If you require clearer text or layout, please click here |
||||||||||||||||
Shortcut Bar: Click below to skip to popular destinations
And remember www.politics-prose.com is open 24 hours a day! |
||||||||||||||||
LETTER FROM BARBARA | ||||||||||||||||
We had a busy, busy weekend with our member sale, but we were concerned about the number of members who thought that they had to buy the books in our Politics & Prose 2010 Holiday Newsletter during the member sale to receive a 20% discount. These books are on sale for the ENTIRE MONTH. The big perk of the member sale is to being able to buy any book in the store at a discount. If there was a book you forgot to buy during the sale, use the coupon you got at the register to purchase it at a sale price. Just remember that all the items included in the 2010 Holiday Newsletter are discounted 15-20% to members all month! Some of the popular titles that we are discounting are: AN OBJECT OF BEAUTY (Grand Central, $26.99) is the novel for the art-lover in your life. Steve Martin chronicles the last quartercentury of the New York City art scene with a discerning eye, skewering wit, and insider knowledge of a collector. The reader can decide what the true object of beauty is. It could be the real-life paintings themselves, reproduced beautifully on the page and critiqued thoughtfully by Martin through his narrator’s persona. It could equally be Lacey Yeager, the young, ambitious, bright, scheming, and attractive lover of art, money, and men, in that order. Lacey rises from the basement of Sotheby’s to become a dominant player in the world of taste and profit-making. In this page-turner, Martin combines the true appraisal of great and worthy art with the back-room dealings and the private agendas of collectors and critics that ultimately decide what an object of beauty is worth. The result is surprising. - Bill Leggett
I came late to the party. By the time I started The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, most Stieg Larsson fans were already on volume three, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest. But once I opened this thriller, I couldn’t put it down. I sailed through the next two. Now I’m one of the millions who hope the feud between Larsson’s family and his girlfriend will be resolved soon so we can get a fourth book. I even made a special order for THE MILLENNIUM TRILOGY DELUXE BOXED SET (Knopf, $99), a slip-cased package of the three novels, each unjacketed, bound in full cloth and uniquely stamped, with maps and individual full-color endpapers. This box set also includes a special exclusive of ON STIEG LARSSON, a previously unpublished collection of essays about and correspondence with the author. And why? Well, I want to have these books forever. I think of them as a memorial to Stieg and to the most original character created by a mystery writer in a very long time, Lisbeth Salander. - Deb Morris
The first Dickensian rock ’n’ roll memoir has arrived! Keith Richards’s LIFE (Little, Brown, $29.99) written with James Fox has the classic rags-to-riches narrative, the epic musical highs and drug-induced lows, dozens and dozens of memorable characters, and a rollicking authorial voice that’s spellbinding. (Each chapter begins with a Victorian summary of astounding events to come.) Over a near-fifty-year career with the Rolling Stones, Richards has co-written some of the greatest songs, and created some of the most memorable guitar riffs in rock history, and he has many tales to tell. From teenaged obsessions with T-Bone Walker and Chuck Berry, to infamous tours, busts, and feuds, Richards remembers it all, and humorously introduces other voices for some corroboration. "Hail, hail, rock 'n' roll!" - Andras Goldinger
Ben MacIntyre, an associate editor at the
London Times, follows up his bestselling Agent
Zigzag with another World War II spy story,
OPERATION MINCEMEAT (Harmony,
$25.99), a tale so wild and entertaining that it
could be a James Bond caper. Fictional agents
and a bogus body are only part of the intricate
plot by which MI5 successfully diverted Nazi
intelligence from the planned Allied invasion
of Sicily. False documents baked in a cake,
an undercover removal of a three-month-old
dead body from a local morgue to stand
in for a drowned corpse—one clad in the
thick underwear of an Oxford don—and an
imaginary fiancée are only a few of the full complement of espionage tricks-of-the
trade that Macintyre colorfully recounts. - Barbara Meade
And don't forget that members also receive discounts on our bestseller list is also discounted. This week our list includes CLEOPATRA by Stacey Schiff (Little, Brown, $29.99), AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MARK TWAIN, Vol. 1, edited by Harriet Elinor Smith (Univ. of California, $34.95), APOLLO'S ANGELS by Jennifer Homans (Random House, $35), and National Book Award winner LORD OF MISRULE by Jaimy Gordon (McPherson, $25). These hot new books are all in stock now, but buy soon, because supplies are limited!
Click here to see and download a copy of the holiday newsletter You can also view recommendations from the Children and Teens' Department in their 2010 Favorites online! |
||||||||||||||||
SIGNED BOOKS OF THE WEEK |
||||||||||||||||
We are really excited about our offerings this week. And the Doonesbury collections are both discounted 20% for members since they are featured in our holiday catalogue!
