Into the Looking-Glass Wood: Essays on Books, Reading, and the World

Manguel is best-known for his previous book of essays A HISTORY OF READING. Now, some people like that book and some people don't, and I suspect the lines of polarization will fall the same way on this book. Like A HISTORY, it's a collection of essays, but there is no unified theme to the pieces (other than the fact that Carroll's ALICE stories are used as epigrams for each section). Almost all literature-oriented, of course. I'm not generous with mediocre work, but this is not mediocre; merely rendered with a light touch. If you enjoy entertaining but thoughtful essays, you'll like this. However, if entertainment doesn't belong in the essay for you, you may be looking at the wrong book.

Like all of Manguel's works, "Into the Looking Glass Wood" is an intelligent and fascinating journey through history, personal stories and literary reflection. In it, he explores the connections and consequences between the world and the words we use to describe it. As a self-confessed bibliophile, Manguel's intricate knowledge of books, words, symbolism, and emotion shines through and his friendly style makes the book utterly engrossing. "Into the Looking Glass Wood" is a wonderful book, an exploration into the art of writing and more broadly the art of being human. I cannot recommend it strongly enough to anyone with an interest in literature, history, language, or semiotics. Thank you, Alberto.