Maps and Legends

Originally published in hardcover by McSweeneys, this collection of 16 sparkling essays by "the premier prose stylist - the Updike - of his generation" (Time magazine) serves as no less than a love song to reading and writing. With an infectious energy and passion throughout, Chabon - an author renowned for his stylistic versatility - argues for a return to the thrilling, chilling origins of storytelling, rejecting the false walls around "serious" literature in favor of a wide-ranging affection. His own fiction is explored from the perspective of personal history: post-collegiate desperation sparks his debut, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh; procrastination and doubt reveal the way toward Wonder Boys; a love of comics and a basement golem combine to create the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay; and an enigmatic Yiddish phrasebook unfurls into The Yiddish Policemans Union. The perfect book for any aspiring writer, MAPS AND LEGENDS is a celebration of literature as entertainment. In a time when books are up against formidable competition for attention and appreciation, "a brilliant American writer" (Associated Press) stands up on their behalf.