40: A DOONESBURY RETROSPECTIVE and DOONESBURY AND THE ART
OF G.B. TRUDEAU When Brian Walker first interviewed Garry Trudeau in 1973, it was for an article on the new comix for the alternative weekly, Silver Lining. While Trudeau denied being a spokesman for the counterculture, it became a label that he had difficulty shaking. Walker later curated the first exhibition of Trudeau’s work. DOONESBURY AND THE ART OF G.B. TRUDEAU (Yale Univ., $49.95) explores the evolution of the artist from his prep-school drawing to Bull Notes, the predecessor of Doonesbury, and the impact the series has had on pop culture, from the Broadway musical to ties and Starbucks mugs. Walker also introduces the collaborators Trudeau has worked with over the years. There are plenty of strips here as well, from those early days to the present. It’s a lovely companion to 40: A DOONESBURY RETROSPECTIVE (Andrews McMeel, $100), which contains 1,800 strips Trudeau selected as representative of the 40 years since Gonzo, Mike, J.J. B.D., and the huge cast of characters first appeared in papers nationwide. He also provides bios of these iconic characters—all contained in a beautiful slip-cased box. - Deb Morris
Click here to see more of our Signed Event Books. Also, for only $1.50 additional per book, Politics & Prose now offers an Archival Book Covering Service. Click here to add this item to your order!
|
||||||||||||||||
BARBARA'S BYLINE | ||||||||||||||||
I am so delighted that the Washington Post has chosen John Vaillant's THE TIGER (Knopf, $26.95) as one of their ten best books of 2010. For me the unique talent of such an appealing writer is the ability to write about a topic that seemingly has no widespread interest and weave such a compelling tale of discovery and wonder about it that makes for a page-turner. Vaillant's tale about a Siberian tiger who avenges a hunter's violation of the law of the jungle by stalking him down and killing him is followed by an equally riveting tale of the search for the murderous tiger in this far-reaching corner of Southeast Russia. I'm going to be giving this book to six family and friends, none of whom have ever revealed any interest in tigers, and I feel completely confident that they will thank me for opening up a whole new world to them through such a well-told way.
|
||||||||||||||||
SIGNED FIRST EDITIONS AND BOOK-A-MONTH CLUBS |
||||||||||||||||
|
When shopping for the holidays, think of gifts that will be appreciated all year long, and consider giving the gift of our Book-a-Month Club or our Signed First Editions Club. SIGNED FIRST EDITIONS CLUB
You might be familiar with our Book-A-Month Gift Program, in which our booksellers hand-pick a monthly gift for a reader in your life. Now you can sign up to have a first edition, first printing of a newly released book delivered each month directly to your - or your loved one's - doorstep. There is no enrollment fee. The cost of each book (an estimated $35 or less, including shipping) is the only charge, which will be processed every month when the books arrive at Politics & Prose. You can save by choosing to collect your books in the store. The program is available for six or twelve months at a time. We showcase novels and literary nonfiction from authors whom we read and love, and who inspire us with contagious enthusiasm. Our current selections are: DECEMBER: Luka and the Fire of Life, by Salman Rushdie (Random House, $25) And these tremendous selections are just the beginning. Every month club members receive books of surpassing cultural importance and literary merit. This program is a chance to collect and cherish these "first firsts" for years to come. To this end, for an extra $1.50, you can choose to have us protect your book in an acid-free archival book cover. And of course, P&P members will receive 20% off on all selections. If you are not currently a member, we encourage you to register for a membership. You will save in the long run, and also receive all of the other member benefits - discounts on bestsellers, author event books, our notifications of the events by mail and email, the opportunity to participate in our four annual storewide member sales, and other discount promotions. Call or email Liz Sher at the store for more information about the Politics & Prose Signed First Editions Club, or register here today!
We also have a SIGNED FIRST EDITION Did you miss out on buying a first edition Harry Potter book when J.K. Rowling was at Politics and Prose in 1999? Would you want a signed first edition, first printing of a new book by Chris Van Allsburg, Peter Sis, or David Wiesner? Now you can sign up to have a first edition, first printing of a newly released children's or young adult book delivered each month directly to your - or another collector's – doorstep. Our current selection is: December: ART AND MAX signed by David Wiesner (Clarion, $17.99) You may enroll in the program for six or twelve months at a time. And into the coming year, you can be sure that we will continue to select books to cherish for years to come! Call 202-363-1919 or email Amy Kane at the store for more information, or sign up online by clicking here.
