Classics For Pleasure

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR "CLASSICS FOR PLEASURE" "It is hard to think of another writer who loves books so passionately, who has such broad tastes and impeccably high standards--and who writes about literature with such intelligence, generosity, and enthusiasm. Michael Dirda is a cultural treasure." --Francine Prose "Michael Dirda's honest and careful perceptions have been crafted for people who read. He has the wonderful ability to make us feel as intelligent as he is."--Guy Davenport"This book is full of short, sharp loving Shocks of Appreciation, cunningly arranged in sequences we would have never dreamed up--I doubt George Meredith, C P Cavafy, Georgette Heyer and Anna Akhmatova have ever been juxtaposed before--but which add up to a vision far greater than the sum of its parts.."--John Clute"Michael Dirda is the best-read person in America. But he doesn't rub it in."--Michael Kinsley, "Time" columnist and former editor of "Slate"

This is not your father's list of classics. In these delightful essays, Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Dirda introduces nearly ninety of the world's most entertaining books. Writing with affection as well as authority, Dirda covers masterpieces of fantasy and science fiction, horror and adventure, as well as epics, history, essay, and children's literature. Organized thematically, these are works that have shaped our imaginations. "Love's Mysteries" moves from Sappho and Arthurian romance to Soren Kierkegaard and Georgette Heyer. In other categories Dirda discusses not only "Dracula" and Sherlock Holmes but also the "Tao Te Ching" and Icelandic sagas, Frederick Douglass and "Fowler's Modern English Usage," Whether writing about Petronius or Perelman, Dirda makes literature come alive. "Classics for Pleasure" is a perfect companion for any reading group or lover of books.