January Review Round-Up

Here at David R. Godine, Publisher, we strive to produce high quality books above all else. So, when our books and authors are praised, we hope you'll forgive us for acting like proud parents. Please join us in celebrating the recent success of a few of our talented authors.

 Publisher's Weekly notes the grace of Adam Van Doren's book An Artist in Venice in the following review:

Architect and artist Van Doren offers a love letter to Venice in this elegant and slender volume, and he sings his praise to the city through majestic prose and 23 beautiful watercolor paintings of Venice. He quickly discovers, after wandering into San Giacomo di Rialto, perhaps Venice’s oldest church, that the city has one "great transformative advantage: Mediterranean light," which offers a new way of seeing the city’s architecture, the history of art, and his own painting.

Read the full PW review here.

An Artist in Venice is also praised in the Litchfield County Times, which elaborates on the continuation of the Van Doren literary dynasty and the different aspects of memoir, history and illustration that come together to make the book unique:

That design concept was enhanced by his publisher, David R. Godine. “He added a nice touch by having sketches of mine on the end papers. It makes it seem you are entering into a personal journal,” the author said. “He is an independent publisher and he is so absolutely devoted and passionate about books. This book is done with touches like that.” Characteristic of the care taken in producing this finely-crafted book is the work of Jerry Kelly, one of this country’s premier book designers. . . The end result is a lovely little book that feels right in the hand. The examples of his art reproduced in its pages capture the light and atmosphere of the city while his prose brings to life aspects of Venice that most visitors would miss.

Continue reading the article here, and buy a copy on our website!

Henry Beston's yearlong experience in a Cape Cod cottage in The Fo'c'sle: Henry Beston's "Outermost House" was reviewed in Audobon Magazine:

. . . a beautiful interpretation of his experience on the cape. Nan Parson Rossiter's prose-sprinkled with snippets of Beston's own writing is poetic. . . The book's oil illustrations reflect a contemplative mood as warmer days give way to cooler ones.

This book is available for purchase on our website.

New Hampshire Magazine's profile on Donald Hall, the author of The Man Who Lived Alone and String Too Short To Be Saved, looks back on the inspiration of Hall's New England upbringing and his current writing process:

Early on, he developed a voice as a writer that sounded like no one else's, but his mature prose, as he sees it, was "too bejeweled." Now, embracing the slower pace of old age, he approaches his essays in memoir as he did his poems, writing dozens of drafts.

Read more on the past poet laureate here; you can purchase Hall's works online.

 

Take a look at the recent New York Times review of Stuart M. Frank's Ingenious Contrivances, Curiously Carved: Scrimshaw in the New Bedford Whaling Museum, detailing Frank's elegant collection of whale teeth and bones carved by 19th century sailors:

About half the book covers engravings on teeth; sailors illustrated creamy spikes with ships, flags, Polynesian dancers, Austro-Hungarian minstrels and dentists. The men made handles for their carving knives out of whalebone, too, and brought home scrimshaw sewing baskets and puzzles for loved ones.

Read the full article here, and take a look at the book on our website to purchase it!

This week in Martha Stewart Living, Barbara Paul Robinson's Rosemary Verey: The Life & Lessons of a Legendary Gardener is featured among "books to inspire":

Barbara Paul Robinson took a sabbatical from her corporate law job to apprentice with Rosemary Verey. Blending detailed research with personal experience, she has penned an in-depth account of the life and work of the designer who counted Prince Charles as a client and helped popularize the romantic style of English garden design.

This snippet is not available online, but you can pick up the magazine at your local newsstand. And, as always, you can buy your own copy of Rosemary Verey on our website. 

Finally, Elizabeth Barlow Roger's own book on gardening, Writing the Garden: A Literary Conversation Across Two Centuries, was named a CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title (OAT) for 2012 in ALA CHOICE magazine's January 2013 issue (for which there is not yet a link online). In their review from last February, CHOICE writes:

. . . this preservationist, author, and collector brings humor and humanity into play on these pages, covering 200 years of gardening over two continents. Mundane garden pests appear cheek to jowl with descriptions of Elysian landscapes; rogues and bullies share chapters with cultivators of serenity. . . If paradise is a grand mix of intersecting activity in a naturally aesthetic setting, then it is captured here for the lucky readers of this book.

You can purchase Writing the Garden here on our website.