told, but there is an undercurrent of sympathy, compassion, worldly-wisdom and perhaps hope.

This novel will interest readers of American literature willing to be adventurous and to explore little-known works of the mid-20th Century.

This is a timeless story of young adulthood., 31 Jan 1999
This novel, set in early World War II, could have been written yesterday. The author masterfully portrays complex characters with ranges of selfishness, naivete, cynicism, humor, everything. It's a great story of twenty-something's making their way in New York City. Enjoy!

Oh so cynical but oh so funny, 20 Jan 1999
This is the first of Dawn Powell's books I have read, and I look forward to reading the rest. It's a hilarious send-up of very recognizable types, as caustic and cynical (and as funny) as H. L. Mencken or Ambrose Bierce has written.

Another fantastic seller., 12 Jan 2006
This book is the 4th in Danny King's crime series and is an absolute diamond. Every book I've read I've thought 'wow, can it get better than that?' and it invariably does.

This book is no different.

It's truely brilliant.

Combining seriousness and humour is a tricky thing to do, as well as being able to tell a story really well being sure not to confuse the reader by skipping back and forth to different points etc. Danny manages to nail this efforlessly with ridiculously sharp-witted, un-PC and shocking jokes and comments you can't help but re-read them and laugh harder and harder each time.

He speaks from a true perspective of life (particularly as he previously worked for Mayfair, the dirty porn mag) so knows what he's talking about.

This will definately be one of the best books you read this year.

And if the above is no reason for you to buy it, well how about just because I've got a mention in the acknowledgements myself?

Every Man's Dream, 11 Apr 2005
Took this book on holiday and finished it in one night much to my partners dismay! Laugh outloud funny without being offensive - pornography, every man's dream and in reality it never really happens except in this book! Written in first person narrative the main character, Geoffrey Bishop is about to embark on the job of a lifetime - what a job! Can't believe his luck when he lands a job at a porn magazine! Some of the antics and situations he gets himself into are hilarious. A must buy, so much so that I have gone out and bought another three of Danny Kings books for this years holiday!

Dire Literary Straits, 06 Apr 2005
Seemingly based on his own banal experience King has written a lazy, cynical fiction devoid of plot, pace or character development.
King seems unable or unwilling to comprehend that humour might consist of more than constant juvenile references to adult interactions. Overall this is a dull, repetitive read that seeks to shock but rapidly outstays its welcome.

Lovely Stuff, 29 Nov 2004
I bought this book after buying the previous three which I thought were massively funny and original, not too pompous and highbrow. In my opinion this is easily the best of the three as bizarrely enough this was the nearest profesion I could relate to. I lent it to a couple of my mates and they more or less agreed.

I laughed, I cried. Actually, I didn't cry., 18 Aug 2004
I was a bit worried about what was a diversion away from crime by one of my favourite authors, but I needn't have have been, it was really enjoyable. He makes working in porn sound horrible at times, but also a bit of a laugh at others, and really provides a crash course in pornography through his main character. I think what this book proves is that King's humour translates onto subjects other than crime - he captures the average working bloke's attitudes, worries and way of speaking very accurately. 7 thumbs up.

A delicious treat for bibliophiles to savour, 28 Aug 2008
A sparkling treat of a book - the kind that you just know, after a page or two, that you will treasure forever. With its neat hardback format and thick creamy pages, it even looks right.

Buzbee combines everything bookish here, beginning with his own 'calling' to the world of books, at 15, reading 'The Grapes of Wrath' at school, and moving through his time as a bookseller and publishing sales rep to his current role as reader, writer and compulsive book buyer. On top of the autobiographical elements, Buzbee traces the history of the book and bookselling, from papyrus scrolls to roadside stalls, through developing bookshops, censorship and printing to the e-commerce of today. To cap it off there is a wealth of personal insight, from the author's favourite bookshops across the globe, lovingly evoked and fairly evaluated, to the simple joys of books - their texture and smell, the pleasure of admiring shelves and stacks of books, the slow contentment of coffee and browsing...

A magical little tome, definitely worth not only reading, but buying, rereading and passing down to the next generation of bibliophiles.

