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!

The Spider’s Cage

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

Old and Cold

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

Rat Run

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

Churchill’s War Lab

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

Engineers of the Soul

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

Hippie Hippie Shake

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

P.G. Wodehouse In His Own Words

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.

Theater as Life

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.

The Marilyn Encyclopedia

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

Giveaway: FREE RADICALS by Michael Brooks

Today brings the highly anticipated US release of Free Radicals: The Secret Anarchy of Science by bestselling author, physicist, and science journalist Michael Brooks.

For centuries, science has projected itself as responsible and safe: a carefully measured discipline involving sensible, level-headed people not given to dangerous passions. But what really goes on behind the scenes in the scientific community? In Free Radicals Michael Brooks traces the history behind one of the most successful cover-ups of modern times, delving into the darker side of scientific discovery to illuminate the fallibility, irrationality, craftiness, and egos behind some of science's greatest figures.

Revealing the extreme lengths some of our most celebrated scientists are willing to travel in order to bring groundbreaking discoveries to the world's attention, this exploration of history's greatest scientific achievements proves that in order to succeed, knowledge must be pursued by every means possible. To stay on top, scientists take drugs, follow crazy dreams, experiment on themselves, and occasionally die in the process. Newton fought ferociously with his colleagues to deny them credit for their work, Einstein relied on mystical insights when formulating his theories, and even Galileo covered up glaring errors while composing his most influential texts.

For a sneak peek at some of the subversive stories relayed from the wild frontiers of weird science detailed in Free Radicals, check out "Scientists Behaving Badly," a short history of scientific fraud published this week on the Huffington Post.

To celebrate the release of Free Radicals, we're giving away a single copy to one lucky reader. To enter, all you have to do is subscribe to The Winged Elephant. Subscribers will receive dispatches from Overlook announcing new books, special events, author interviews and book giveaways delivered directly to their inbox three or four times per week. Sign up before 1:00pm (EST) tomorrow and you'll be entered for your chance to win a copy!

Praise for FREE RADICALS

"Brooks raises intriguing questions about the value of peer review panels and ethics boards, while illuminating much of the gritty real work performed in ivory towers around the world."  

— Publishers Weekly

"A page-turning, unvarnished look at the all-too-human side of science."  — Kirkus Reviews

"Brooks explores some of the important contributions science has granted to the human condition, and imaginatively examines some of its current and future potentialities."  — Truthout

"Free Radicals illuminates the role of the irrational in science, the mistakes that make scientists human, and reveals that breakthroughs that change our lives in the most fundamental ways may have the most serendipitous origins." — Brain Pickings  

"[Free Radicals] goes a long way toward making scientists - and science - a lot more real to the public. And to show how sometimes trusting a gut instinct is a good thing, even if the data is not there yet." — Science 2.0

Visit Michael Brooks and Free Radicals online: http://www.freeradicalsbook.com/
Twitter: @DrMichaelBrooks

Paperback Giveaway: Carolyn Cassady's OFF THE ROAD

While the release date for the much-hyped film adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s beat generation masterpiece On the Road remains ambiguous at best, our interest here at Overlook is keen. We’ve been known to publish a few 60s inspired novels ourselves, including the recently released Any Day Now from San Francisco sweetheart Terry Bisson. But our Suze to Kerouac’s Dylan is the aptly named, Off the Road, first published in the UK in 1990. In this critically acclaimed memoir by Carolyn Cassady, we’re introduced to the heart of a generation, the beguiling personas we know as Neal Cassady, Allen Ginsberg, and Jack Kerouac, known to Carolyn, respectively, as her husband, her lover, and her dear friend.

The intimate story of the remarkable friendship these three men shared could be told no better than by the woman who loved them all. This riveting account spans one of the most vital eras in twentieth-century literature and culture, including the explosive successes of Kerouac’s On The Road and Ginsberg’s Howl, the flowering Beat movement, and the social revolution of the 1960s. Cassady reveals a side of her husband rarely seen—that of a father and husban, a man who craved respectability, yet could not resist the thrills of a wilder and ultimately more destructive lifestyle.

Off the Road is available again exclusively from the Overlook Press, in a lovely new paperback edition whose release date is no mystery. Available March 27, we’d like to offer one lucky reader an early screening of this stunning memoir. All you need to do is Subscribe to the Winged Elephant to receive our thrice-weekly posts delivered straight to your mailbox. Subscribe before 9am (EST) tomorrow, and you'll be entered for a chance to win a copy!