HOLIDAY BOOK ANGELS Our local WILSON HIGH SCHOOL is spending the year at UDC while their campus is being remodeled. In the transition, 2500 fiction titles from their library were lost. For this year's BOOK ANGELS project, we are asking the community to help purchase new books to replenish their library. Librarian Pamela Gardner requests fiction for grades 6-12. Our Children and Teens' Department is ready to help you chose appropriate books and will collect your donations for Ms. Gardner. Books purchased for Wilson High School Book Angels will be given a 20% discount. The Book Angels Program runs through December 31, 2010. Call the Children's Department at 202--364-1919 for more information.
So please help sustain this wonderful cause while reducing your holiday preparations and making your gift giving easier! You may also sign up as a volunteer gift wrapper by contacting Jennifer Durkin at WLCgiftwrap@gmail.com; just put "P&P Wrap" in the subject line. CARDS AND CALENDARS FROM OUR SHIPPING DEPARTMENT Politics & Prose will contribute to the joys of your holiday season by providing shipping to your gift recipients on your behalf. Not only will volunteers from the Washington Literacy Council giftwrap your books and packages, but our packing and shipping elves will employ the FedEx (or USPS Priority Mail when appropriate) reindeer to safely carry your packages to homes around the world. We do request that you be aware of these shipping guidelines for the following destinations to ensure the timely arrival of your holiday gifts: December 17: FedEx West Coast.
|
||||||||||||||||
BOOK NOTES |
||||||||||||||||
Graphic Novel buyer Adam Waterreus has compiled the department's 2010 Best of the Year.
BLACKSAD by Juan Diaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido (Dark Horse, $29.99) A decade after its original European release, Dark Horse Comics finally brings France's current best-selling comic to the United States. This hardcover collection of the first three volumes of Blacksad features the gorgeous watercolors of Juanjo Guarnido, whose credentials include work as a lead animator on Disney's 1999 film Tarzan. Blacksad follows the misadventures of John Blacksad, a feline private investigator in writer Juan Diaz Canales's anthropomorphized version of the 1950s. Canales's expert characterizations of both the bewhiskered Blacksad and a colorful menagerie of supporting cast members will captivate readers and leave them caterwauling for more. - Frans Boukas FOOTNOTES IN GAZA by Joe Sacco (Metropolitan, $23) Award winning comic journalist Joe Sacco returns with Footnotes in Gaza, a superb and finely crafted work of journalism and history. Sacco travels to the Gaza strip to uncover a nearly forgotten massacre, in 1956, in the southern refugee camp of Rafah, where 111 Palestinians were killed. A shroud of mystery hangs over the event, from the UN report to a number of conflicting and wildly different opinions, perspectives, and firsthand accounts, all of which Sacco relates in his inimitable style. Footnotes in Gaza is a heavily researched and deftly told graphic work—from its densely packed panels of street scenes, to the quirky but strangely accurate renderings of political figures, refugees, soldiers, women and children, and most importantly, the imaginative and arresting scenes of historical strife—which also succeeds in portraying a conflict scarred by misunderstanding and contested views in a civil and fair way, while also remaining compassionately invested in unearthing the truth of a forgotten tragedy. Revelatory and intelligent, this is graphic literature at its finest. - Adam Waterreus THE UNWRITTEN, Volumes 1 and 2 by Peter Gross and Mike Carey (Vertigo, $9.99/$12.99) In the first two of what I hope will be a long and fruitful series, The Unwritten is a comic about stories, all stories, and their importance in our everyday life. It begins with Tom Taylor, the real life inspiration for the world famous fantasy character Tommy Taylor, star of fourteen books, whose identity is suddenly challenged. But it seems that there are forces at play beyond Tom’s understanding, forces that want him dead. The Unwritten is all about the effect that stories have, not just in our personal lives, but in important historical events. The second volume features the Song of Roland and a ghostly encounter with Josef Goebbels. These are delightful and surprising books and I can’t wait for the following volumes. - Adam Waterreus |
||||||||||||||||
BESTSELLERS | ||||||||||||||||
All Politics & Prose Weekly Hardcover Bestsellers are 20% off for Members. Bookmark www.politics-prose.com/bestsellers/hardcover-fiction and www.politics-prose.com/bestsellers/hardcover-nonfiction for our weekly discounted bestsellers. Click here to receive the benefits of Politics & Prose membership.
Click here for our fiction paperback bestsellers.
