The Dusty Bookcase

Description

Brian BusbysThe Dusty Bookcaseexplores the fascinating world of Canadas lesser-known literary history: works that suffered censorship, critical neglect, or brilliant yet fleeting notoriety. These rare and quirky totems of Canadiana, collected over the last three decades, form a travel diary of sortsthrough books instead of maps. Covering over one hundred books, and peppered with observations on the Canadian writing and publishing scenes, Busbys work explores our cultural past from a unique slant, questioning why certain works, rightfully or otherwise, are celebrated and others ignored.Illustrated throughout with covers and ephemera,The Dusty Bookcaseoffers up a casual but nonetheless critical and entertaining exploration of Canadas suppressed, ignored, and forgotten literature, and in the process a curious examination of what we read, when we read it, and why.PRAISE FOR THE DUSTY BOOKCASEEven if youre not interested in reading the books, The Dusty Bookcases tour through an alternate New Canadian Library is well worth reading for Busbys insight and good humour. But if youre the sort of person who spends time digging through used bookshop dollar bins looking for forgotten gems, this is an indispensable bibliography to the hits and misses of Canadian literatures past.National PostAnd so began a lifetime of scouring bargain bins, library book sales and obscure online auctions in search of the many forgotten gems of Canadas literary history, a never-ending search Busby first documented in columns and a blog and now in the entertaining bookThe Dusty Bookcase.Toronto StarPRAISE FOR BRIAN BUSBYA thorough and thoroughly entertaining study of Canadas foremost literary charlatan.GeistExquisitely written, and endlessly interesting.George Elliott Clarke