I do think publishers are so generous. Yes I know they want publicity for their books and want reviews, but I am not so daft as to think that a glowing review on Random is going to boost sales for well established authors and publishing houses and, therefore, I am always appreciative of the books I receive.
OUP are a case in point. I have had some marvellous books from them, huge splodges of reference books which I have reviewed here, but they also have an eclectic and fascinating catalogue which is sent to me and which I fall upon with delight when received.
Some of the books I have had recently include a gem of a book - The Pleasures of Reading in An Age of Distraction by Alan Jacobs. Well, this title immediately resonated with me and what a delight it was to read it. Not long, it is a slender volume but every word is a joy. The author is a great believer in reading on a Whim. "...lists of approved texts can, for some, make reading a drudgery. My son is one such person, it was the Aroma of Responsibility, Obligation and Virtue emanating from such lists that sent him flying".
As a professor of English he is asked for recommended reading lists from his students and he never complies with these requests. the author says that 'in a context of friendship and mutual interest the making of recommendations is a pleasure, outside of that it quickly becomes an onerous duty and I don't like mixing reading with onerous duties'
I could go on quoting this book for the rest of this post there are so many things in it with which I am in complete agreement. All book lovers should lay their hands on Alan Jacobs book and peruse from beginning to end. If you don't end up saying out loud Oh Yes and Oh Bang on and Yes I agree then I will be most surprised.
OK next up - The Ascent of the Detective: Police Sleuths in Victorian and Edwardian England by Haia Shpayer-Makov. This is not for the faint hearted, don't think it is all about Sherlock Holmes, but a serious, scholarly investigation into why and how detectives became, the differences between them and uniformed policeman and their relations with the wider community. I have been dipping in and out of this title and am now up the section on Police Detectives in Fiction and then, of course, we are in Doyle, Dickens and Trollope world.
As with all OUP books, it is printed on the most lovely smooth elegant paper with a clear font and is a pleasure just to hold and stroke as well as read.
Then another to add to my reference shelf, the Oxford Treasury of Sayings and Quotations. 'An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile hoping it will eat him last' (Winston Churchill); 'Many journalists have fallen for the conspiracy theory of government. I do assure you they would produce more accurate work if they adhered to the cock-up theory' (Bernard Ingham) 'My friends, as I have discovered myself, there are no disasters, only opportunities. And, indeed, opportunities for fresh disasters' (Boris Johnson).
I can foresee many happy hours trawling through this delightful book.
And, finally, I cannot leave a post relating to OUP without mentioning, once again, the World Classic Series. A simply joyful and wonderful collection of literature, history, well you name it, they cover it. All my classic paperbacks are from this series, the paper is good, font clear and the covers, all redesigned and reissued, perfect. In the last few weeks I have received more of Anthony Trollope's works to replace my old tatty copies and, quite simply, they make me want to read them all over again, and so I have been doing.
My thanks to OUP and, as I have called this post, they are Simply the Best....
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Here are links to other posts on Random related to all things OUP
http://randomjottings.typepad.com/random_jottings_of_an_ope/2010/03/taking-up-references.html
http://randomjottings.typepad.com/random_jottings_of_an_ope/2009/09/scary-stuff.html
