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Eliot's Book of Bookish Lists
Eliot's Book of Bookish Lists
Oct 4, 2024 7:21 AM

Author:Henry Eliot

Eliot's Book of Bookish Lists

Who had birds called Death, Wigs and Spinach? How do you spell the noise of a door slamming? Whose working title was The Chronic Argonauts?

Henry Eliot - author, editor and insatiable bookworm - has ransacked the libraries and archives of world literature, compiling hundreds of bookish lists. This eclectic gallimaufry showcases his favourites: we witness the tragic ends of the Ancient Greek tragedians, learn the name of George Orwell's pet cockerel and rummage through Joan Didion's travelling bag; we consider the history of literary fart jokes, orbit the Shakespearean moons of Uranus and meet several pigs with wings. From the sublime to the ridiculous - and everything in between ­- Eliot's lists, recommendations and nuggets of trivia will delight, inspire and surprise anyone who loves reading.

Beautifully presented with supplementary maps and illustrations, Henry Eliot's Book of Bookish Lists is the essential gift for book-lovers.

Reviews

I loved this so much. Lists for bookish folk, filled with things I had not known or dreamed

—— Neil Gaiman

Totally enthralling... The perfect bedside book

—— Jilly Cooper

An eccentric idea beautifully executed

—— Louis de Bernières

If there was a list of books about lists, Eliot's Book of Bookish Lists would be top

—— Philip Pullman

An absolute delight - Borges meets Buzzfeed

—— Tom Holland

A gorgeous confection . . . How do I love this book? Let me list the ways . . .

—— Chris Riddell

Brimful of piquant and scrumptious surprises

—— John Lloyd

Hours of innocent snacking

—— Iain Sinclair

Very entertaining and sprightly

—— Ian McKellen

Thoroughly enjoyable... As amusing as it is informing

—— Michael Portillo

Buried deep in the etymology of the word 'list' is the notion of pleasure. Mr Eliot's marvellous vade mecum reminds us why

—— John Mitchinson

I loved Eliot's book for its wit, learning, eccentricity and unrepentant bookishness

—— Alan Taylor

A magnificent labyrinth of literary trivia to get lost in . . . fun and fascinating things on every page

—— Edward Brooke-Hitching

A trove of treasures from start to finish

—— Dennis Duncan

Deliciously idiosyncratic

—— Rachel Cooke , Observer

Reading this book is like going on a literary Grand Tour . . . Essential for the pub quiz

—— Country Life

Eliot's books have been my equivalent of big game almanacs. This book is half a delight and half a gauntlet

—— Stuart Kelly , Scotsman

The ultimate book for lovers of lists and literature . . . surprising, inspiring and amusing

—— Denise O'Donoghue , Irish Examiner

As well-reported, and at times as emotionally wrenching, as Amy Goldstein’s Janesville . . . In facing . . . the fraying of the social contract between employer and employee, Sarah Kessler's work in Gigged makes one thing increasingly clear: we must get busy building a new one that benefits all sides of that relationship, and the society around it.

—— Editor’s Choice , 800 CEO Read

Goes under the bonnet of the gig economy.

—— What CEOs Are Reading , Management Today

Kessler’s recent book Gigged is all about [the] desire for independence . . . Kessler investigates the liberating ethos and terrible trade-offs of this new economy by following several people working in such positions. She discovers why the revolution in “independent contractor” work – which comes without guarantees for minimum wages, paid vacation, or health benefits – is paradise for one slice of the population, but has been disappointing, and in some cases devastating, for others.

—— Quartz

For those interested in inquiries into modern (and future) work, there’s Gigged by Sarah Kessler, an analysis of the gig economy.

—— Books of the Year , Buzzfeed News

Looks at the potential of the gig economy and ultimately the problems it bears.

—— Books of the Year , Fast Company
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