A 'must have' book for ALL bibliophiles!, 20 Mar 2008
I really enjoyed reading this book from start to finish. It's small and manageable; not too long, not too short. Although described as a memoir, it's not all about the author but contains snippets of information and history that all booklovers will devour. It's quite nicely bound and is lightweight enough to carry around. All-in-all if you're a true bibliophile, then this book is for YOU.

Lewis Buzbee tells his story as a partial memoir; the history of his interest, and then love, of books is described in some detail. He writes about his career as a bookseller (although always as an employee - he never ran his own shop) and as a publishers rep, and he writes about his love of visiting bookshops of all shapes and sizes. In-between this narrative is neatly woven a basic potted history of bookselling, from ancient times, through the Gutenberg press, and on into the production of mass market paperbacks. I was particularly fascinated to read about the scandal surrounding the publication of James Joyce's 'Ulysses', and how the publishing of the book was taken on by one of Joyce's friends, the proprietor of the little but exclusive Shakespeare & Co. bookshop in Paris. Copies of the book then had to find their way into England and America where it had already been censored. A fascinating account.

I have a couple of very small quibbles about Buzbee's style. At one point early on he mentions shop-lifting a book as a teenager; he narrates this in such a way that it sounds as though this is considered acceptable practice, or at the very least is an activity which lots of people have done and can understand. This did shock me a bit and marred my enjoyment slightly. In a couple of places he does also go over a point he's already mentioned which is a little repetitive. However, tiny quibbles aside, I found this book a delightful journey from cover to cover and will be cherishing my copy for some years to come.

THE JOY OF BOOKS, 10 May 2007
Can't remember where I heard about this volume but it sounded like I had to add it to my collection of books about books. Having read it I am so glad my local independent bookshop in England (sorry Amazon) managed to get hold of a copy. The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop is a joy from beginning to end. Buzbee writes fondly and wittily of his subject and interweaves his personal experience as a bookseller and publisher's rep with a history of printing and the book in general. He must have done his background reading and manages to clarify aspects of the printed word of which I only had partial knowledge and does so in a style which is a pleasure to savour. The story of Ulysses and Shakespeare and Co., for example, I knew a bit about but now I know the whole story.
This book is a little gem and for me is the next best thing to emerge from America since Anne Fadiman's Ex Libris. And I must praise this book as object - its design and production values are among the highest. The typeset pages are a delight (well, apart from one or two typos!), the paper is perfect and I love the uncut fore-edge - not something that British publishers indulge in. The endpapers are yellow, of course, and the cover design inventive and witty.
I was a librarian for 10 years, an independent bookseller for 25, and I have been publishing and writing books since 1979. Although so many of your references are particular to the USA I too have shared many of your experiences and most definitely the same enthusiasms. Thankyou, Lewis Buzbee. If you read this and consider e-mailing me then please do - I have a book I should like to give you.

Excellent stuff!, 13 Oct 2007
I'm currently using this book as part of my publishing course and I strongly feel that it is incredibly useful for anyone wishing to become a commissioning editor. It contains many tips and advice on how to become confident and successful in the job. Highly recommended.

Useful, practical advice on all aspects of commissioning books, 19 Jan 2007
I read the first edition of this book on my Publishing Masters course, and it was one of the most useful books on our reading lists. I bought the new edition after starting out in a publishing job, and it's just as useful in a professional capacity as it was in an academic one. It has great practical advice on all aspects of commissioning books. I would recommend it to any Commissioning or Acquisitions Editor, and also to editorial staff in general and to anyone aspiring to editorial work.

Good solid advice, 12 May 2005
Neatly laid out and easy to follow, this book is a terrific introduction for aspiring Commissioning Editors. There is loads of solid, down to earth advice and some very useful checklists.
It will also give anyone entering or considering the publishing arena a terrific insider's view, a flavour for what goes on and an introduction to the terminology and mindsets of others in the business.

A "Must Have" for Authors, 13 Jan 2008
Herman's annual volume is indispensable for new and established authors. I have used it to sell several of my 17 published books, most of them still in print. But beyond utility, it's an insight into publishing and how books are created and sold.

