Not as entertaining or interesting as I thought it would be as a whole, but it's worth skimming through. My biggest takeaway from reading this book is that my knowledge (or awareness) of British writers is sorely lacking. ( )

Summary: A fun read about everything books, from the beginning of the book, stories of authors and their loves and their fights, different genres, and the world of publishing.

Those who love books love reading books on books. This is one of the most enjoyable such books I've come across. Graham Tarrant explores everything from the beginnings of the book to the spats that have occurred between authors (e.g. Mark Twain versus Bret Harte, and more recently Norman Mailer versus Gore Vidal). We also hear about their loves--both gay and straight. Tarrant also explores their work habits, and their drinking and drug habits. Writing brilliant works do not make authors sterling characters by any means. Some were criminals. Some, like John Bunyan wrote their greatest works in prison. Jeffrey Archer got his start there.

We learn about the world around books--efforts to ban books, the parallel careers of authors and their characters, the various literary prizes, and the ins and outs of the publishing industry. But the major part of the book are the different genres of books, major works in each and the stories behind them. Tarrant periodically throws in lists of great works in the genre--from novels to crime fiction to memoirs and science fiction.

This latter makes the book a great resource for reading ideas, particularly of classics in a genre we may like. Writing any book is a challenging job with an uncertain outcome. The exploration of the lives of the people who do this is fascinating, and given some of their duels, fights, and other activities, one is amazed that we have what we have. It also leaves us with sadness of how many lives were claimed early, how many books we'll never see from these authors.

What you have here is not serious literary criticism but more of a romp through the lives and works of literary figures. If you are looking for a lighthearted book that will stock you with trivia about books and their authors, this is the book. Enjoy! ( )

Ever wondered how literary rivalries began? Ever wanted to know which authors met a gruesome and untimely end? Or even the ones that were the perpetrators of those untimely deaths? *Gasp!* Graham Tarrant has written a fascinating book of facts, histories, tidbits, and lists on all thing bookish. He leads readers through the ancient history of all of the stepping stones that brought us to what we now know as books. Tarrant stories of authors lives and best seller histories keep avid book enthusiasts excited about learning more.
For the love of books is a great book for hardcore bibliophiles, the jumping around to and from various literary topics and anecdotes might not interest the casual reader. Reading fanatics will enjoy! ( )

This book would make a great gift for any reader in your life. I enjoyed the facts and information, although I found the history to be pretty high level. I would love to see the layout of this on paper, and I almost feel disappointed that I read this on digital. It definitely isn't the ideal medium for this. ( )

This was enjoyable. It covers all sorts of topics ranging from interesting facts to juicy gossip, but it is really light reading. I just didn't feel like it was substantial enough to rate any higher. Great for spot reading. ( )