From the acclaimed, award-winning author comes a sparkling, surprising collection of the writing she loves best—and without which she would not have become a writer. The Book Lover is a treasure trove of what Ali Smith has loved over the course of her reading life, in her twenties, as a teenager, as a child. Full of pieces from amazing writers like Sylvia Plath, Muriel Spark, Grace Paley, and Margaret Atwood, it also has a wonderful selection of lesser-known authors like Joseph Roth, only just gaining proper status now, and Clarice Lispector, a Brazilian genius who's far too underpublished. From surprising figures like Beryl the Peril, Billie Holliday, and Lee Miller to unusual selections from the most prominent writers in history, The Book Lover is an intimate, personal anthology that gives readers a glimpse of how writers develop their craft—by reading other writers.

A lively and accessible guide to lesbian and gay literary culture. Featuring authors of works with lesbian or gay content as well as known lesbian and gay writers, it offers an invaluable guide to a rich and varied literary culture.

Jane Bowles has for many years had an underground reputation as one of the truly original writers of the twentieth century. The collection in My Sister's Hand in Mine of expertly crafted short fiction will fully acquaint all students and scholars with the author Tennessee Williams called "the most important writer of prose fiction in modern American letters."

"Filled with insights into an enigma" ("USA Today"), "An Invisible Spectator" chronicles Paul Bowles's life and work--interwoven with vivid depictions of the writer's intimates, including Truman Capote, Gertrude Stein, Allen Ginsberg, and William Burroughs.