Michael Dirda's Bound to Please

gothicpt12.TakeThisOut@aol.com wrote:
 > I just received my copy of Michael Dirda's collection of essays and
 > reviews, Bound to Please, from W.W. Norton. Pieces on Algernon
 > Blackwood and Robert Aickman are of particular interest to ghost
story
 > enthusiasts. Pieces on science fiction are also included.
 >
 > The book looks fascinating as a whole.
 > Gary W. Crawford
<font color=purple> > <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.gothicpress.com</font" target="_blank">www.gothicpress.com</font</a>>

Bought this last week, locked myself away in my apartment on Friday
night, and read the whole thing over the weekend. The only trouble is
that suddenly there are a *lot* more books I'll be needing to buy in
the near future than I thought there'd be. I picked up Shklovsky's
*Theory of Prose* today and will soon get Irwin's *The Arabian Nights:
A Companion* (also recently mentioned by Jim Rockhill in this forum),
and I'm trying not to think about all the others that Dirda makes seem
indispensible.

RPN<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Michael Dirda's Bound to Please 

gothicpt12.TakeThisOut@aol.com wrote:
 > I just received my copy of Michael Dirda's collection of essays and
 > reviews, Bound to Please, from W.W. Norton. Pieces on Algernon
 > Blackwood and Robert Aickman are of particular interest to ghost
story
 > enthusiasts. Pieces on science fiction are also included.
 >
 > The book looks fascinating as a whole.
 > Gary W. Crawford
<font color=purple> > <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.gothicpress.com</font" target="_blank">www.gothicpress.com</font</a>>

Bought this last week, locked myself away in my apartment on Friday
night, and read the whole thing over the weekend. The only trouble is
that suddenly there are a *lot* more books I'll be needing to buy in
the near future than I thought there'd be. I picked up Shklovsky's
*Theory of Prose* today and will soon get Irwin's *The Arabian Nights:
A Companion* (also recently mentioned by Jim Rockhill in this forum),
and I'm trying not to think about all the others that Dirda makes seem
indispensible.

RPN<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Michael Dirda's Bound to Please 

Ah, yes, know the feeling well. This is one of the hazards that
Michael throws our way, isn't it. You feel duty bound to have a pencil
and paper nearby when reading BOUND TO PLEASE, then shudder as the
list grows longer and longer. At least Mason & Dixon, The Lunar Men,
The Blackwood Biography, and a few more are already on the shelf.
That, at least cuts half a dozen books off the must-read list. We
decided that BOUND TO PLEASE should come with a health warning: This
book will cause you to severely burden your credit card in the coming
months. I guess you're as impressed as I am at how wide-ranging this
selection of material truly is.

I read one on-line review which was a little bit critical, saying that
there was nothing negative here; that Dirda liked everything he had
read. That seems a little unfair. Why, after all, publish a book of
negative reviews when you're trying to encourage folk to read certain
things. And, in any case, Michael covers his bases on that score
pretty well in his introduction - and he has been in the rather unique
postion in recent years of being able to pick books he thought he
would like, rather than having things he didn't fancy thrust his way.

Almost finished the book. Made it last three days, as I was feeling
literary overload by late Sunday evening. Wonderful book.

Christopher

PS to Gary: the enthusiastic piece on Vernon Lee wasn't bad either,
and would, I should think, be of equal interest to ghost story
enthusiasts.

On 7 Dec 2004 12:44:52 -0800, "rpn@my-deja.com" <rpn RemoveThis @my-deja.com>
wrote:

 >gothicpt12@aol.com wrote:
  >> I just received my copy of Michael Dirda's collection of essays and
  >> reviews, Bound to Please, from W.W. Norton. Pieces on Algernon
  >> Blackwood and Robert Aickman are of particular interest to ghost
 >story
  >> enthusiasts. Pieces on science fiction are also included.
  >>
  >> The book looks fascinating as a whole.
  >> Gary W. Crawford
<font color=green>  >> <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.gothicpress.com</font" target="_blank">www.gothicpress.com</font</a>>
 >
 >Bought this last week, locked myself away in my apartment on Friday
 >night, and read the whole thing over the weekend. The only trouble is
 >that suddenly there are a *lot* more books I'll be needing to buy in
 >the near future than I thought there'd be. I picked up Shklovsky's
 >*Theory of Prose* today and will soon get Irwin's *The Arabian Nights:
 >A Companion* (also recently mentioned by Jim Rockhill in this forum),
 >and I'm trying not to think about all the others that Dirda makes seem
 >indispensible.
 >
 >RPN<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Michael Dirda's Bound to Please 

There should be a tear-away warning label sealing the book shut which reads,
"WARNING: Settle all other debts before opening this book." Having been
impressed by Irwin's ARABIAN NIGHTMARE, I had wondered about his companion
to the tales themselves, but Dirda's review sold me on it (and a pile of
other books) immediately.

Jim

 >
 > Bought this last week, locked myself away in my apartment on Friday
 > night, and read the whole thing over the weekend. The only trouble is
 > that suddenly there are a *lot* more books I'll be needing to buy in
 > the near future than I thought there'd be. I picked up Shklovsky's
 > *Theory of Prose* today and will soon get Irwin's *The Arabian Nights:
 > A Companion* (also recently mentioned by Jim Rockhill in this forum),
 > and I'm trying not to think about all the others that Dirda makes seem
 > indispensible.
 >
 > RPN
 ><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Michael Dirda's Bound to Please 

Nothing personal, but I would prefer to read an online review from an
independent source rather than someone who clearly dotes upon
ingratiating himself with the author concerned. You don't do a person
any favours when you praise them from such an opportunistic
perspective, you know. I'm sure Michael Dirda's book is a fine thing,
but please, stop with the public fawning, or else I for one will avoid
the tome on purpose.

