The Best Book in the World


Book Description

Who will win the race to write the best book in the world, and to what unimaginable lengths will they go to get there first? A hilarious tale of authorly competition. Titus Jensen is middle-aged, has a fondness for alcohol, and makes ends meet by giving public readings from obscure books at festivals across Sweden. He can't help thinking there has to be more to life for an author of his quality. Eddie X is hip, a hit with the ladies, and loves being the center of attention. A radical poet and regular on the festival circuit, he can't help thinking there has to be more to life for a talented, good-looking man like himself. One night, after a successful event—Titus reads from The Diseases of Swedish Monarchs and Eddie X waxes lyrical to the thrashing tones of metal band The Tourettes—the unlikely pair get horribly drunk together and hatch a plan to achieve worldwide recognition. The answer is to write the best book in the world—a book so amazing that it will end up on all the bestseller lists in every category imaginable: thriller, self-help, cooking, business, dieting—a book that combines everything in one! But there can only be one such book, and as the alcohol-induced haze clears both men realize they are not willing to share the limelight. Hilariously quirky and witty, this novel will take readers on a meandering race to the finish line, throwing plenty of satirical punches along the way.




The Best Book In The World


Book Description

If you found the best book in the world, would you stop reading? Could you stop reading? If you had homework to do, or dinner to get through, could you put the book down? On a train to the zoo or on a flight to Kalamazoo, would that break the spell? If in a forest you walked, while scary monsters stalked . . . would that be enough? If you'd crossed a desert that baked or were swept off by a river that snaked, would you even take a break? If every animal in the land were to be led by a big band, in a grand parade in your honor made . . . would you put the book down? What could possibly be so good about a book? Well, open me up and find out for yourself! Rilla Alexander's story is conveyed through her superb artwork making this an unforgettable and magical tale that encourages children to read. The Best Book in the World draws young readers into the richly rewarding world of books.




Landmarks


Book Description

SHORTLISTED FOR THE SAMUEL JOHNSON PRIZE SHORTLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE From the bestselling author of UNDERLAND, THE OLD WAYS and THE LOST WORDS 'Few books give such a sense of enchantment; it is a book to give to many, and to return to repeatedly' Independent 'Enormously pleasurable, deeply moving. A bid to save our rich hoard of landscape language, and a blow struck for the power of a deep creative relationship to place' Financial Times 'A book that ought to be read by policymakers, educators, armchair environmentalists and active conservationists the world over' Guardian 'Gorgeous, thoughtful and lyrical' Independent on Sunday 'Feels as if [it] somehow grew out of the land itself. A delight' Sunday Times Discover Robert Macfarlane's joyous meditation on words, landscape and the relationship between the two. Words are grained into our landscapes, and landscapes are grained into our words. Landmarks is about the power of language to shape our sense of place. It is a field guide to the literature of nature, and a glossary containing thousands of remarkable words used in England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales to describe land, nature and weather. Travelling from Cumbria to the Cairngorms, and exploring the landscapes of Roger Deakin, J. A. Baker, Nan Shepherd and others, Robert Macfarlane shows that language, well used, is a keen way of knowing landscape, and a vital means of coming to love it.




Encyclopaedia Britannica


Book Description

This eleventh edition was developed during the encyclopaedia's transition from a British to an American publication. Some of its articles were written by the best-known scholars of the time and it is considered to be a landmark encyclopaedia for scholarship and literary style.




The 100 Most Influential Books Ever Written


Book Description

The hundred books discussed here have radically altered the course of civilisation , whether they have embodied religions practised by millions, achieved the pinnacle of artistic expression, pointed the way to scientific discovery of enormous consequence, redirected beliefs about the nature of man, or forever altered the global political landscape. For each there is a historical overview, an analysis of the work's effect on our lives today and a lively discussion of the reasons for inclusion.




Reading the World


Book Description

'A brilliant, unlikely book' Spectator How can we celebrate, challenge and change our remarkable world? In 2012, the world arrived in London for the Olympics...and Ann Morgan went out to meet it. She read her way around all the globe's 196 independent countries (plus one extra), sampling one book from every nation. It wasn't easy. Many languages have next to nothing translated into English; there are tiny, tucked-away places where very little is written down; some governments don't like to let works of art escape their borders. Using Morgan's own quest as a starting point, Reading the World explores the vital questions of our time and how reading across borders might just help us answer them. 'Revelatory... While Morgan's research has a daunting range...there is a simple message- reading is a social activity, and we ought to share books across boundaries' Financial Times




A History of Knowledge


Book Description

A one-voume reference to the history of ideas that is a compendium of everything that humankind has thought, invented, created, considered, and perfected from the beginning of civilization into the twenty-first century. Massive in its scope, and yet totally accessible, A HISTORY OF KNOWLEDGE covers not only all the great theories and discoveries of the human race, but also explores the social conditions, political climates, and individual men and women of genius that brought ideas to fruition throughout history. Crystal clear and concise...Explains how humankind got to know what it knows. Clifton Fadiman Selected by the Book-of-the-Month Club and the History Book Club




The World's Best Book


Book Description

With all of the books in the world, this one is the best! With a multitude of did-you-knows, accompanied by hilarious illustrations, page after page is packed with the best entertainment and education. For kids craving to jam their brains with odd and intriguing facts, here's a banquet - stuffed with the fastest, brightest, longest, funniest, weirdest, wildest, wettest, smelliest, brainiest, and fascinating-est things in the world!




The World's Greatest Book


Book Description

Welcome to the fascinating story of how we got the world’s greatest book—the Bible. It is a captivating story that includes a little bit of everything: adventure and violence, mystery and bravery, history and romance, and dumb luck or divine intervention—depending on your point of view. How in the world did we get this book that some people swear by—and other people swear at? You don’t have to be a skeptic to have a grocery list of questions about the making of the Bible, one of the world’s most loved and loathed books: What’s so great about the Bible? Why are there different versions of the Bible? How has this controversial book remained relevant through the ages? Who wrote these books and when? As scribes made copies of copies, didn’t they make mistakes that caused the ancient writings to be changed and corrupted? How was it decided which writings would be included in the Bible? What are the Dead Sea Scrolls, and why are archeological finds like these a big deal? Devoted people dedicated their lives throughout time, putting this unique book into the hands of people worldwide. Let this book deepen your engagement with God’s Word as you retrace the passion and intrigue behind the origin of the Bible.




The Most Beautiful Book in the World


Book Description

The international bestselling story collection. “Truth and beauty are here brought together with all the visual beauty and power of a major literary work” (Lire Magazine, France). A cast of extravagant and affecting characters lovingly portrayed by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt animates these eight contemporary fables about people in search of happiness. One of Europe's most popular and bestselling authors, Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt captivates the reader with his spirited style and enchanting stories that move effortlessly from the everyday to the fantastical. The eight stories in this collection, his first to be published in English, represent his best and most imaginative storylines: from the touching and surprising love story between Balthazar, a wealthy author, and Odette, a shop clerk, to the tale of a barefooted princess; from the moving title story about a group of female prisoners in a Soviet gulag to the entertaining portrait of a perennially disgruntled perfectionist. Behind each story lies a simple, if elusive, truth: though we may be frequently blind to it, happiness is often right in front of our eyes.