King Adz, author of STREET KNOWLEDGE, painting the Details Wall!

Note the crocodile: the Details Wall is being co-sponsored by Lacoste. Check out this art, inspired by Street Knowledge!

Happy birthday to three new books!

3/31 is a particularly great--and particularly diverse--pub date for us. Three wildly different books, all of which we love for different reasons. Please give a warm welcome to these new books, available at bookstores and online! Also, New Yorkers, there's still room at Ludmila Ulitskaya's event at Columbia on Tuesday--the rest are sold out. Learn more here!

And without further ado, hello to...


DANIEL STEIN, INTERPRETER Ludmila Ulitskaya
Learn more here

Daniel Stein, a Polish Jew, miraculously survives the Holocaust by working in the Gestapo as a translator. After the war, he converts to Catholicism, becomes a priest, enters the Order of Barefoot Carmelites and emigrates to Israel. Despite this seeming impossibility, the life and destiny of Daniel Stein are not an invention, the character is based on the life of Oswald Rufeisen, the real Brother Daniel, a Carmelite monk.


STREET KNOWLEDGE King Adz
Learn more here

An encyclopedia of street culture for those who love Banksy or Irvine Welsh and want to know about the cutting-edge talents, past and present who have shaped urban cool.


THE WHITE-LUCK WARRIOR: THE ASPECT-EMPEROR, BOOK TWO R. Scott Bakker
Learn more here

Widely praised by reviewers and a growing body of fans, R. Scott Bakker has already established his reputation as one of the few unique new talents in the fantasy genre. Now comes the second book of the Aspect-Emperor series. As Anasûrimbor Kellhus and his Great Ordeal march ever farther into the wastes of the Ancient North, Esmenet finds herself at war with not only the Gods, but her own family as well.

PW and Library Journal praise R. Scott Bakker's THE WHITE-LUCK WARRIOR!

This week, the second book of R. Scott Bakker's Aspect-Emperor series, THE WHITE-LUCK WARRIOR, hits shelves nationwide. Thanks to Publishers Weekly and Library Journal for these sneak peeks!

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The White-Luck Warrior
R. Scott Bakker. Overlook, $25.95 (608p)
ISBN 978-1-59020-464-1

Even fans of 2009's The Judging Eye who haven't reread it recently may be confused by the dense and complex infodump that opens this ponderous sequel. Those who persevere will be richly rewarded as the plot and characters are slowly refined. Mimara, stepdaughter of the Aspect-Emperor, outgrows revenge in favor of love; Achamian, former friend of (and cuckolded by) the emperor, undertakes a dangerous quest for truth; Cleric is a nonman whose drive to feel and remember twists attachment into terrible forms; Sorweel must decide whether to believe in the Aspect-Emperor's quest or kill him for the gods. The reader cannot tell heroes from villains, and neither can the heroes and villains themselves; all are sympathetic and horrific at once. A cliffhanger ending builds suspense for the final volume.

LIBRARY JOURNAL
Bakker, R. Scott. The White Luck Warrior.
Overlook (The Aspect-Emperor, Bk. 2). c.608p.
ISBN 9781590204641. $25.95. FANTASY

Anasûrimbor Kelhus, the Aspect-Emperor, leads the Great Ordeal, an army of troops and hostage-kings, into the unknown wastes of the Ancient North while at home his queen, Esmenet, struggles with internal strife. An expedition to the ruins of Sauglish, in search of a lost city, brings Esmenet’s daughter, Mimara, into possession of The Judging Eye, which allows her to see the good or evil in a person. Finally, the White Luck Warrior appears, a figure who is assassin as well as savior. The second volume in Bakker’s series (The Judging Eye) brings more complications to an already complex tale of ambition, prophecy, love, and betrayal. VERDICT The author of “The Prince of Nothing” series (The Darkness That Comes Before; The Warrior-Prophet; The Thousandfold Thought) understands the art of crafting fantasy epics spiced with exotic trappings and should attract fans of epic fantasy.

