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J.R.R. Tolkien

A Biography

by Humphrey Carpenter ...

The authorized biography of the creator of Middle-earth. "One of the most interesting and readable biographies of a literary figure." — The TimesIn the decades since his death in September 1973, millions have read The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion and become fascinated about the very private man behind the books. Born in South Africa in January 1892, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien ... Read more

$1.99 USD or Free with Kobo Plus

The authorized biography of the creator of Middle-earth. "One of the most interesting and readable biographies of a literary figure." — The TimesIn the decades since his death in September 1973, millions have read The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion and become fascinated about the very private man behind the books. Born in South Africa in January 1892, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien
... Read more
A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again

Essays and Arguments

by David Foster Wallace ...

A collection of seven witty and incisive essays that examine the absurdities of 1990’s American culture, consumerism, and entertainment through the uniquely funny, philosophical, and relentlessly observant perspective of David Foster Wallace, bestselling author of Infinite Jest**.**In this exuberantly praised book —a collection of seven essays on subjects ranging from television to tennis, from ... Read more

$1.99 USD

A collection of seven witty and incisive essays that examine the absurdities of 1990’s American culture, consumerism, and entertainment through the uniquely funny, philosophical, and relentlessly observant perspective of David Foster Wallace, bestselling author of Infinite Jest**.**In this exuberantly praised book —a collection of seven essays on subjects ranging from television to tennis, from
... Read more
True Crime

A Memoir

by Patricia Cornwell ...

Instant New York Times bestseller!#1 New York Times bestselling author Patricia Cornwell finally tells the story that rivals all of the works that precede it: her own.“Let’s start, and end, with this: Patricia Cornwell’s autobiography, TRUE CRIME, could be the best book she’s ever written. And I’ve read them all!” **—**James Patter... ... Read more

Was $14.99 USD Now $2.99 USD

Instant New York Times bestseller!#1 New York Times bestselling author Patricia Cornwell finally tells the story that rivals all of the works that precede it: her own.“Let’s start, and end, with this: Patricia Cornwell’s autobiography, TRUE CRIME, could be the best book she’s ever written. And I’ve read them all!” **—**James Patter...
... Read more
Memorial Days

A Memoir

by Geraldine Brooks ...

**NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER · A National Book Critics Circle Award FinalistA New York Times Notable Book of 2025 · A Washington Post Notable Nonfiction Book of 2025 · A Time Best Memoir of 2025 · Named a Best Book of 2025 by NPR, People, Air Mail, Bookreporter, and Publishers Weekly“Brooks tracks the geography of grief with patience and grace as she comes to terms with the ongoing nature of ... Read more

Was $9.99 USD Now $1.99 USD

**NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER · A National Book Critics Circle Award FinalistA New York Times Notable Book of 2025 · A Washington Post Notable Nonfiction Book of 2025 · A Time Best Memoir of 2025 · Named a Best Book of 2025 by NPR, People, Air Mail, Bookreporter, and Publishers Weekly“Brooks tracks the geography of grief with patience and grace as she comes to terms with the ongoing nature of
... Read more
The Book-Makers

A History of the Book in Eighteen Lives

by Adam Smyth ...

An Economist Book of the YearA five-hundred-year history of printed books, told through the people who created them.**“Almost every page—almost every paragraph—fizzes with facts, allusions, speculations, tidbits of etymology and gems of historical interest.” —**Wall Street JournalBooks have transformed humankind, yet we know little about the individuals who brought... ... Read more

Was $15.99 USD Now $1.99 USD

An Economist Book of the YearA five-hundred-year history of printed books, told through the people who created them.**“Almost every page—almost every paragraph—fizzes with facts, allusions, speculations, tidbits of etymology and gems of historical interest.” —**Wall Street JournalBooks have transformed humankind, yet we know little about the individuals who brought...
... Read more
Wish I Was Here

by M. John Harrison ...

