1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die

First published in the United States of America in 2006 by Universe Publishing. 1st printing. Preface by Peter Ackroyd. 960pp. Bright, clean & tight copy, appears unread, in FINE condition. "People have always written stories, either to teach moral lessons, as records drawn from history, for entertainment, or as very real accounts of events derived from remarkable--and indeed not-so-remarkable--lives. The advent of the novel unfolded worlds in which the boundaries of delineation have become as varied as the pens, languages, presses, bookshops, and readers who have collectively shaped the imaginative culture of the literary world. [] From Aesop's Fables to Zeno's Conscience and from Achebe to Zola, 1001 BOOKS YOU MUST READ BEFORE YOU DIE offers concise critical insight into the books and the writers that have excited the world's imagination. From Billy Bathgate, Billy Bud, and Billy Liar to Calvino, Camus, and Coetzee, here you'll find the big ideas and the best-sellers. From the popular drama of Louisa May Alcott to the stomach-turning cult fiction of Chuck Palahniuk, you'll find the writing that has made the world over and over again. [] Discover the stories behind the adjectives: Dickensian, Kafkaesque, Rabelaisian and the writers behind the stories. From the dark recesses of Marquis de Sade's jail cell to Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, from The Awakening and Enigma of Arrival to The End of the Road and The End of the Story, explore the greatest novels of all time." [publisher copy] "A bold and bright reference to the novels and the writers that have excited the world's imagination. An incisive guide to the books which have had impact--whether in the form of critical acclaim or cult classic. An eclectic selection by an international team of writers, critics, academics, and journalists, a new take on old classics and a guide to what's hot in the huge contemporary fiction market. Featuring over 600 full-color images of book covers and frontispieces, posters and other contextual images, and detailed with quotes from individual novels, this is the ideal book for anybody who loves to read." [back cover] Pristine hardcover w/brilliant corners & crisp edges, a square & tight binding, wrapped in a NF intact jacket.…