Category Archives: Fine Press Book Reviews

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald; Published by Thornwillow Press

It seems that many of my school peer-group read The Great Gatsby in high school or college. Somehow, I never did. And for the subsequent 35 years I never got around to F. Scott Fitzgerald. I’d run across his name … Continue reading

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Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu; Published by Providence Press

Like it should, the Tao Te Ching  arrived exactly when I needed it. The Tao helped me get through a really rough patch of my life: a dissolving marriage, unbelievable animosity and accusations, and stressful negotiation of parental rights through … Continue reading

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Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen; Published by Thornwillow Press

Despite its reputation, somehow Pride and Prejudice remained unread for the first fifty years of my reading life. I’ve read some of her contemporaneous authors and classics but this one escaped my widely-cast net for one reason or the other. … Continue reading

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Pedro Parámo by Juan Rulfo; Published by Arion Press

I guess a book resonates with you if you have a dream about being in the town that is the setting of the book. A couple of days after my last reading of Pedro Páramo, I was in Comala, a … Continue reading

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Moon as Bright as Water; Published by Chester River Press

As a reader more than a collector, I’m blessed that I enjoy poetry as much as I do. For poetry readers, there is much more reading available in private press books than, say, a reader of novels or other lengthy … Continue reading

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Dante’s Inferno; Published by Thornwillow Press

“Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita mi ritrovai per una selva oscura…” “…Midway upon the journey of our life I found myself in a dark wilderness.” So begins Dante’s Inferno, the first in the trilogy that makes up The … Continue reading

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The Intruder; Published by Midnight Paper Sales

I have always been intrigued by Gaylord Schanilec’s work but have never had much opportunity to spend time with any of his books other than quick glances at CODEX. That changed when I noticed a friend’s name in a colophon … Continue reading

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Bartleby the Scrivenor; Published by Indulgence Press

Ah Bartleby! That most enigmatic scrivener who brought us the famous phrase “I prefer not to.” Bartleby is another interesting and strange character from the pen of Herman Melville, who seemed to have a knack for creating them.

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Ourika, by Claire De Durfort; Published by Bird & Bull Press

Ourika by the Bird & Bull Press is just the kind of happy discovery I love as a reader who happens to also love private press books. My favorite private press books are the ones that give me joy in … Continue reading

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Ham on Rye by Charles Bukowski; Published by the Prototype Press in 2018

I’m not sure what to think of Charles Bukowski. I was vaguely aware of his poetry from thumbing through it in some Los Angeles bookstores. Although not much of a movie watcher, one movie I did see was Barfly, and … Continue reading

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