- Erich Hoyt (author, Creatures of the Deep, The Earth Dwellers)

Brilliant Economic Insights about Books in Rambling Form, 15 May 2004
"Technologies change the world but human nature remains the same." That quote sums up the theme of the 7 essays in this interesting book. Mr. Epstein makes a persuasive case for electronics reducing the costs of reaching readers in ways so that authors and their readers will interact more directly, as they did before the 20th century. The bulk of the book is an anecdotal history of publishing and book retailing in the United States over the last 150 years. In most cases, Mr. Epstein uses his own career for examples of the changes that have occurred in the last 50 years.

Mr. Epstein takes on this challenge from a position of considerable authority. He been a top editor, working with authors like Norman Mailer, Vladimir Nabokov, E.L. Doctorow, Philip Roth, and Gore Vidal. Beyond that, he has been an important industry innovator, having helped introduce the quality paperback through Anchor Books, being a founder of The New York Review of books, and helping establish the Library of America (featuring authentic versions of important American works in paperback). When time-shared computer services were first expanding, he helped develop the "Reader's Catalog" for getting backlist books.... He was the first recipient of the National Book Award for Distinguished Service for American Letters for "inventing new kinds of publishing and editing."

Basically, the economics of creating a book involve getting the book edited and produced at the lowest possible fixed cost, and then being able to create copies at low marginal cost rates. Anything you can do to avoid any other overhead is all to the good. If an author simply publishes his own work electronically (as Stephen King has started doing), both costs reach a bare bones minimum. The potential for profits is enormous. Unfortunately for publishers and retailers, this new economic circumstance favors the authors and the readers. More and more book sales are coming from fewer and fewer authors (6 authors did over 60 percent of the top 100 books from 1986-1996). These authors now see themselves as needing business managers more than literary agents, so they can earn profits in more ways from their production. Mr. Epstein forecasts that more successful authors will simply buy the services they need from specialized firms rather than using publishers at all.

The implication of this is that the major publishing conglomerates will soon be dismantled in a scramble to avoid the diseconomies of bidding higher and higher advances. Having not focused on building a backlist business, these firms will be unprofitable compared with alternative investments. The book business will probably go back to being run by people who do it for love of books, rather than love of profits. He sees chain bookstores surviving, but more as a place to have a cup of coffee and meet with others to discuss books. Nonbook outlets (possibly including Kinko's) could become places where you can go to get any book you want made to order. .... Authors will flourish as books always remain in print. New forms of books will arise that allow different combinations of material to be created, just to match the needs of an individual reader.

This book is an expanded version of three lectures that Mr. Epstein gave at the New York Public Library in October 1999. The first chapter has already been published in the New York Review of Books. Unfortunately, after that chapter the book reads like a series of disconnected lectures rather than as one book.

The first chapter is dynamite. The rest isn't nearly as good. The other sections are just detailed expositions of the points in the first chapter. So the content, while charming and interesting, is an elaborated magazine article. If Mr. Epstein had developed his economic insights in more depth, rather than providing a lot of historical background on the industry, the book would have been a lot better. As written, the book is backward looking 85 percent of the time and forward looking 15 percent of the time.

Mr. Epstein needed a stronger editor to take his marvelous thoughts and shape them into something more visionary and coherent than this book is. But it must be tough to edit a legendary editor. I graded the book down one star for these faults. Some will grade it down more. If the book had been better focused and organized on the industry's future, I would have said that it was a more than five star book. So, you could say that I am really grading it down two or three stars for this problem.

Now, please understand that the book is well written. The sentences and thoughts are beautiful. It just isn't formed into the best book it could be. If you like to read books of lectures, you won't mind a bit. So "Book Notes" junkies will love it!

Ask yourself these questions: Where would you like to get your stories and information from the world's best writers and thinkers? How could the material be made more attractive and useful to you? How important are cost and convenience as issues for you?

Cherish the potential of technology to expand our access to each other . . . always!

AN UNDISCOVERED GEM!, 12 Jan 2008
I`ve never read a Dawn Powell book before and I`m so glad I did - it`s an undiscovered gem - it`s brilliantly written and could have been written yesterday. Dawn shoots down her targets with savage accuracy which is scathing and hilarious by turns, vivedly capturing the villians and inflated egos basking in the febrile atmosphere of New York prior to America entering the Second World War. Amanda Keeler is a study in opportunism, self centredness, and cynicism which may never be equalled - an outstanding achievement!