Named a Best Book of the Year by The Guardian, The Observer (London), Granata, and TLS, and a finalist for a World Fantasy Award.Acclaimed master of speculative fiction, fantasy, space opera, and literary realism and one of the most celebrated living British authors M. John Harrison has crafted a “masterpiece” (Helen MacDonald, author of H Is for Hawk) with this anti-memoir about the joys and ... Read more

$13.99 USD

Named a Best Book of the Year by The Guardian, The Observer (London), Granata, and TLS, and a finalist for a World Fantasy Award.Acclaimed master of speculative fiction, fantasy, space opera, and literary realism and one of the most celebrated living British authors M. John Harrison has crafted a “masterpiece” (Helen MacDonald, author of H Is for Hawk) with this anti-memoir about the joys and
... Read more
The Search for Philip K. Dick

by Anne R Dick ...

**“I also highly recommend Anne R. Dick’s The Search for Philip K. Dick for anyone interested in the life of the writer.”—Lavie Tidhar, Washington PostOffering an intimate perspective on the life of an important and prolific author, this revealing biography uncovers the inner workings of a cult figure through his tumultuous relationship with his third wife.**Brilliant and charismatic, Philip K. ... Read more

$8.99 USD or Free with Kobo Plus

**“I also highly recommend Anne R. Dick’s The Search for Philip K. Dick for anyone interested in the life of the writer.”—Lavie Tidhar, Washington PostOffering an intimate perspective on the life of an important and prolific author, this revealing biography uncovers the inner workings of a cult figure through his tumultuous relationship with his third wife.**Brilliant and charismatic, Philip K.
... Read more
We Don't Know Ourselves

A Personal History of Modern Ireland

by Fintan O'Toole ...

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERNEW YORK TIMES • 10 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEARNATIONAL BESTSELLERThe Atlantic: 10 Best Books of 2022Best Books of the Year: Washington Post, New Yorker, Salon, Foreign Affairs, New Statesman, Chicago Public Library, Vroman's“[L]ike reading a great tragicomic Irish novel.” —James Wood, The New Yorker“Masterful . . . astonishing.” —Cullen Murphy, The Atlantic<... ... Read more

$13.69 USD

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERNEW YORK TIMES • 10 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEARNATIONAL BESTSELLERThe Atlantic: 10 Best Books of 2022Best Books of the Year: Washington Post, New Yorker, Salon, Foreign Affairs, New Statesman, Chicago Public Library, Vroman's“[L]ike reading a great tragicomic Irish novel.” —James Wood, The New Yorker“Masterful . . . astonishing.” —Cullen Murphy, The Atlantic<...
... Read more
Escaping Into the Open

The Art of Writing True

by Elizabeth Berg ...

Writing advice **from a New York Times–bestselling author who "knows how the publishing industry works . . . and why writers need to answer only to themselves" (C. Michael Curtis, senior editor, Atlantic Monthly).Both autobiography and primer , Escaping into the Open is an inspiring, practical handbook on the joys and challenges of the writing life. Renowned author and writing instructor ... Read more

Was $12.99 USD Now $2.99 USD or Free with Kobo Plus

Writing advice **from a New York Times–bestselling author who "knows how the publishing industry works . . . and why writers need to answer only to themselves" (C. Michael Curtis, senior editor, Atlantic Monthly).Both autobiography and primer , Escaping into the Open is an inspiring, practical handbook on the joys and challenges of the writing life. Renowned author and writing instructor
... Read more
The Complete Memoirs

by Pablo Neruda ...

From the Nobel Laureate in Literature and "the greatest poet of the 20th century," the classic memoir, expanded with newly discovered material (Gabriel García Márquez).Southern Chile was an open frontier when the beloved poet Pablo Neruda was born there in 1904. A motherless, pensive child, he began writing poems long before quitting the countryside for Santiago, where he spent his bohemian ... Read more

$14.99 USD

From the Nobel Laureate in Literature and "the greatest poet of the 20th century," the classic memoir, expanded with newly discovered material (Gabriel García Márquez).Southern Chile was an open frontier when the beloved poet Pablo Neruda was born there in 1904. A motherless, pensive child, he began writing poems long before quitting the countryside for Santiago, where he spent his bohemian
... Read more
This Really Isn't About You

by Jean Hannah Edelstein ...

