Wednesday, August 01, 2012

Paperback Giveaway

Whether you’re heading to sun yourself on the sand or staying inside and watching a thunderstorm brew, Overlook has a brand new paperback for every mood, interest, and forecast. We promise you’ll be too engrossed in literature to count the days left before the leaves litter your walkway. This month we’re releasing super thrillers, probing historical explorations, intriguing memoirs, Russian plays, and even an encyclopedia on arguably the most iconic American actress in Hollywood's history. Immerse yourself in San Francisco’s underbelly or revolutionary Russia; demythologize the Swinging Sixties or Marilyn Monroe; investigate the science of war or P.G. Wodehouse’s genius.

To help get you started we’re even giving some books away. Subscribe to the Winged Elephant before 9a.m. (EST) Friday morning and you might be the lucky reader who receives three paperbacks from the list below. To subscribe, enter your email address in the form on the right side of this page, or click here to get the latest news from Overlook delivered straight to your inbox. We'll contact a winner tomorrow to select three books of their choice. Good luck and happy reading!

Jim Nisbet
On Sale: 7/3/2012

The Spider's Cage sees the return of Martin Windrow, the detective first introduced to readers in “super thriller” The Damned Don't Die (Los Angeles Times). When Jodie O’Ryan, the country singer he adores, disappears after the death of her grandfather, a millionaire oil man, Windrow sets off on their trail. Strangers and storytellers cross his path, among them friendly tarantulas, a Verlaine-reading prostitute, an androgynous bodyguard, a pimp-entrepreneur-singer, a Salvadorean revolutionary, a car salesman hooked on tranquilizers, and a cop who treats the common cold with cocaine cut with amphetamines. Follow Windrow as he travels from surprise to nightmare, and from body to body, up until the dark-as-night finale.

“Equal parts Kafka and Jim Thompson.” —Booklist


Jim Nisbet
On Sale: 7/3/2012

What's a guy to do, when he lives under a bridge and has an unshakeable thirst for martinis? Kill for cash. So goes the logic at the heart of Old and Cold, leading to a spree of—sometimes perfectly executed, sometimes messy—hits, set against the backdrop of San Francisco's beaches, bars, and murky darkened streets. Told at breakneck speed in a bravura voice, this novel is Jim Nisbet's finest work yet, reminiscent of Jim Thompson at his best and Tarantino at his most irreverent. A tough and tender love letter to a city's underbelly, this is a shockingly funny tale of suspense that won't let you go.

“Nobody has Nisbet’s distinctive style, humor, and sheer craft … one of the finest masters of noir.” —Ken Bruen

Gerald Seymour
On Sale: 8/7/2012

From the author who "isn't just abreast of the headlines, [but] ahead of them" (The Washington Post), comes a novel at once international, personal, and altogether riveting. Malachy Kitchen is an intelligence officer in Iraq; accused of cowardice, he becomes a recluse in a drug-infested housing project back home. But the mugging of an elderly widow draws him into the fight—his target is the network of substance dealers and at their head is Ricky Capel. Untouchable up to now, Capel will have to confront an enemy more driven than any he has so far outwitted.

"Suspense master Seymour dazzles with commanding language and meticulous detail." —Entertainment Weekly



Taylor Downing
On Sale: 8/7/2012

Indefatigable patriot, seasoned soldier, incomparable orator, and, with Franklin Delano Roosevelt, leader of men—Winston Churchill's greatness in the allies' triumphant victory in World War II is undisputed. Yet, of his many unique qualities, Churchill's enduring legacy is attributable at least in equal part to his unshakeable fascination for the science of war.

Churchill's War Lab reveals how Churchill's passion for military history, his inimitable leadership style, and his dedicated support of radical ideas would lead to new technologies and tactics that would enable an allied victory. No war generated more incredible theories, technical advances, and scientific leaps. From the development of radar and the decoding brilliance of Bletchley Park, to the study of the D-Day beaches and the use of bouncing bombs, Churchill's War Lab is an exciting new take on Churchill as a complex, powerful, and inventive war leader.