Happy travels to the Friends of Freddy!

Happy travels to everyone traveling to the Friends of Freddy convention this weekend. We hope you're enjoying the new paperback versions of the Freddy the Pig books as much as we are--and here are some other fans as well!

From The Oregonian:

"This delightful series for children of all ages was written between 1927-58 by Brooks, a staff writer for The New Yorker, and has been brought back in print by The Overlook Press. Freddy the Politician and Freddy and the Bean Home News are key books in the series and as fun and relevant today as when they were first published. In Freddy the Politician, compared favorably to George Orwell's 1984 by critics, Freddy helps his friend Mrs. Wiggins the cow get elected president of the First Animal Republic and stops some woodpeckers from taking over the farm. In Freddy and the Bean Home News, the animals start their own newspaper because the one run by humans isn't printing the truth.”

And from the Children's Book Almanac, which celebrated the Freddy books on Walter Brooks' birthday this January 9:

“All of these books prove that animal fantasy, with just the right amount of humor, can entertain adults and children in equal measure. Brooks brought American homespun humor and a profound understanding of children to his books.”

More Praise for Gerald Seymour's THE COLLABORATOR

Gerald Seymour's masterly new novel The Collaborator continues to draw critical acclaim. Library Journal gives a starred review, and the St. Louis Times-Dispatch offers a glowing critique to Seymour's latest thriller.

"Happy-go-lucky Eddie Deacon, a 27-year-old teacher of English to foreigners, meets and falls in love with Immacolata, a young Italian studying accounting in London. When she disappears, having returned to Naples to collaborate with the Carabinieri, Eddie decides to track her down. But she's never told him her last name, and, even if she had, most likely he would not have connected her to the criminal underworld of the Neapolitan Camorra. But as a daughter of the Borelli family, she participated in a host of illegal activities, one of which, the dumping of toxic chemicals, is responsible for the death of her best friend. When Eddie stumbles into the family's hands, his life is on the line. Either Immacolata refuses to testify against them or Eddie dies—and not even a renowned hostage negotiator will suffice to save the lives of all involved. Seymour's (Harry's Game; The Walking Dead) 26th novel builds relentlessly to a fever-pitch conclusion in which a Camorra killer, a hostage rescuer, and a kidnapped victim—characters developed with consummate skill—are all one step from death. Highly recommended for thriller readers. - Library Journal

"British author Gerald Seymour has built a following with his two-dozen-plus crime thrillers. Some critics rank him with John le Carré and Frederick Forsyth as a master of suspense. But with "The Collaborator," Seymour moves beyond suspense. Yes, the plot teems with criminals, and yes, the climax features a face-off between a negotiator and a bad guy who has a pistol and a hostage. But no, "The Collaborator" isn't just another thriller. At its heart, this tale is a novel.

The starring role goes to Immacolata Borelli, who's studying accounting in London. She plans to put her schooling to work back home in Naples, where her family runs mob rackets that include squeezing protection money from neighborhood merchants.

But Immacolata gets a shock when her best friend in Italy dies of leukemia. The disease had its roots in the toxic industrial waste that Immacolota's family trucks in from northern Italy and dumps across the countryside around Naples. So stricken is Immacolata that she flies home, checks in with prosecutors and the police and says she's ready to turn on her family. Back in London, her disappearance dismays her British boyfriend, Eddie Deacon. He flies to Naples to track her down. Trouble is, a stranger who pops up in Naples and asks for directions to a mob family quickly becomes a marked man. The mob family's hit man snatches Deacon and gets a message to authorities: Either you drop Immacolata as an informer, or we kill Deacon.

