In the Stacks: Short Stories about Libraries and Librarians

As with all anthologies, you will find some really good stuff in here and in my opinion, some fairly poor. Overall I would have to say give it a look though. How can you pass up an edition with Mr. Ed the talking horse reading Edgar Wallace books from his local library?

An excellent and varied collection of short stories with the central theme of libraries. Styles range from `serious' literature to entertaining story telling. Many authors use the library as a symbol for civilization and enlightenment which I find hopeful and thought provoking. Makes for enjoyable reading while reflecting on libraries which are not only repositories of knowledge, but very interesting places with their own unique character.

How about a collection of short stories that is bound to make you shelf conscious? An anthology that will make you willing to work between covers? A set that makes you read the write stuff? In "In the Stacks: Short Stories About Libraries and Librarians," the editors of this collection have made esoteric collections an art! If you thought that libraries were stuffy and uninteresting, wait until you turn the pages of these stories. Such library luminaries as Jorge Luis Borges, Ray Bradbury, John Cheever, and Alice Munro grace these pages, delicately at times and at others with the sound and fury of a Faulkner. Yes, library sterotypes are in evidence, but don't be misled. All the stories are written by 20th century authors and explore more sides of the setting than one could imagine-all proving that a library is more than just a collection of books! My favorite is Borges's "The Library of Babel" but John Cheever's "Trouble of Marcie Flint" is a close second. ([email protected])