suannelaqueur's review against another edition
5.0
Don't be afraid of 100 chapters. They are short and brilliant. The concept of this book and the writing are utterly brilliant. This is writing at its most perfect. I loved it.
laurenbdavis's review against another edition
5.0
I've been reading this book for a while now. Reading it over, I should say. It's captured my imagination and attention that much.
From the back of the book:
"Once touted as compendiums of human knowledge, the encyclopedias and handbooks of bygone eras now read quaintly, if not comically—yet within their musty pages are often found phrases of uncanny evocative power. Scrupulously stitching such fragments together, in a sequel to the Governor General’s Award-winning Forms of Devotion, By The Book is a collection of verbal and visual collages whose alchemies transform long-dead texts into tales of enduring vitality. With her visually witty full-colour artwork and stories like “What Is A Hat? Where Is Constantinople? Who Was Sir Walter Raleigh? And Many Other Common Questions, Some With Answers, Some Without,” and “Consumptives Should Not Kiss Other People: A Handy Guide to the Care and Maintenance of Your Family’s Good Health,” Schoemperlen’s irreverent and ironic brand of nostalgia combines vintage kitsch with comic, creepy, unexpectedly moving yarns."
Diane Schoemperlen is a friend, I'm proud to say, and this work is so wildly creative, so full of wit and unexpected beauty, that I have new admiration for her (which I hardly thought possible). I've always loved her work -- THE PLAID SHIRT, OUR LADY OF THE LOST AND FOUND, IN THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE-- and although this book can be compared to the Governor General's Award-winning FORMS OF DEVOTION, it takes the experimental approach to new heights.
In BY THE BOOK, Diane uses the collage form and presents stories comprised of phrases, sentences, words, from other texts, the originals harking from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. With the exception of the opening story, these works aren't stories in the traditional sense. They're more like prose poems, dreams of words, of language, inviting the reader to make connections, explore meaning, luxuriate in language; in short, to participate and play along with the author.
Collages using the original works illustrate throughout and so the book is as beautiful to look at as it is to read.
Daring, challenging, beautiful and brave, this is a book like no other. Enjoy.
From the back of the book:
"Once touted as compendiums of human knowledge, the encyclopedias and handbooks of bygone eras now read quaintly, if not comically—yet within their musty pages are often found phrases of uncanny evocative power. Scrupulously stitching such fragments together, in a sequel to the Governor General’s Award-winning Forms of Devotion, By The Book is a collection of verbal and visual collages whose alchemies transform long-dead texts into tales of enduring vitality. With her visually witty full-colour artwork and stories like “What Is A Hat? Where Is Constantinople? Who Was Sir Walter Raleigh? And Many Other Common Questions, Some With Answers, Some Without,” and “Consumptives Should Not Kiss Other People: A Handy Guide to the Care and Maintenance of Your Family’s Good Health,” Schoemperlen’s irreverent and ironic brand of nostalgia combines vintage kitsch with comic, creepy, unexpectedly moving yarns."
Diane Schoemperlen is a friend, I'm proud to say, and this work is so wildly creative, so full of wit and unexpected beauty, that I have new admiration for her (which I hardly thought possible). I've always loved her work -- THE PLAID SHIRT, OUR LADY OF THE LOST AND FOUND, IN THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE-- and although this book can be compared to the Governor General's Award-winning FORMS OF DEVOTION, it takes the experimental approach to new heights.
In BY THE BOOK, Diane uses the collage form and presents stories comprised of phrases, sentences, words, from other texts, the originals harking from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. With the exception of the opening story, these works aren't stories in the traditional sense. They're more like prose poems, dreams of words, of language, inviting the reader to make connections, explore meaning, luxuriate in language; in short, to participate and play along with the author.
Collages using the original works illustrate throughout and so the book is as beautiful to look at as it is to read.
Daring, challenging, beautiful and brave, this is a book like no other. Enjoy.
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