Unlike so many suspense thrillers, "The Collaborator" follows a plot that's distressingly realistic. This tale has no weapons of mass destruction, no international schemes — just grubby, real-life, low-life crime. Seymour takes readers far deeper into his characters than do most thriller writers. And by the standards of the genre, the book's 500-page length amounts to a thriller and a half." - St. Louis Times-Dispatch

A night with Juan Luis Cebrián

Last night, we celebrated the publication of Juan Luis Cebrián's new book, THE PIANO PLAYER IN THE BROTHEL: THE FUTURE OF JOURNALISM. We were fortunate to have both him and Harold Evans, the former editor of The Times and The Sunday Times who wrote the book's introduction, say a few words about the state of journalism today.

Two great journalists in one room--Harold Evans (left) introducing Juan Luis Cebrián (right)

Overlook publisher Peter Mayer, Overlook publicity director Jack Lamplough,
and Publishers Weekly editor Jim Milliot

Publishing Trends' Constance Sayre and Overlook's Tracy Carnes

We aren't the only ones impressed by what Cebrián has to say--THE PIANO PLAYER IN THE BROTHEL has been praised by Library Journal and ForeWord, among others.

“What is the future of journalism? Cebrián (Red Doll), a novelist and one of the original editors of Spain's newspaper of record, El País, analyzes the changes to the traditional newspaper in particular and to the profession in general. In this collection of insightful and instructive essays, he addresses the challenges journalists face in this age of instantaneous electronic media. The illustrious newspaperman brings a sense of history and gravitas to his writing, a result of living and working in a country transitioning from the media-restricted Fascist regime of Francisco Franco to a struggling democracy with a free and open press. This experience is what leads Cebrián to assert that journalism plays a vital role in protecting civil liberties and democratic values. This gem of a book is a valuable manual for aspiring journalists and an informative guidebook for the rest of us.” --Library Journal


“A thoughtful collection of essays exploring the storied past and shifting present of reporting, a call to encourage what is best in journalism as we move into the tumultuous era of online news… Some of the most salient questions in modern journalism are raised in this collection… This collection is sure to do just that, educating the reader of journalism’s past while reminding us of the qualities found in the best reporting, those that are needed more than ever in the digital future.” --ForeWord Reviews

Robert Edelstein at Bristol Motor Speedway

This weekend, Robert Edelstein signed copies of his new book, NASCAR LEGENDS: MEMORABLE MEN, MOMENTS, AND MACHINES IN RACING HISTORY at Bristol Motor Speedway. You can see Rob's coverage of the NASCAR races in TV Guide, and listen for interviews on Sirius XM, racing podcasts and some of NASCAR's biggest blogs. Happy reading--and happy racing!

Mayhem at the gift shop.

Rob with fans

With Betty at the gift shop.

The display.

Four-time champ Jeff Gordon signing autographs for thrilled fans.

The Bristol museum, where all winners are listed...

...including Earnhardt (this was the race in the last chapter of NASCAR LEGENDS!)

Robert Edelstein signing books at Bristol Motor Speedway!

Attention, NASCAR fans--if you're in Bristol this weekend, stop by the Speedway World Gift Shop and get your very own copy of NASCAR LEGENDS signed by Rob Edelstein. Here he is at qualifying today!

Rob will be signing books from 11-12:30. Even if you can't make it to the signing, be sure to check out his chapter "It's Just Bristol."

"Groundbreaking, encyclopedic" - Foreword on STREET KNOWLEDGE

We're gearing up for the 3/31 publication of King Adz's STREET KNOWLEDGE, the new insider's guide to Street Art being published for the first time in the U.S. Much more to come, but first, here's FOREWORD's excellent review of why, exactly, this book matters.

Street Knowledge

Genre: Art

Author: King Adz
Publisher: The Overlook Press (March 1, 2011)
ISBN: 9781590204771
Reviewed: March/April 2011

Street Knowledge, by artist and author King Adz, is a groundbreaking, encyclopedic insider’s guide to the world’s fantastically diverse urban landscapes and the arts cultures that identify each of these places as unique neighborhoods.

