On the happy occasion of the revival of The Washington Post's stand-alone book review section, Book World, we take a look at the rocky recent history of the newspaper book review.
This is a terrific look back at the last 20+ years of book reviewing. (I left Book World in 2005, during the "convulsive book review contraction" you describe so well. Glad to see the section revived and expanded!)
I'm reading Edmund Wilson's collected book reviews and essays from the 20s and 30s. There's no one, at present, on the scene as discerning, incisive, and as elegant a writer as EW. Many of his reviews were for *The New Republic*.
This is a terrific look back at the last 20+ years of book reviewing. (I left Book World in 2005, during the "convulsive book review contraction" you describe so well. Glad to see the section revived and expanded!)
I remember when you left us for Book World! Sad days! So glad this found you!
I'm reading Edmund Wilson's collected book reviews and essays from the 20s and 30s. There's no one, at present, on the scene as discerning, incisive, and as elegant a writer as EW. Many of his reviews were for *The New Republic*.