PRAISE FOR OFF THE ROAD

“A poignant recollection—truthful, coarse, and inviting—teeming with the spirit of the men who inspired and symbolized the dreams of a generation.—San Francisco Chronicle

“Carolyn Cassady’s book is the one that I have been waiting ro read for the past forty years, the one that sets the record straight…one hell of a story.”—Sunday Times

"A great book as well as a wonderful autobiography."—Washington Post Book World

"This is the book to be read in tandem with Kerouacs On the Road, Ginsberg's Howl, and Tom Wolfe''s Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. It fits like the lost half of a broken plate."—The Literary Review

Available Today: RUSSIA: A 1,000-Year Chronicle of the Wild East by Martin Sixsmith

From former BBC Moscow correspondent Martin Sixsmith comes Russia: A 1,000-Year Chronicle of the Wild East, a new single volume history of Russia, available today from the Overlook Press.

During the summer of 1991, a hard-line coup against reformist president Mikhail Gorbachev was undermined, as ordinary Russians protested in the streets to defend democracy and Boris Yeltsin famously mounted a Soviet tank to join the resistance movement. In the aftermath of the failed August coup and the eventual dissolution of the Communist Party, citizens of the world anxiously awaited Russia’s transition to a Western-style market democracy, only to be disappointed by runaway inflation, ethnic violence, and rampant political corruption.

More than twenty years later, Prime Minister and President-elect Vladimir Putin is facing the largest civil protests since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Russia looks at the events of 1991 and places them within the broadest historical context, highlighting the previous turning points in more than a thousand years of Russian history when the nation could have gone either way—down the path of reform and liberal democracy or totalitarian rule and autocracy. With decades of experience reporting for the BBC in Eastern Europe, Sixsmith settles the score in this accurate and engrossing story of Russia’s path, skillfully tracing the conundrums of contemporary Russia to their roots in its troubled past.

Martin Sixsmith recently contributed an original piece to the Los Angeles Review of Books on Russia’s “New Times of Trouble” and was profiled by Russian daily Rossiyskaya Gazeta’s supplement Russia Beyond the Headlines. To celebrate the release of Russia, we’re giving away one copy to a randomly selected subscriber to the blog. We’ll be drawing a winner tomorrow afternoon at 5pm (EST), so you still have twenty four hours to sign up for your chance to win.

Advance Praise for RUSSIA:

“Russia, a 1,000 Year Chronicle of the Wild East has all the ingredients to become the leading popular history of Russia. Colloquial, personal and anecdotal in style … well researched and factually sound.”

– The Times Literary Supplement

“Sixsmith exemplifies good storytelling. He writes with the cadence and comfort of a professional talker and all of Russian history seems to earn his complete interest.” – ForeWord Reviews

“Twenty years after the U.S.S.R.’s collapse, Russia remains a world-class power, and former BBC Moscow correspondent Sixsmith delivers a thoroughly satisfying history.” – Publishers Weekly

“Whip-smart … a compelling look at Russian history by a practiced Russia hand.” – Kirkus Reviews

“Sixsmith, formerly a BBC television reporter posted in Russia, immerses readers in the Russian landscape and peoples with descriptions of places he’s visited and quotations of poetry.” – Booklist

“Martin Sixsmith has put his experience as a longstanding reporter in Moscow for the BBC to very good use in this engagingly written account of Russia’s conflicted history.” – History Book Club

“Among the many contemporary books about Russia, general readers are likely to choose Sixsmith’s 600-page tome for its comprehensiveness and air of authority. As popular history, it is enjoyable and engaging.” – Russia Beyond the Headlines

Giveaway: New and Noteworthy Winter Paperbacks

Have you ever felt like revisiting the memory of a bad breakup, traveling the African continent with a family on the brink of destruction, or reliving the hysteria of the Salem witch trials from a firsthand perspective? You haven’t? Maybe that’s just us.

Even if stories of heartbreak, international disaster, and the macabre don’t top your TBR list, you’re still sure to find a unique read to fit your specific tastes in the latest batch of paperback releases from Overlook. With new and reissued novels, memoirs, anthologies, and histories from authors including Gerald Seymour, Ken Babbs, Carolyn Cassady, and Bárbara Mujica, there’s sure to be a book for every possible reader contained in this current season’s paperback lineup. Check out the list below!

Today we’ll be giving away three paperbacks to one lucky reader who subscribes to the Winged Elephant before 9am (EST) tomorrow morning. 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!

