Bleak House: Rules of reading
It's useful to remember that the great fat volume we're reading left its author, and reached its original readers, in a very different formAs I write this, I'm just over a quarter of the way through Bleak House - which is to say, I've already read the ...
Reading group: Bleak House
Big news: support for chooing a short Dickens book this month has been crushed by fans of this mighty doorstopperThe votes are in for next month's Reading Group choice, and following a late surge, Bleak House has romped home.Judging by the comments so ...
What did Huxley see in mescaline?
Given his damaged sight, the book's emphasis on the visual is all the more piquant, complicating the question of how much its visions revealDisconcertingly, given the detailed discussions of art and the visual world in The Doors Of Perception, Aldous H...
Choose February’s Reading group book
One slight restriction this month: it's got to be a Dickens title in honour of the bicentenary, but there's an awful lot to choose fromThose readers in possession of eyes and/or ears may possibly have noticed that Charles Dickens's bicentenary is appro...
Art in The Doors of Perception
Gallery: A selection of the images that caught Aldous Huxley's eye while under the influence of mescalin ...Sam Jordison
Back to the Hugos
Compelling speculation and excellent writing add up to one of the prize's very best winnersTo get a sense of the appeal of Frederik Pohl's 1977 Hugo winner, Gateway, have a look at what the author is up to at the moment. The Way The Future Blogs is ost...
The Doors of Perception: Further reading
Some useful articles providing background to this month's Reading group choiceHas Huxley busted open the doors for you? Here's a few more portals to step through:The obvious place to start is with the source of the phrase "The Doors Of Perception" – ...
How was your trip?
The stoned experiences that Huxley recounts in this book were composed in thoroughly lucid proseWhen I asked if anyone had read Huxley under the influence of psychedelic drugs, I have to admit I wasn't expecting so many serious answers. But I'd underes...
Choose January’s Reading Group book
January is named for the Roman god Janus - and in honour of him, next month we're looking for books on gates, doors and doorways. Please nominate your liminal readsNext month's Reading Group theme comes courtesy of the excellent regular poster, Dylanwo...
The Newfoundland of The Shipping News – in pictures
Location is central to Annie Proulx's The Shipping News. Haven't got round to booking your trip to Newfoundland yet? The Newfoundland and Labrador Tourist Board have kindly furnished us with some snaps of the place so you can get a feel for itSam Jordi...
Concluding questions
Annie Proulx's novel undoubtedly closes beautifully, but how it leaves its characters is more uncertainTowards the beginning of our investigation of The Shipping News, we were told about the end. Pamish wrote: "Probably the best closing sentence ever ...
Proulx’s Newfoundland