Classics for Pleasure

This is not your father s list of classics. In these delightful essays, Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Dirda introduces nearly ninety of the world s most entertaining books.

Writing with affection as well as authority, Dirda covers masterpieces of fantasy and science fiction, horror and adventure, as well as epics, history, essay, and children s literature. Organized thematically, these are works that have shaped our imaginations. "Love s Mysteries" moves from Sappho and Arthurian romance to S ren Kierkegaard and Georgette Heyer. In other categories Dirda discusses not only Dracula and Sherlock Holmes but also the Tao Te Ching and Icelandic sagas, Frederick Douglass and Fowler s Modern English Usage. Whether writing about Petronius or Perelman, Dirda makes literature come alive. Classics for Pleasure is a perfect companion for any reading group or lover of books.