A look at the culture and fanaticism of book lovers, from beloved New York Times illustrator Grant Snider
Celebrate the culture and fanaticism of book lovers with beloved illustrator Grant Snider, whose work has appeared in the New Yorker, New York Times Book Review, and more.
It’s no secret that we are judged by our bookshelves. We learn to read at an early age, and as years pass some of us shed our old books for new ones. But, also, some of us surround ourselves with books, unwilling to let them go. We collect them, decorate with them, pile them up, hoard them, are inspired by them, and treat them almost like sacred objects.
In this lighthearted collection of one- and two-page comics, writer-artist Grant Snider explores bookishness in all its forms, and the love of writing and reading, building on the beloved literary comics featured on his website, Incidental Comics. His words and art will strike a chord with anyone who has to move books when you have a guest over or can’t place your coffee mug down on your coffee table because it is covered with novels, history, memoirs, classics, and self-help. Snider writes:
“I confess:
I’m in love with books.
I read in social situations.
I will use anything as a bookmark.
I confuse fiction with reality.
I am wanted for unpaid library fines.
I steal books from my children.
I like my realism with a little bit of magic.
I like to sniff old books.”
With a striking package including a die-cut cover, I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf is a full-color graphic novel celebrating books, authors, and reading, and the perfect gift for any book lover, young or old.