But why do we need a printed guide? Isn’t this concept counter to the subject’s inherent spirit of rebellion? Shouldn’t we be able to check out these places easily enough by typing ‘street art’ into a search engine?

Scottish author Irvine Welsh’s foreword to the book explains the purpose of this lavish assembly of places Adz has traveled to and the art, fashion, food, and people he encountered. “It’s 2010 and we’re all down with the latest thing,” says Adz. “Nothing is hidden; everything is instantly accessible.” Welsh goes on to question whether the Internet brings “everything that’s good up into the light?” Food for thought. In his collection, Adz has gathered magnificent images and interviews and offers low and high art for us to consider together. Welsh suggests we look into his book and try shaking off the ways we are “being force fed” the polished and carefully formulated world on our screens that has been increasingly manufactured by marketing professionals. He suggests perceiving the world as a richer, more complicated place than one that identifies “art, literature, travel, cooking, crime, romance, thrillers, classics” as simply things to just consume.

Street Knowledge incorporates the history of old-school graffiti legends as well as current thinking concerning avant-garde street artists, photographers, filmmakers, DJ’s, designers, writers, and spoken word artists. It includes work and interviews from some of this arena’s most infamous artists, such as Banksy, David LaChapelle, Kelsey Brookes, Quik, Tony Kaye, Tama Janowitz, The KLF, Shawn Stussy, Obey, Irvine Welsh, Martha Cooper, and Benjamin Zephaniah, as well as rising talent. The book may be read in two ways, both valuable: as a reference tool or a narrative journey. See the section called “How to Use This Book as a Time Machine.” Using the journey approach, there are clues to follow; the way the reader jumps around sifting through layers of assembled history isn’t that different from flipping through an artist’s sketchbook or a museum collection’s database, building knowledge as you explore. As he takes us from the pop culture of MTV to the present work of Know Hope, Adz invites us to dip into websites and blogs that expand upon his subjects and even recommends the best places for snacks in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Hong Kong. “Don’t be afraid of eating street food as it is the absolute bomb,” assures the author. If you’re looking for an adventure, so is this book.

Pamela Ayres

Booklist (and Tom Wolfe!) on WHO SHOT THE WATER BUFFALO

Next month, we're excited to introduce WHO SHOT THE WATER BUFFALO, the debut novel from Ken Babbs. Tom Wolfe is a fan, and so is Booklist--this week has been extra-exciting on the Water Buffalo front! Check out what they've got to say.

"Former U.S. Marine Captain Ken Babbs was a pilot who climbed from the SAMissile-killing skies over Vietnam to the LSDippy hippie highs of Ken Kesey's Merry Pranksters ... and lived. I know, because I saw him afterward. This book is Babbs, Part One." -Tom Wolfe


BOOKLIST
Issue: March 15, 2011
Who Shot the Water Buffalo?
Babbs, Ken (Author)
Mar 2011. 320 p. Overlook, hardcover, $25.95. (9781590204443).

Babbs sings us an ode to a marine helicopter squadron serving in Vietnam prior to the outbreak of war, when the U.S. was acting as an “advisor.” With pop-cultural quotes and allusions liberally sprinkled amid staccato prose, this first novel may feel to some a cross between Joseph Heller and Hunter S. Thompson.

Part buddy movie, part simple observation, and part existential musing, the novel lets readers see and feel the world it creates as it follows Texan Tom Huckelbee and Ohioan Mike Cochran from flight school through their time in Vietnam. Huckelbee strives to remain sane through Cochran’s unpredictable actions, a grinding schedule of sorties, R and R breaks, base politics, and the loss of flight-school friends. The strain of their circumstances builds to the final, most dangerous mission they fly. Babbs, a U.S. Marine whose service included piloting helicopters in Vietnam, brings eyewitness truth to the table as he pays homage to his fellow marines while showing how valor and duty can be embodied quite differently among one company of men.
— Arlen Bensen