It’s Not You, It’s Me
Available Now
Edited and Introduced by Jerry Williams
The poignant and visceral anti-Valentine’s collection, featuring poems by Mark Strand, Robert Hass, Bob Hicok, and many other. “Williams is as good a prose writer as he is a poet. Get hold of this guy’s stuff and read it.” – Entertainment Weekly



The African Safari Papers
Available Now
Robert Sedlack
An intense and outrageous portrait of a family so troubled that their vacation is, in a word, torture. Now being adapted as a movie, this novel is the most enjoyable dysfunctional family drama since The Royal Tenenbaums. “Richard’s voice is brilliantly keen and winning, and he chronicles wild experiences and dysfunctional behaviors with irresistible verve.” – Publishers Weekly

The Garden of Reading
Available Now
Michele Slung
An anthology of contemporary short fiction about gardens and gardeners. The perfect book for the literary gardener, including works by Garrison Keillor, James Thurber, Stephen King, and Doris Lessing. “A must-read for all gardeners.” – Gardening



Diaboliad and Other Stories
Available Now
Mikhail Bulgakov
Translated from the Russian by Carl Proffer
A rich selection of short fiction by the author of Master and Margarita. The only complete translation of Bulgakov’s first collection of short stories, plus six of his best feuilletons from the 1920s. “A lively collection.” – The Washington Post


Frida
Available Now
Bárbara Mujica
The striking and lively novel about Frida Kahlo, one of the most dynamic artists of our time—now an international bestseller translated into seventeen languages. “A vivid creation … This story burns with dramatic urgency.” – The New York Times



NASCAR Legends
Available Now
Robert Edelstein
NASCAR’s sixty year history is rich with varied stories about heroic racers, incredible races, and love of family. NASCAR LEGENDS traces the history of stock car racing through the record breaking drives who made it the number one spectator sport in America. “A fast-paced and rowdy romp.” – Neal Thompson, author of Driving with the Devil

The Night Casey Was Born
Available Now
John Evangelist Walsh
“Casey at the Bat” is a legendary poem about the crushing defeat of a small-town baseball hero. For the first time, John Evangelist Walsh gives the story behind the poem and its young journalist author. “This history of the mighty Casey hits it out of the park.” – Baltimore Sun


The Collaborator
Available Now
Gerald Seymour
The taut, gripping tale of deception in the Camorra, Naples’ deadliest mafia, by the “master of suspense” (The New York Times).




Off the Road
Available 3/27/2012
Carolyn Cassady
Love, literature, and a fascinating and unparalleled close-up view of Cassady’s inner circle. Off the Road tells the intimate story of the legendary Neal Cassady and his remarkable friendships with Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. “A great book as well as a wonderful autiobiography.” – The Washington Post

Who Shot the Water Buffalo?
Available 3/27/2012
Ken Babbs
The hilarious and terrifying first novel by Ken Babbs, famously a Merry Prankster and best friend of Ken Kesey. “A lovely if chilling read, chilling because it brings home the reality of a tragic war.” – Larry McMurtry



How to Fish
Available 4/3/2012
Chris Yates
The classic meditation on the pleasures and wonder of fishing. There’s no better guide for the uninitiated and no better companion for those already familiar with the satisfactions of fishing than Chris Yates. “He captures the wonder, and humor, of the natural world.” – The Los Angeles Times


The Spartacus Road
Available 4/3/2012
Peter Stothard
The spellbinding story of a gladiator’s heroic fight for freedom and a harrowing journey down the Spartacus Road. At once a journalist’s notebook, a reflection on life’s fragility, including the author’s own fight against cancer, and a classicist’s celebration. “You can almost picture those Roman soldiers and those slaves with their swords and shields.” – All Things Considered

Maritime Dominion
Available 4/3/2012
Peter Padfield
Historic sea battles and shifting naval powers in the modern era. In Maritime Dominion, Peter Padfield examines the terrible wars of the last century, reaching controversial and sometimes startling conclusions. “Ambitious, hugely enjoyable … this lucid, passionately argued and beautifully written history ranks among the finest of recent times.” – Sunday Times

Deliverance from Evil
Available 4/3/2012
Frances Hill
Dramatic and moving, the latest novel by Salem historian Frances Hill makes the witch hunts terrifyingly vivid. Hill brings her deep historical and political understanding together with her honed skills as a novelist to produce a picture of the trials both realistic and emotional. “Vivid description gives the feeling that the Salem witch hunt happened five minutes ago.” – The Los Angeles Times

Available Now: Monty and Rommel: Parallel Lives

Thought you knew all there was to know about the Second World War? Think again. Today we're celebrating the release of Monty and Rommel: Parallel Lives, the new dual biography exploring the lives of WWII's opposing European generals Bernard Montgomery and Erwin Rommel, written by military defense analyst and BBC contributor Peter Caddick-Adams.

During the Second World War, British and German generals Bernard Montgomery and Erwin Rommel achieved unprecedented fame, becoming household names throughout Europe as they fought a series of extraordinary battles across multiple theaters of war and established themselves as the best known military commanders of their age. In Monty and Rommel: Parallel Lives, acclaimed military historian Peter Caddick-Adams delves deeply into the complex and interconnected lives of two of history's most influential military minds, exploring how each was raised to power and how their legacies continue to affect armies today.

