A dazzling dictionary of book blurbs, filled with writing tips, literary folklore and publishing secrets
Blurb your enthusiasm
£9.99
2 in stock (can be backordered)
2 in stock (can be backordered)
Description
9780861546169
Oneworld
Paperback
352pp
Oneworld
198x129x25.5
Louise Willder Oneworld KNTP1|NHTB|DSRC|CBW|WZG|WH Paperback 2023
'A small masterpiece. There is something funny, notable or awe-inspiring on every single page. Some books simply slide into your life like good-humoured old friends. This is undoubtedly one of them.'
Jenny Colgan, Spectator
‘The bookiest book about books you’ll ever read – I loved it.’
Lucy Mangan, author of Bookworm
‘Truly delightful… charming and gracefully learned… Louise Willder, a copywriter with decades of experience, brings so much joy and, indeed, enthusiasm to her book about books that anyone who revels in reading will find real enchantment here. I couldn’t have had more fun.’
Benjamin Dreyer, author of the New York Times bestseller Dreyer’s English
'A little marvel…consummately brilliant'
Daily Mail
‘Very funny, erudite and profound. A delight!‘
Nina Stibbe
‘I love this book’s sheer happiness and humanity. It is rich, wise and soul-awaking, exhilarating-like-the-snowman-flying-through-the-air-of-human-gloriousness. And, God, she's funny. Buy it, read it, give it.’
Martin Latham, author of The Bookseller’s Tale
‘Wise and witty…she is full of vim, blessed too with an unusual sense of enquiry, a comic turn of phrase and a talent for investigation into almost every nook and cranny of the business and pleasure of books.’
The Oldie – Carmen Callil
‘This total gem is an illuminating, dazzling, quirky, fascinating, erudite, thought-provoking, hilarious and totally essential celebration of the outside of books. Willder is my new style icon.’
Caroline Sanderson, The Bookseller, Editor’s Choice
'Bookworms will devour this'
Good Housekeeping
‘This book is ace! A must-read for any and every writer or book-obsessed person!’
Sophie Hannah
‘Jammed with funny, curious and stylish thoughts and insights, Blurb Your Enthusiasm will be loved by absolutely everybody with an obsessive interest in books and their appearance.’
Simon Winder, author of Germania
'Studded with jewels'
Literary Review
‘Tracking the blurb through history, literary practices, authors’ lives, reading habits, and more, Willder opens up the world of wordplay that lies at the heart of writing and publishing.’
Idler
‘Willder’s breezy book sweeps across publishing history, imbuing her research and professional expertise with the tantalizing thrill of dinner party gossip … so smart and witty that you barely realize how much she is teaching about writing’
Washington Post – Ron Charles
‘[Willder] is a charming guide not just to blurbs, but to first lines, hatchet jobs, puffs … I couldn’t, as the cliché goes, put it down.’
The Times, Best Books of 2022 – Laura Freeman
‘With chapters on swearing, spoilers and silliness (all acceptable in moderation), Willder makes a fine case for the blurb as an art form in its own right.’
Daily Mail
‘Delightful … charming … this book feels like the surprising pleasure of a mimosa with breakfast or a bawdy song after dinner… Willder is the perfect guide’
Washington Independent Review of Books – Carrie Callaghan
‘Uproarious, gossipy and utterly fascinating: a masterclass in how to judge a book by its cover. It makes words seem weird and wild again.’
Henry Eliot, author of The Penguin Classics Book