‘A most magnificent, beautifully written memoir’ - Nina Stibbe'Deft, witty and profound . . . had me turning the pages all night' - Jessie BurtonJean Hannah Edelstein was looking for love on OKCupid the night she lost her father. She had recently moved back to America to be closer to her parents, leaving behind the good friends, bad dates and questionable career moves that defined her twenties. ... Read more

$10.99 USD

‘A most magnificent, beautifully written memoir’ - Nina Stibbe'Deft, witty and profound . . . had me turning the pages all night' - Jessie BurtonJean Hannah Edelstein was looking for love on OKCupid the night she lost her father. She had recently moved back to America to be closer to her parents, leaving behind the good friends, bad dates and questionable career moves that defined her twenties.
... Read more
Heavenly Breakfast

An Essay on the Winter of Love

by Samuel R. Delany ...

Acclaimed author Samuel R. Delany’s memoir of his time living in a commune that was also a rock band in New York’s Lower East Side in the winter of 1967–1968.“I couldn’t talk about life at Heavenly Breakfast without talking about drugs and sex. Yet I couldn’t mention either without their falling into value matrices set up by other people which precluded what I really wanted to discuss: the texture ... Read more

$4.99 USD

Acclaimed author Samuel R. Delany’s memoir of his time living in a commune that was also a rock band in New York’s Lower East Side in the winter of 1967–1968.“I couldn’t talk about life at Heavenly Breakfast without talking about drugs and sex. Yet I couldn’t mention either without their falling into value matrices set up by other people which precluded what I really wanted to discuss: the texture
... Read more
Shanghai Grand

Forbidden Love and International Intrigue in a Doomed World

by Taras Grescoe ...

"Shanghai Grand is a headlong swoon for old Shanghai. The feeling is easy to catch." --New York Times Book Review.“Here’s the Mandarin for ooh-la-la! As Taras Grescoe, a respected Canadian writer of nonfiction, shows in this marvellous, microscopically descriptive history . . . Shanghai in the 1930s was internationally notorious as ‘the wicked old Paris of the Orient.’” —The Spectator (UK)Finalist ... Read more

$8.00 USD or Free with Kobo Plus

"Shanghai Grand is a headlong swoon for old Shanghai. The feeling is easy to catch." --New York Times Book Review.“Here’s the Mandarin for ooh-la-la! As Taras Grescoe, a respected Canadian writer of nonfiction, shows in this marvellous, microscopically descriptive history . . . Shanghai in the 1930s was internationally notorious as ‘the wicked old Paris of the Orient.’” —The Spectator (UK)Finalist
... Read more
The Quest for Corvo: An Experiment in Biography

by A.J.A. Symons ...

A.J.A. Symons’s life is changed forever when his friend Millard, a dealer in rare books, lends him an old tome and a stack of manuscript letters. The book is Hadrian the Seventh (1904), the work of one “Fr. Rolfe”; it is a brilliant and bizarre fantasy, in which a downtrodden English writer is one day unexpectedly elected Pope. The letters tell of the final days of Rolfe (alias Baron Corvo) in ... Read more

$2.99 USD

A.J.A. Symons’s life is changed forever when his friend Millard, a dealer in rare books, lends him an old tome and a stack of manuscript letters. The book is Hadrian the Seventh (1904), the work of one “Fr. Rolfe”; it is a brilliant and bizarre fantasy, in which a downtrodden English writer is one day unexpectedly elected Pope. The letters tell of the final days of Rolfe (alias Baron Corvo) in
... Read more
Didion and Babitz

by Lili Anolik ...

**NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Named a Best Book of the Year by Time, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Air Mail, Harper’s Bazaar, The Washington Post, and more!Joan Didion is revealed at last in this “vivid, engrossing” (Vogue), and outrageously provocative dual biography “that reads like a propulsive novel” (Oprah Daily) revealing the complicated friendship and literary rivalry of Didion and her fellow Los Angeles ... Read more

$14.99 USD

**NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Named a Best Book of the Year by Time, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Air Mail, Harper’s Bazaar, The Washington Post, and more!Joan Didion is revealed at last in this “vivid, engrossing” (Vogue), and outrageously provocative dual biography “that reads like a propulsive novel” (Oprah Daily) revealing the complicated friendship and literary rivalry of Didion and her fellow Los Angeles
... Read more
House of Exile

The Lives and Times of Heinrich Mann and Nelly Kroeger-Mann

by Evelyn Juers ...