Peter Caddick-Adams has been a professional military historian for more than twenty years and has served for three decades in the British Army. Acknowledged as one of the UK's most experienced battlefield guides, Peter has led over 200 visits to more than 50 battlefields around the world, covering all periods in history, from the Romans to the present day. A frequent contributor to television and radio on defense issues, you can read his contributions to the BBC here.

Want to win a copy of Monty and Rommel: Parallel Lives? Subscribe to updates from the Winged Elephant for all the latest blog posts from Overlook delivered straight to your mailbox. Subscribe before 9am (EST) tomorrow, and you'll be entered for a chance to win a copy!

Praise for Monty and Rommel: Parallel Lives

[Monty and Rommel] is a wonderful mine of information for fans of either general ... [Peter Caddick-Adams] is a military historian of great industry who shows an impressive grasp of his materials." - The New Republic

"Caddick-Adams' dual biography manages to move fluidly between the events in the two great generals' lives ... an accessible, well honed study of two fascinating characters." - Kirkus Reviews

"Bernard Law Montgomery and Erwin Rommel are ideal subjects for a comparative military biography." - Publishers Weekly

"In bringing these two men together, Caddick-Adams employs no clunky artifice: the parallels between the two men, in terms of their characters and histories, are extraordinary, and enable him to produce a quite brilliant piece of writing." - BBC History Magazine

"A compelling study of two of the Second World War's best known commanders. Peter Caddick-Adams writes with authority and a deep knowledge of both his subjects and the two world wars in which they fought." - James Holland, author of Together We Stand: North Africa, 1942-1943

"Full of penetrating new insights, illuminated by a clear understanding of the world wars. This impressive book will undoubtedly prove one of the best military histories of the year." - Richard Holmes, author of World at War

"An exciting character-driven read ... an excellent example of how the personal experience of war can create great and yet humane generals. First-class history." - Military Illustrated

Happy 200th Birthday, Charles Dickens; Nonesuch Dickens Giveaway

In his final essay for Vanity Fair, the late Christopher Hitchens wrote of Charles Dickens, “He loved the idea of a birthday celebration, being lavish about it, reminding people that they were once unborn and are now launched. This is bighearted, and we might all do a bit more of it.”

Timely words, as today marks the long awaited Dickens bicentenary. If Dickens did indeed relish an extravagant birthday soirée, there’s no doubt he would be pleased with the hoopla surrounding today’s anniversary festivities. Throughout the world’s libraries, museums, and bookstores, readers far and wide are celebrating the life and work of one of history’s most beloved novelists. In New York the Morgan Library & Museum is offering free admission to their ongoing Charles Dickens at 200 exhibition, featuring a collection of Dickens’ original letters and manuscripts, while Philadelphia's Free Library continues to exhibit their “Year of Dickens” rare book collection. In the author’s home country, the British Council is hosting a global twenty four hour read-a-thon, comprised of five minute excerpts read from different Dickens texts from countries including China, Pakistan, Albania, and Russia, while over at TIME.com Radhika Jones has been counting down Dickens’ top ten greatest novels (spoiler alert: Bleak House takes the cake). Dickens devotees can test their knowledge of his life and work with quizzes hosted by The Huffington Post and USA Today, and for even more ideas Popcandy has a great list of eleven ways to celebrate, including a video tour of Dickens’ native city and a link to ten little known facts about the author.

On the occasion of Dickens’s 200^th birthday, Hitchens delivered this gift to his readers: “You can forget that sense of guilt you have. The one about being not quite sure which character is from which book. None of us really knows, and there is no shame in it. Probably Dickens himself wasn’t certain much of the time.”

While Hitchens’ generosity is well appreciated, we’d like to offer something a little more tangible as a way to commemorate Dickens at two hundred—the eagerly awaited new additions to the Nonesuch Dickens collection: The Pickwick Papers, The Old Curiosity Shop, and Our Mutual Friend. Packaged in a three-volume leather and cloth bound cased set, these contemporary versions of Dickens’ classic work are based on the historic Chapman and Hall editions of 1867 that were personally supervised by Dickens himself. Available for the first time in decades, the Nonesuch editions contain full-color illustrations selected by the author and we are delighted to be giving away a complete set of all three books to one lucky winner.

To enter, all you have to do is comment on this post, tweet to @OverlookPress using the #Dickens2012 hashtag, or comment on our facebook page. Contestants can enter once in each category until 9am tomorrow morning, at which point we will announce a randomly selected winner. Please leave an email address when entering so we can contact you if you’ve been selected. Good luck!