Mick Drake author of the comic novel All`s Well at Wellwithoute

A Cynical View Of Satire, 27 May 2006
Gore Vidal, admired and respected Dawn Powell and wrote a long article called,"Dawn Powell, The American Writer". Here he explains her writing "The novels of Dawn Powell have no truck with hypocrisies. She does not judge, excuse or sentimentalize, viewing her characters with a fine indifference to their manifold failings. Her almost Flaubertian aesthetic morality was often misread as sour detachment, but it was anything but. As she noted in her diary, "The satirist who really loves people loves them so well the way they are that he sees no need to disguise their characteristics -- he loves the whole, without retouching. Yet the word used for this unqualifying affection is 'cynicism.'" The Powell Effect is strikingly evident in her handling of the Clare Booth Luce character in her roman à clef "A Time to Be Born." The character is, in every conventional sense, a monster of sexual and literary deception, and a consummate liar and user, yet seen through Powell's clarifying lens her actions become understandable -- one even comes to accord her energies a respect akin to that we have for Becky Sharp. To feel, really feel, the heartbreak of an objectively contemptible character is an exquisitely mixed literary experience.. ." For his part, Gore Vidal offered a simple reason for Powell's sudden popularity: "We are catching up to her."

Dawn Powell came to New York City from Ohio. Many of her characters also were transplanted Midwesterners in the big city. The characters she writes about with her perfect economy, the writers and gallery owners, the publishers and businessmen juggling their mistresses, the gold diggers and sexual misfits and those that just slum, she offers no judgment about but is amused by their actions. We are all wise about these people, we see that virtue goes unrewarded and that luck smiles and frowns. However, her characters are rarely wise about themselves. We see through these people but at the same time understand their actions, they are not unworthy. Lisa Zeidner, writing in The New York Times Book Review, tells us Powell "is wittier than Dorothy Parker, dissects the rich better than F. Scott Fitzgerald, is more plaintive than Willa Cather in her evocation of the heartland, and has a more supple control of satirical voice than Evelyn Waugh." Ernest Hemingway called her his "favorite living writer." She was one of America's great novelists, and yet when she died in 1965 she was buried in an unmarked grave in New York's Potter's Field. It has only been recently that Dawn Powell's legacy has come to fruition. Her satire is perfect and biting and humorous.

"A Time To Be Born" is a study of cynical new Yorkers stalking each other. The story centers around a wealthy, self involved publisher, Julian Evans and his novelist wife, Amanda Keeler. Amanda Keeler has always been thought to be based on real life Clare Boothe Luce, who married Henry R Luce, cofounder of "Time" magazine. Her character is a monster of sexual deception, and a liar and user, yet we seem to agree that her actions are understandable. Dawn Powell always denied that Amanda Keeler was based upon the real-life Clare Boothe Luce, until years later when she discovered a memo she'd written to herself in 1939 that said, "Why not do a novel on Clare Luce?" Which prompted Powell to write in her diary "Who can I believe? Me or myself?" When Vicky Haven shows up in NYC from Ohio, Amanda assists her with a flat that Amanda uses as her love hideaway. Vicky falls in love with Amanda's lover, and thus all these characters in pre-war America 1942, are in "for a bumpy ride". We feel the heartbreak of all of these characters and that keeps us off-stride. A fast paced and literary novel, the like of which I have not read in a long time. Dawn Powell has written twelve novels, and I am set to read them all . She is an extraordinary satirical novelist and one to be admired. As she aptly states:

"Satire is people as they are; romanticism, people as they would like to be; realism, people as they seem with their insides left out." --Dawn Powell

Highly Recommended. prisrob 5-27-06



Dawn Powells "Time to be Born", 28 Jun 2005
Dawn Powell (1896 --1965) is an American novelist whose works have captured some attention in recent years. Powell grew up in a small town in Ohio but spent most of her life in New York City. Her 15 novels are autobiographical. They feature characters who move from the constraints of small-town America to attempt to make their way in New York City. The earlier novels focus on small town life while Powell's later novels are sharp, satiric pictures of New York.