Click here for our non-fiction paperback bestsellers.
|
||||||||||||||||
COMING SOON TO YOUR FAVORITE BOOKSTORE |
||||||||||||||||
Books and tickets may be preordered now: Members always save 20% on author event books and titles included in other special promotions such as our Holiday Newsletter. Click here to register! |
||||||||||||||||
P&P CUSTOMERS ARE ALSO INVITED TO. . . | ||||||||||||||||
Politics & Prose supplies books to book signing parties and events for other organizations. These are often open to the public; however, reservations and tickets should be acquired from the hosting organization. Please contact offsite@politics-prose.com if you are planning an event and would like us to supply the books. There are no more scheduled events for December.
|
||||||||||||||||
FROM THE CHILDREN AND TEENS' DEPARTMENT | ||||||||||||||||
Story time takes a hiatus during the winter holiday season. |
||||||||||||||||
P&P READERS MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN . . . | ||||||||||||||||
ROUND HOUSE THEATRE BETHESDA Round House Theatre presents the area premiere of A Wrinkle in Time, a play by John Glore based on the beloved youth sci-fi novel by Madeleine L'Engle. Children's tickets are just $10 weeknights and $15 at Fri. and Sat performances. On a dark and stormy night, the eccentric Mrs. Whatsit arrives at the home of Meg Murry, a tomboy whose scientist father vanished two years ago under mysterious circumstances. Aided by Mrs. Whatsit and her friends, Meg, her brother Charles Wallace, and her friend Calvin are transported through time and space on a mission to rescue their father from the evil forces that hold him prisoner on another planet. For tickets, visit www.roundhousetheatre.com or call Round House at 240-644-1100. (Recommended for age 6 and above.)
|
||||||||||||||||
MARKDOWN BOOKS | ||||||||||||||||
An artist for all occasions and genres, Jules Feiffer provided the pen-and-ink drawings for Jenny Allen’s THE LONG CHALKBOARD AND OTHER STORIES. These three tales combine childhood wishes and adult responsibilities, with parents creating a lasting legacy in a medium—a chalkboard—that should be ephemeral; a children’s-book writer lightening up; and an amateur chili chef cooking for a cause. Available in hardcover, $4.98. Aravind Adiga won the Man Booker Prize for his novel, The White Tiger; his collection of linked stories, BETWEEN THE ASSASSINATIONS is also a fast-paced, angry chronicle of contemporary Indian life. Following the lives of the mostly poor residents of Kittur during the period between the deaths of Indira and Rajiv Gandhi, the stories portray a range of ages, faiths, and occupations. Workers can labor hard, yet still live on the streets. Children beg so their fathers can get drugs. The business owners and wealthier class may be better off materially, but they also have their frustrations, and Adiga brilliantly plays out the relationships between bosses and employees. Available in hardcover, $5.98. As recent history has shown, a natural disaster can uncover many facets of a society the everyday routines usually hide. Robert Clark’s account of the devastating 1966 flood in Florence, DARK WATER: Flood and Redemption in the City of Masterpieces, is a fascinating reconstruction of the storm—19 inches of rain fell in 24 hours—and the tremendous efforts made by its survivors (33 people died) to salvage some 14,000 damaged artworks. This is also the story of a deeply divided city. The art resides in Florence, but the people live in Firenze, and while the focus was on digging the mud out of the Uffizi, drying out priceless books dating back to the Renaissance, and cleaning mold from paintings, the poor sections of the city were neglected. Available in hardcover, $5.98. Click here to browse other remainders that have recently become available. • Laurie Greer
|
||||||||||||||||
Music News |
||||||||||||||||
HYPERION 30th-ANNIVERSARY MID-PRICE TITLES
|
||||||||||||||||
BOOK GROUPS |
||||||||||||||||
Politics & Prose currently hosts sixteen different book groups in the store each month. Book-group titles are discounted 20% to participants. Please join us!Top of Form
Thursday, December 16, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, December 19, 2010 Monday, December 20, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, December 21 Wednesday, December 29, 7:30 p.m.
|
||||||||||||||||
NEWS FROM THE COFFEEHOUSE |
||||||||||||||||
While we get our new website ready, please won't you say you like us on Facebook? Come on, you're just going to log in to it right after reading this anyway. We're latecomers to it, but hope to use it to give you updates about things like holiday business hours and snow days, menu items, merchandise, and events happening in the coffeehouse and bookstore.
Click here to read more and visit the Modern Times blog.
|
||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
Politics & Prose has welcomed Nobel laureates and Booker Prize winners, debut novelists and established stars in the literary firmament. Now we’re offering you a chance to be a part of literary history and build an impressive and irreplaceable library through the 
As in past years, to make your holiday gift-giving easier, volunteers from the 
SOUTH PACIFIC AT THE KENNEDY CENTER