In 1933 the author and political activist Heinrich Mann and his partner, Nelly Kroeger, fled Nazi Germany, finding refuge first in the south of France and later, in great despair, in Los Angeles, where Nelly committed suicide in 1944 and Heinrich died in 1950. Born into a wealthy middle-class family in Lübeck, Heinrich was one of the leading representatives of Weimar culture. Nelly was twenty ... Read more

$12.99 USD

In 1933 the author and political activist Heinrich Mann and his partner, Nelly Kroeger, fled Nazi Germany, finding refuge first in the south of France and later, in great despair, in Los Angeles, where Nelly committed suicide in 1944 and Heinrich died in 1950. Born into a wealthy middle-class family in Lübeck, Heinrich was one of the leading representatives of Weimar culture. Nelly was twenty
... Read more
From the Front Line

Stalingrad–Treblinka–Berlin, 1941–45

by Vasily Grossman ...

Translated by Robert Chandler, Elizabeth Chandler ...

War reporting from one of Russia's greatest writers, an indispensable record of World War II and the Eastern Front.June 22, 1941: Launch of Operation Barbarossa. Hitler invades the Soviet Union. Vasily Grossman soon begins a new career as a war reporter.During the next four years, he covered all the major battles of the Eastern Front, from Stalingrad to Berlin, writing brutally vivid reports that ... Read more

$13.99 USD

War reporting from one of Russia's greatest writers, an indispensable record of World War II and the Eastern Front.June 22, 1941: Launch of Operation Barbarossa. Hitler invades the Soviet Union. Vasily Grossman soon begins a new career as a war reporter.During the next four years, he covered all the major battles of the Eastern Front, from Stalingrad to Berlin, writing brutally vivid reports that
... Read more
Memoirs from Beyond the Grave: 1815-1830

by François-Réne Chateaubriand ...

Translated by Alex Andriesse ...

The third part of the epic autobiography of Chateaubriand, the aristocratic Frenchman who lived through the beginning of the French Revolution and who would become the founder of the Romantic movement in Europe, now in a new, unabridged English translation—the first in a century.In 1815—with the Napoleonic era at an end and royalty restored—François-René de Chateaubriand seemed poised, along with ... Read more

$19.99 USD

The third part of the epic autobiography of Chateaubriand, the aristocratic Frenchman who lived through the beginning of the French Revolution and who would become the founder of the Romantic movement in Europe, now in a new, unabridged English translation—the first in a century.In 1815—with the Napoleonic era at an end and royalty restored—François-René de Chateaubriand seemed poised, along with
... Read more
Memoirs from Beyond the Grave: 1800-1815

by François-Réne Chateaubriand, Julien Gracq ...

Translated by Alex Andriesse ...

The second part of an infamous memoir about life in the time of Napoleon by a rebellious literary celebrity.In 1800, François-René de Chateaubriand sailed from the cliffs of Dover to the headlands of Calais. He was thirty-one and had been living as a political refugee in England for most of a decade, at times in such extreme poverty that he subsisted on nothing but hot water and two-penny rolls. ... Read more

$15.99 USD

The second part of an infamous memoir about life in the time of Napoleon by a rebellious literary celebrity.In 1800, François-René de Chateaubriand sailed from the cliffs of Dover to the headlands of Calais. He was thirty-one and had been living as a political refugee in England for most of a decade, at times in such extreme poverty that he subsisted on nothing but hot water and two-penny rolls.
... Read more
The Diaries of Franz Kafka

by Franz Kafka ...

Translated by Ross Benjamin ...

Series series The Schocken Kafka Library
**A NEW YORK TIMES BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • An essential new translation of the author’s complete, uncensored diaries—a revelation of the idiosyncrasies and rough edges of one of the twentieth century’s most influential writers.“An invaluable addition to Kafka’s oeuvre.”—The New York Times**An essential new translation of Franz Kafka’s complete, uncensored diaries—a revelation of the idiosyncrasies ... Read more

$13.99 USD

**A NEW YORK TIMES BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • An essential new translation of the author’s complete, uncensored diaries—a revelation of the idiosyncrasies and rough edges of one of the twentieth century’s most influential writers.“An invaluable addition to Kafka’s oeuvre.”—The New York Times**An essential new translation of Franz Kafka’s complete, uncensored diaries—a revelation of the idiosyncrasies
... Read more
The Distance Between Us

A Memoir

by Reyna Grande ...

