During my youthful days discontent never visited my mind; and if I was ever overcome by ennui, the sight of what is beautiful in nature, or the study of what is excellent and sublime in the productions of man, could always interest my heart, and communicate elasticity to my spirits. But I am a blasted tree; the bolt has entered my soul; and I felt then that I should survive to exhibit, what I shall soon cease to be – a miserable spectacle of wrecked humanity, pitiable to others, and intolerable to myself.
Many booklovers mistakenly believe that Strand is the oldest bookstore in New York City, but Argosy has it beat by two years. Argosy is located at 116 East 59th Street, between Park and Lexington Avenues in Midtown Manhattan, it occupies an entire six-story townhouse with various sales floors specializing in first editions, Americana, leather bindings, antique maps and prints, and autographs. The store, also noted for a wide selection of bargain books, has its own framing and shipping departments and owns a large warehouse in Brooklyn.
The Argosy, known for its elegant old-world interior, has been used as a setting for movies and TV dramas, including The Front with Woody Allen, Law and Order, and Person of Interest.[6] Alfred Hitchcock’s film Vertigo also features a bookstore of the same name situated in San Francisco. It has also been used as a background for fashion shoots and television interviews. It was prominently featured in the 2018 movie Can You Ever Forgive Me? and is among the New York bookstores where the real-life Lee Israel had attempted to sell her forgeries. It was also featured in the 2019 movie The Goldfinch.
The store and its history are one of the subjects of the 2019 documentary The Booksellers. The Argosy was also the subject of an article by Janet Malcolm in The New Yorker.
What the Dead Can Say is my eighth book. Over the course of my career, I’ve published books with Random House and Scribner, and fiction in the New Yorker. But for this most recent novel, I was no longer interested in chasing the prestige that such literary icons confer, no longer wished to jump through traditional publishing’s increasingly narrowing hoops. Instead, I decided to privately print a 1,000-copy limited edition run—then undertake a 10,000-mile journey through 28 states to give away every copy.
It’s a fascinating and moving story. You read all about it right here. And you can get a digital copy right here.
I have been an enormous fan of the visionary writing of Octavia E. Butler for decades. The American science fiction writer won numerous awards for her works, including Hugo, Locus, and Nebula awards. In 1995, Butler became the first science-fiction writer to receive a MacArthur Fellowship. These days her Parable series seems eerily prescient. Whether you are already a reader, or just interested in an amazing writer’s personal story, you can download a free digital version of a new Butler biography for free. Just click on this link .
Travel Between The Pages 