Interview with Paul Collins

Paul Collins was gracious enough to answer a few questions and you can find my interview with him below. Seriously folks, check out The Book of William as well as his other books.

1. Is there a particular piece of writing that influenced you to write the kind of books that you do?


When I wrote my first book, Banvard's Folly, I was influenced by 1920s and 1930s writers like Van Wyck Brooks and Edmund Pearson, who delighted in obscure literature while always remaining inviting to the reader. I was also very fond of Nicholson Baker and John McPhee's ways of drawing extraordinary stories of out overlooked subjects. In my next book (Sixpence House), I had to develop a first person narrator, and probably my closest model there was Jerome K. Jerome, who always struck me as a good company. Ever since then I've basically been winging it, and inventing a narrative style as I go along.


2. Are there any Folio facts/stories etc. that have come to light since you wrote the book that you would like to share?

Probably the biggest was the recovery of the stolen Durham folio, and the conviction of Raymond Scott for its theft. It was perhaps the first time that the unique nature of each copy -- that no two copies are exactly alike in their textual variants and physical condition -- suddenly had a criminal conviction turning on it.


3. What is the most interesting thing that you learned while researching The Book of William?

That would have to be hearing Anthony West describe his plan to come up with a database tracking textual variants, condition, watermarks, etc in every page of every copy of the Folio -- literally millions of pieces of information. It's astonishingly ambitious, a project that will take decades to complete -- Anthony's in his seventies! -- and something that's never been done for any other book.


4. If you are able to share, what are you working on right now?

I'm writing "Duel With The Devil: How Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr Teamed Up To Take On a Murder Mystery," which Crown will have out in the summer of 2013. Unlikely as it sounds, it's another history -- this really happened! It's about the Levi Weeks trial of 1800, and I've been immersed in reading Manhattan newspapers from back then -- which, for someone like me, is basically catnip.


Thats all for this update and thanks again to Paul Collins. Check back Friday for a review of 52 Ways to Cheat at Poker by Allan Kronzek. Please let me know if you have any comments, either below or at jeffsemonis at yahoo.com.

The Book of William by Paul Collins

                                                                          

This is rapidly becoming one of my favorite books. I've read it three or four times in the year or so since I bought it. It tells the story of Shakespeare's First Folio, the first time Shakespeare's works were collected. Without this book a great many of these plays would never have been heard from again.

Collins travels the world from London to Washington D.C. to Tokyo seeking out information on the Folio. He talks to collectors, curators, and other researchers. Collins also shows how many of the specific copies of the Folio have been traced across hundreds of years. I find this concept fascinating since it combines books, history, and genealogy which are three of my favorite topics.

I cannot say it enough, if you like books, book collecting, Shakespeare, or the history of the theatre then buy this book! You'll learn things about each of those topics, along with many others. I love this book and I'm not really into Shakespeare's plays. The only time that I've read them is when required to do so.

If you like this topic then you should check out  The Shakespeare Thefts by Eric Rasmussen, it focuses on First Folios that have been stolen and the stories behind the thefts.

Collins also has a wonderful website and is on Twitter @thelitdetective. He was also just nominated for an Edgar award for The Murder of the Century, The Gilded Age Crime That Scandalized a City & Sparked the Tabloid Wars which I can't wait to read, along with his book Sixpence House. The latter is about his time spent living in Hay-onWye, which is basically a town of bookstores. Sounds like a great place to live to me.

As always, let me know if you liked the book, either in the comments below or at jeffsemonis at yahoo.com. I'm also on twitter @jeffsbookcase.

Elmore Leonard just released a new book.

I read an excerpt of Raylan and it looks like it will be pretty good. I love Justified on FX and liked the other Leonard book that I read that featured Raylan. The author was on NPR recently, discussing the show and writing in general. You can read/download the interview here.

They also discuss Elmore Leonard's famous 10 Rules for writing. They are everywhere on the web but I found a good version at the NY Times website here. I encourage any aspiring writers to check it out.

I'll post tomorrow with a review of The Book of William by Paul Collins.

I haven't blogged in quite awhile but I've decided to start up again. I've read a lot of good books lately and can't wait to tell you all about them. I'll try to review a book every Friday and post something else mid-week, such as interviews and news on upcoming books.

Afraid by Jack Kilborn/ JA Konrath

Jack Kilborn is the pen name of JA Konrath, better known for the Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels series as well as a plethora of twisted short stories. Afraid just came out and I urge you to check it out via the widget to your right. I have a Kindle copy and will review it when I'm done reading it. I can tell you that the author is a helluva guy who has done more than any author I've seen to connect with his fans and to support the writers among them with tips and info about the publishing world. Check out his web site at jakonrath.com and his Newbie's Guide to Publishing at jakonrath.blogspot.com. Both are also linked for your convenience.

Jeff

Another Life by Andrew Vachss

This is the final Burke novel. If that means something to you then go buy it right now. If it doesn't, then don't start with this one. Start with Strega or Flood and read on up through the series. This series is noirish combined with realism. Mr. Vachss has seen first hand what he writes about and tells the stark truth about it all. Burke is a career criminal, raised by the state, who operates within a group of chosen family, that is they are bonded but not by blood. As Mr. Vachss has said in interviews they would kill or die for each other.

In this book Burke is tapped to locate the kidnapped child of a Saudi prince who is desperate to get his child back. Burke is an enemy to those who prey on children so it is assumed that he can find the kidnapper. He does this in exchange for favors that help several of his chosen family. I will not go into the ending but will say that it ends as it should although I am sad to see the series go. My words do not do justice to the writings of Andrew Vachss but I advise you to pick up one for yourself.

Also check out Vachss's other books such as Shella, The Getaway Man, and Two Trains Running. He also does short fiction and "Placebo", one of my all-time favorite short stories is in his collection Born Bad.

As always, leave a commen whether or not you agree and you can reach me at jeffsemonis at yahoo.com.

In a Dry Season by Peter Robinson

This is a novel in the DCI Alan Banks series. I had never heard of the author before reading this for mystery book club but I'm glad that I found him as I will be reading more of his work. The plot, in a nutshell, is that a town that was flooded to build a resovoir has been uncovered by a severe drought. A body is discovered in an old outbuilding and DCI Banks is brought in to try to solve this very cold case.

It's an English series so some of the places are unfamiliar to me but that doesn't interfere with the story. Banks seems quite real and has problems, chief among them being that his marriage has failed and his son has decided that being in a rock band is a good career move. There are many books in this series, twenty-one I think, and it seems that Banks has evolved over the course of the series. This is always refreshing as you get to see how the characters change as they get older and deal with different issues.

The only quibble that I have is that the authors shifts POV mid-chapter, instead of at the chapter break like I am used to. However, you get used to this as the breaks are obvious since they go back in time and you're never confused as to whose head you're in.

If you like police procedurals and/or English mysteries then I encourage you to check this one out.

As always leave a comment if you agree or disagree or email me at jeffsemonis at yahoo.com.

Jeff