"A vivid and fast-paced retelling of Churchill's remarkable career—from callow correspondent to battle-hardened leader of men." —Financial Times

Frank Westerman
On Sale: 8/7/2012

As art and reality are bent to radically new purposes, allow Frank Westerman to draw you into the wild euphoria of the Russian Revolution; Engineers of the Soul is an astounding and often comic story of writers fostering the tragic delusions of Stalinist Russia. The enthusiasm of renowned writers—or “engineers of the soul”—towards canal and dam construction was spontaneous and idealistic at first, but soon became an obligatory song of praise. As these colossal waterworks led to slavery and destruction, soviet writers—such as Maxim Gorky, Isaak Babel, Konstantin Paustovsky, and Boris Pasternak—were forced to labor on in the service of a deluded totalitarian society.

Combining investigative journalism and literary history, Engineers of the Soul is a journey through contemporary Russia and soviet-era literature. Westerman examines both the culture landscape under Stalin's rule as well as the books and lives of writers caught in the wheels of the soviet system.

"Engagingly written and extensively researched, the book covers compelling historical and literary ground." —Financial Times

Richard Neville
On Sale: 7/31/2012

As publisher of the satirical magazine Oz—the hippies' handbook and a monument to psychedelia—Richard Neville was at the center of a cyclone of radicals, rock musicians, artists, and hustlers. Oz was at the forefront of the '60s underground movement, featuring articles by Germaine Greer, groundbreaking design by pop artist Martin Sharp, and cartoons by R. Crumb. When the magazine was tried for obscenity, John Lennon and Yoko Ono marched in protest. With an updated chapter on the legacy of flower power a generation later, Hippie Hippie Shake demythologizes the 1960s in this hilarious, colorful, and provocative memoir of counter-culture, social revolution, and the Swinging Sixties.

"An entrancingly wicked account of the greatest decade ever." —Marie Claire

Barry Day
On Sale: 8/7/2012

From the publisher of the acclaimed collector's Wodehouse editions, P.G. Wodehouse In His Own Words is a sparkling collection of excerpts from the master's own writings that reveals a wonderfully entertaining gloss on Wodehouse's life story. Quotations from a literary career spanning more than seventy years are arranged in chapters that move from childhood, to school years, to the various preoccupations of the grown man. A linking narrative, skillfully supplied by Wodehouse aficionado Barry Day and former President of the International Wodehouse society Tony Ring, brilliantly ties all the material together.

P.G. Wodehouse In His Own Words is an unorthodox biography of "the greatest comic writer ever" (Douglas Adams) and a window into the mind of a brilliant humorist. Full of the scintillating wordplay and comedy that characterize Wodehouse's novels, stories, letters, and nonfiction, this handsome volume is the perfect addition to anyone's library.

Nikolai Evreinov
On Sale: 7/31/2012

Long unavailable, this essential anthology contains translations of five plays by the master of post-Revolutionary Russian theater, Nikolai Evreinov. Theater founder, director, historian, and playwright, Evreinov stands with Stanislavsky and Meyerhold in his importance to Russian theater. As a playwright he explored the dichotomy of reality and illusion, employing the full range of theatrical resources including music, dance, color, plays-within-plays, disguises, complex plots, and surprise endings.

Now reader’s can enjoy five of Evreinov's best known plays: The Main Thing—which in its time was produced by Pirandello's theater and then on Broadway starring Edward G. Robinson and Lee Strasberg—as well as A Merry Death, The Ship of the Righteous, The Theater of the Soul, and The Theater of the Eternal War. Rounding out the volume is an extensive introduction by Christopher Collins, written in consultation with Evreinov's widow, and many rare illustrations and photographs, including portraits of Evreinov, sketches of sets by the playwright, and photographs from productions in NYC, Paris, Milan, and Warsaw. The perfect paperback for any theater enthusiast or Russian literature devotee.

Adam Victor
On Sale: 7/31/2012

Marilyn Monroe's status as the greatest icon of the twentieth century is rarely disputed, but the real Marilyn in many ways has remained a mystery. Her life has been pondered by everyone from film scholars and historians to novelists and pop culture mavens, creating endless pages of biography, analysis, adoration, invective, and speculation ever since her mysterious death in August 1962.

With Adam Victor's astute research and crisp writing, as well as hundreds of photographs (including shots by top photographers Eve Arnold, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Milton Greene, among others), the facts of Marilyn's amazing life are represented in full and, of course, there is complete information on Marilyn's lovers, songs, and films, including credit listings. The Marilyn Encyclopedia is the second-to-none resource on Marilyn Monroe.

“The photos alone make this a worthy purchase, but its exhaustive scope and impartial presentation make it highly recommended…” —Library Journal

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

wow, do you guys like to promote books by women, too?