A Jacques Barzun Reader: A Selection From His Works

A magisterial collection of essays by one of the wittiest and most graceful writers of the twentieth century.

Throughout his distinguished career, Jacques Barzun has been known as an essayist who combines a depth of knowledge and a rare facility with words. Now, collected for the first time in one volume, are 80 of his most accomplished essays. The list of subjects covered has an amazing range: history, philosophy, literature, education, music - and more.

Here is Barzun's classic examination of baseball in American life, Lincoln as a literary genius, the pleasures of reading crime fiction. Among the many diverse figures whom Barzun re-examines, leading to fresh portraits, include: Shaw, Berlioz, Swift, both Henry and William James, Dorothy Sayers, Chapman, Agate, and Diderot. Jacques Barzun draws the reader into his enthusiasms with an infectious style and keen insights. A feast for any reader.