Non-fiction - Books about books - Christchurch City LibrariesLike this list

15 items

• The Upstairs Delicatessen

  on Eating, Reading, Reading About Eating, and Eating While Reading

  Garner, Dwight, 1965-

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  Books and food are the defining ‘twin joys’ of New York Times book critic Dwight Garner, and here he indulges them both. His memoir has earned a place on this list largely due to Garner’s four decades of a keeping a commonplace book – a notebook…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Bookshop Dogs

  Shaw, Ruth (Bookseller)

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  From Ruth Shaw, the bestselling author of The Bookseller at the End of the World, comes this new funny, heartwarming and captivating collection of dog tales. The short stories reveal the unique bonds the dogs have with their owners in the remote…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Book at War

  Libraries and Readers in a Time of Conflict

  Pettegree, Andrew, 1957-

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  A cultural history of print, detailing the impact that books, writers, and readers have had on war, and the case they can make for peace. Books have been used to spread propaganda, drum up patriotism, boost morale of troops and to remind us of the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Noble Fragments

  the Maverick Who Broke Up the World's Greatest Book

  Visontay, Michael

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  In 1921, a prominent antiquarian bookseller scandalised the literary world when he broke up one of the most significant and valuable books in existence – one of the 41 remaining Gutenberg Bibles from the 15th century. Gabriel Wells sold off…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Dangerous Fictions

  the Fear of Fantasy and the Invention of Reality

  Gold, Lyta

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  Can fiction really be immoral, poisonous, or dangerous? Journalist Lyta Gold covers a lot of ground in this thoughtful exploration of the causes, consequences, and arguments around the banning of novels, looking at everything from Plato’s views on…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Bookseller at the End of the World

  Shaw, Ruth, (Bookseller)

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  Way down in Fiordland, in the remote village of Manapōuri, you probably wouldn’t expect to find three bookshops, and you certainly wouldn’t expect the owner to have her own stories to tell. Days after an interview with Kim Hill, Ruth Shaw had a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Bad-ass Librarians of Timbuktu

  and Their Race to Save the World's Most Precious Manuscripts

  Hammer, Joshua, 1957-

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  'The Bad-ass Librarians of Timbuktu' is the story of Abdel Kader Haidara, an archivist determined to save precious Arab texts from deterioration in the bags of local shepherds, and more imminently, from the destruction of Al Qaeda. A moving,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Diary of a Bookseller

  Bythell, Shaun

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  Shaun Bythell's hilarious diary charts a year in the life of the largest second-hand bookshop in Scotland. It is one of the ultimate books about books, packed with stories of eccentric book buyers, sound book recommendations, and accounts of stock…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Index, a History of the

  a Bookish Adventure

  Duncan, Dennis (Dennis J. B.)

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  In this perfectly titled book, Dennis Duncan shines a spotlight on the humble map that helps us navigate nonfiction books – the index. You would be forgiven for thinking that an academic history of the index would be a dull topic but this account is…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Bookseller's Tale

  Latham, Martin

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  Martin Latham’s passion for books is palpable and it’s hard not to get swept up with his excitement as he shares anecdotes and attempts to understand our obsession with books. Latham is also very interested in shining a light on the dubious…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• 84 Charing Cross Road

  Hanff, Helene, 1916-1997

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  These enchanting letters between outgoing ‘poor writer’ Helen Hanff and reclusive antiquarian book-seller Frank Doyle chart the platonic love affair between these two very different individuals and of course, their mutual love for books. From…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Library Book

  Orlean, Susan, 1955-

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  In 1986, a fire devastated the Los Angeles public library, destroying over 400,000 books. Susan Orlean’s explores the mystery as to whether the fire was accidental or purposely started. Along the way, she lovingly unpacks the fascinating history of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Library

  a Catalogue of Wonders

  Kells, Stuart

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  In this exquisite and highly entertaining ode to libraries, Stuart Kells celebrates renowned collections from the Alexandria library to the invented library of Middle Earth. There are the personal libraries of icons such as Alexander Pushkin (whose…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Bookshops

  Carrión, Jorge, 1976-

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  Travel the world through its bookshops - from Strand Book Store in New York to Shakespeare & co in Paris. Jorge Carrion unfolds an exquisite narrative of literary anecdotes, and book shop history, while exploring the power of book stores to inspire…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Dark Archives

  a Librarian's Investigation Into the Science and History of Books Bound in Human Skin

  Rosenbloom, Megan, 1981-

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  For the morbid and macabre bibliophiles out there, Dark Archives is an inquiry into anthropomorphic bibliopegy – books bound in human skin. Megan Rosenbloom is an active figure in the death-positivity movement, along with being a librarian and a…Read moreRead more of this annotation