CB
 >> Stay informed about: Michael Dirda's Bound to Please 

How so?

CB
 >> Stay informed about: Michael Dirda's Bound to Please 

On 8 Dec 2004 04:54:18 -0800, hauntedriver.TakeThisOut@hotmail.com wrote:

 >Nothing personal, but I would prefer to read an online review from an
 >independent source rather than someone who clearly dotes upon
 >ingratiating himself with the author concerned. You don't do a person
 >any favours when you praise them from such an opportunistic
 >perspective, you know. I'm sure Michael Dirda's book is a fine thing,
 >but please, stop with the public fawning, or else I for one will avoid
 >the tome on purpose.
 >
 >CB

Oh, my, my! What a mean-spirited little failure you truly are.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Michael Dirda's Bound to Please 

 > hauntedriver RemoveThis @hotmail.com wrote:

 > Nothing personal,

 > (etc.)

The Say "No" to Chris Barker Agreement

Small press publisher Chris Barker (http://www.hauntedriver.co.uk/) is
a classic internet troll and egocentric personality who routinely
grubs through newsgroups and discussion lists in a perverse quest to
draw attention to himself and his few meager accomplishments in the
publishing world. He is a muckraker who will attack anyone anywhere
for any imagined offense that occurs to his warped mind. It seems
that to get on his good side, one must not only agree with all his
bizarre opinions but also submit all of one's own opinions to him for
approval before making them public. Chris Barker is, in short, an
absurdity of tragicomic proportions.

Unfortunately, Mr. Barker's barbs are so numerous and outrageous that
many persons of good character have felt the need to wage an
interminable war of words with him, a war which has ravaged and
polluted more than one online forum. Also, these persons have risked
lowering themselves to his subterranean level, risked besmirching
their own reputations, and put themselves in danger of health
complications due to high blood pressure.

The present agreement exists to counter these issues. Attached are
the names of the many individuals who have fully evaluated Mr.
Barker's heinous online activities and agree to no longer respond to
his attacks in personal messages of any kind. However, every person
who has attached his or her name to this agreement has the right to
post the agreement in full (with all attached names of signees) in any
online forum in which Mr. Barker has launched one of his typical
assaults. Our agreement is to let this document be our single
standing response to Mr. Barker.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Michael Dirda's Bound to Please 

The Jim Rockhill FAQ

Jim Rockhill is a sanctimonious hypocrite who since being employed by
The Ashtree Press (http://ash-tree.bc.ca/ashtreecurrent.html) has
joined his new employer in a campaign of constant abuse against The
Haunted River and its proprietor Mr C R Barker.

This abuse stems from the fact that The Haunted River has publicly
criticised The Ashtree Press's ownership of the Ghost Story Society
(http://hauntedriver.co.uk/page8.html). Furthermore, The Haunted River
has successfully outed Rockhill's crony John Pelan
(http://midnighthouse.com) as a liar after Pelan's ISP discovered he
had been making fraudulent claims about their organisation; and it has
cast serious doubts as to the integrity of the British Fantasy
Society's awards processes.

For these reasons, Rockhill has joined the obsessive campaign to
harrass and abuse the owner of The Haunted River. This abuse has taken
the form of:

1. Libellous and demonstrably untrue allegations
2. Personal abuse inclusive of abuse of family members
3. Creation of malicious abuse groups at Yahoo
4. Creation of malicious sock puppets
5. Stalking and harrassment in several other newsgroups

In closing, it is noteworthy that Rockhill is unable to actually detail
his grievances against The Haunted River, instead resorting to vague
and wild allusions which simply cover up the fact that he is motivated
by personal animus and the enhancement of his literary career via
cronyism.
 >> Stay informed about: Michael Dirda's Bound to Please 

PS. What attached list of signees?
 >> Stay informed about: Michael Dirda's Bound to Please 

jrock DeleteThis @locallink.net wrote:

  >> hauntedriver DeleteThis @hotmail.com wrote:
 >
  >> Nothing personal,
inappropriate post ignored.
--
Ian<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Michael Dirda's Bound to Please 

Touché.

"sum1" <sum1else RemoveThis @ispwest.com> wrote in message
news:20041209.1238.1210snz@ispwest.com...
> jrock RemoveThis @locallink.net wrote:
>
>>> hauntedriver RemoveThis @hotmail.com wrote:
>>
>>> Nothing personal,
> inappropriate post ignored.
> --
> Ian
 >> Stay informed about: Michael Dirda's Bound to Please 

Also on the weird/ghostly front, Michael will be introducing the third and
final volume of Dunsany's Jorkens stories for Nightshade, and is reviewing
the Library of America's forthcoming volume of Lovecraft (edited by Peter
Straub) for the WEEKLY STANDARD; it will, he says, be a longish
review/essay, so should be worth seeking out. And while it's not ghostly,
he's introducing Robertson Davies's THE MANTICORE for Penguin (Davies's
collection of ghost stories HIGH SPIRITS won a World Fantasy Award some
years ago).

Barbara
 >> Stay informed about: Michael Dirda's Bound to Please