Powell's "A Time to be Born" (1942) takes place in New York City just as the United States is preparing to enter WW II. It is a mixture of cutting satire, a coming-of-age novel, and a comedy of manners. The two major characters are two women who have left the same small Ohio town to come to New York and their varying and interrelated fortunes. The first, Amanda Keeler Evans, has become the wife of a powerful publisher, has written a novel, participates in highly-publicised war relief efforts, and is a syndicated columnist on world affairs (which are written for her). Her childhood friend, Vickie Haven, comes to New York after a failed love affair, and her life becomes intertwined with Amanda. In the complex plot, both women share an apartment, which Amanda uses for an affair with Kenneth Saunders, a lover from the days before her marriage. A triangle develops among Saunders, Amanda, and Vickie.

The book tells the story of Vickie Haven's coming-of-age as she gradually weans herself from dependence on her family in Ohio and from Amanda. She begins to act independently when she takes her own apartment and leaves the situation into which Amanda has manipulated her. As with all Powell's writings, the awakening is only partial and bittersweet.

This book presents an unforgettably picture of a bygone New York City as the United States prepares to enter the war. The story is sharply and wittily told, but there is an undercurrent of sympathy, compassion, worldly-wisdom and perhaps hope.

This novel will interest readers of American literature willing to be adventurous and to explore little-known works of the mid-20th Century.

This is a timeless story of young adulthood., 31 Jan 1999
This novel, set in early World War II, could have been written yesterday. The author masterfully portrays complex characters with ranges of selfishness, naivete, cynicism, humor, everything. It's a great story of twenty-something's making their way in New York City. Enjoy!

Oh so cynical but oh so funny, 20 Jan 1999
This is the first of Dawn Powell's books I have read, and I look forward to reading the rest. It's a hilarious send-up of very recognizable types, as caustic and cynical (and as funny) as H. L. Mencken or Ambrose Bierce has written.

An Enjoyable Alternative, 14 Aug 2006
"The Asti Spumante Code" kicks off in Brussels, with the murder of Gordon Sanitaire - curator of the city's Grande Bibliothèque. He proves to be the latest victim of the hirsute Stoat - so called because his hair (or, more accurately, `fur') changes colour with the season. (For this reason, he travels on two passports : one for the summer, the other for the winter). Stoat is a member of the Uxbridge Road Group, the militant wing of the English Book Guild. The Guild was founded with the aim of encouraging people to read and, although the URG's methods are extreme, they have also proved effective. Under the instructions of Brown Owl, Stoat is searching for the legendary Mûre-de-Paume, some sort of keystone.

The investigation into Sanitaire's death is headed up by Capitaine Taureau, who very quickly manages to point the finger at the book's hero : James Crack. Not only the Professor of Para-Literal Meta-Symbologist Studies at the University of Catt-Butt in Nebraska, Crack also proves to be an clueless, egotistical bore.

For those of us who hated "The Da Vinci Code", this is the easiest way of getting any pleasure from it. Brown's writing style is mocked perfectly : the chapters are ridiculously short, while every opportunity is taken to labour over the most minute and irrelevant point. Certain things are stated as fact, when they're clearly anything but true. Crack himself makes wild jumps of logic and stumbles across clues by means of blind luck rather than any form of skill. Recommended for those who read "The Da Vinci Code" and hated it.

Almost as funny as the original!, 04 Jan 2006
Parody of a novel is maybe more difficult to pull off than it might seem. Sustaining the knowing joke for more than a page or two without boring the reader can't be easy, and it's to the author's credit that he manges to do so for the most part. Thankfully, the parody is less than half the length of That Other Book.
Clements has captured the 'Style' of the original: the leaps in logic, the blindingly obvious puzzles, the chunks of irrelevant background detail, the total absence of anything resembling a believable character. All these and more are present and highly amusing. The first half of the book especially is crammed with moments which made me laugh out loud.
The worst of it is that reading the Asti Spumante Code has made me feel almost inclined to read TOB again to confirm how 'eerily' (to borrow one of the authors' favourite adverbs) Toby Clements has captured Brown's tone!
Oh no, not again....

Depth of Researc