In this inspirational and unflinchingly honest memoir, acclaimed author Reyna Grande describes her childhood torn between the United States and Mexico, and shines a light on the experiences, fears, and hopes of those who choose to make the harrowing journey across the border.Reyna Grande vividly brings to life her tumultuous early years in this “compelling...unvarnished, resonant” (BookPage) story ... Read more

$14.99 USD

In this inspirational and unflinchingly honest memoir, acclaimed author Reyna Grande describes her childhood torn between the United States and Mexico, and shines a light on the experiences, fears, and hopes of those who choose to make the harrowing journey across the border.Reyna Grande vividly brings to life her tumultuous early years in this “compelling...unvarnished, resonant” (BookPage) story
... Read more
Sometimes You Have to Lie

The Life and Times of Louise Fitzhugh, Renegade Author of Harriet the Spy

by Leslie Brody ...

In this inspiring biography, discover the true story of Harriet the Spy author Louise Fitzhugh -- and learn about the woman behind one of literature's most beloved heroines.Harriet the Spy, first published in 1964, has mesmerized generations of readers and launched a million diarists. Its beloved antiheroine, Harriet, is erratic, unsentimental, and endearing -- very much like the woman who created ... Read more

Was $17.99 USD Now $1.99 USD

In this inspiring biography, discover the true story of Harriet the Spy author Louise Fitzhugh -- and learn about the woman behind one of literature's most beloved heroines.Harriet the Spy, first published in 1964, has mesmerized generations of readers and launched a million diarists. Its beloved antiheroine, Harriet, is erratic, unsentimental, and endearing -- very much like the woman who created
... Read more
Shakespeare at Thirty

by Rory Loughnane ...

A revelatory portrait of Shakespeare’s life before he achieved fameShakespeare at Thirty offers an original account of Shakespeare’s early career by returning to a moment before his fame was assured: the spring of 1594, when he turned thirty amid plague closures, censorship, social upheaval, financial insecurity, and professional uncertainty. Instead of reading Shakespeare’s beginnings through the ... Read more

$21.59 USD

A revelatory portrait of Shakespeare’s life before he achieved fameShakespeare at Thirty offers an original account of Shakespeare’s early career by returning to a moment before his fame was assured: the spring of 1594, when he turned thirty amid plague closures, censorship, social upheaval, financial insecurity, and professional uncertainty. Instead of reading Shakespeare’s beginnings through the
... Read more
The World She Edited

Katharine S. White at The New Yorker

by Amy Reading ...

Finalist for the Pulitzer PrizeFinalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award"Meticulously researched." —The New York Times"A first-rate biography." —Washington PostA lively and intimate biography of an influential woman, the trailblazing and era-defining New Yorker editor Katharine S. White, who helped build the magazine’s prestigious legacy and transform the 20th century literary landscape ... Read more

Was $12.49 USD Now $2.99 USD

Finalist for the Pulitzer PrizeFinalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award"Meticulously researched." —The New York Times"A first-rate biography." —Washington PostA lively and intimate biography of an influential woman, the trailblazing and era-defining New Yorker editor Katharine S. White, who helped build the magazine’s prestigious legacy and transform the 20th century literary landscape
... Read more

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Recommended For You

Literary eBooks

J.R.R. Tolkien

A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again

True Crime

Memorial Days

The Book-Makers

Wish I Was Here

The Search for Philip K. Dick

We Don't Know Ourselves

Escaping Into the Open

The Complete Memoirs

This Really Isn't About You

Heavenly Breakfast

Shanghai Grand

The Quest for Corvo: An Experiment in Biography

Didion and Babitz

House of Exile

From the Front Line

Memoirs from Beyond the Grave: 1815-1830

Memoirs from Beyond the Grave: 1800-1815

The Diaries of Franz Kafka

The Distance Between Us

Sometimes You Have to Lie

Shakespeare at Thirty

The World She Edited

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