Reader's Choice: Esoteric and Extremely Niche
Your options: 'The Places of Marguerite Duras' by Marguerite Duras with Michelle Porte, 'The Secret History of Kate Bush' by Fred Vermorel and 'Bento's Sketchbook' by John Berger
Books on GIF subscribers have said they enjoy our newsletter because we review books that are off the beaten path. Well, there’s no path in sight this week, my friends. We’re in the weeds! I love collecting esoteric and extremely niche books, like the one about philosophy and particle physics I recently mentioned. Here are three more from my TBR. Which one should I review first? Remember to scroll down and vote!
‘The Places of Marguerite Duras’ by Marguerite Duras with Michelle Porte
I was at an event for
a few weeks ago where the founders briefly discussed their books’ unique cover designs. They mentioned the first two novels that they published did not include titles on the cover (as you can see here for ‘The Gadfly’), but that they added titles to their second wave (see: ‘One or Two’). I thought no title was an intriguing design choice—it got me to pick up ‘The Gadfly’ when I first stumbled on it at McNally Jackson—and I lamented their decision to add them. But I have title-free ‘The Places of Marguerite Duras’ to heal me. I love this design. The blank cover with a paragraph of tiny text forces you to pick it up and look closely, which is exactly what I did when I first encountered the book at Mast Books. I was like:
‘I could talk for hours about this house, about the garden. I know every part of it—where all the old doors were, everything, the walls of the pond, all the plants, where all the plants are, even the wild plants, everything,’ is what the cover paragraph says. Not much to go on. I flipped through the pages and saw an introduction by writer and filmmaker Durga Chew-Bose, who recently directed a new adaptation of ‘Bonjour Tristesse,’ along with personal photos of Duras and (what I suppose is) the house she describes. The main text appears to be a conversation between Duras, the French novelist and playwright who died in 1996, and her former assistant, Michelle Porte. I’m very intrigued by this book.
‘The Secret History of Kate Bush (& the strange art of pop)’ by Fred Vermorel
People who know me know I am obsessed with Kate Bush. Her music is strange, earnest and completely unpredictable, and chances are, if you see me on the subway wearing headphones, I’m blasting the ‘Hounds of Love’ album. When I was at Mast Books looking at the Marguerite Duras book above, out of the corner of my eye I saw another book with a big face on it. Then I saw the words ‘The Secret History of Kate Bush,’ and I was like:
I had never heard of Fred Vermorel’s book, but that didn’t matter. I had to have it, and I immediately took it to the cash register. ‘Initially published in 1982, just before Kate Bush became one of the biggest and most elusive pop stars on the planet, Fred Vermorel’s text is considered as one of the deepest and craziest books about music,’ is how the back-cover blurb begins. ‘Close friend of Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood, the writer has developed through the years a unique approach of anti-biographies that question the whole pop culture environment and the limits of capitalism in entertainment. Imagined from the perspective of a hardcore Kate Bush fan, The Secret History contains, indeed, a rare view of the mysteries surrounding the singer but also an inspiring perspective of her work in the history of art and creation.’ That sounds wild!
‘Bento’s Sketchbook’ by John Berger
A section of my bookshelf is dedicated to books by John Berger. It includes ‘Ways of Seeing,’ his iconic book about art. There’s also ‘Selected Essays,’ which is a gift Donna gave me when we were first dating. (Donna has no memory of this. We’ve been together a long time.) There’s ‘The Success and Failure of Picasso,’ which a former roommate inscribed and gave to me when I graduated college. (I had long forgotten about the inscription and just re-read it. I love rediscovering notes inside books—a roundup for another time, perhaps?) And there’s ‘Art and Revolution’ about sculpture and the visual arts in the former Soviet Union. But I hadn’t thought about Berger for a long time until I was browsing in Lofty Pigeon Books and saw ‘Bento’s Sketchbook’ on the display table. I was like:
‘The seventeenth-century philosopher Baruch Spinoza (a.k.a. Bento) spent the most intense years of his short life writing. He also carried with him a sketchbook. After his sudden death, his friends rescued his letters, manuscripts, notes—but no drawings,’ is how the back-cover description begins. ‘For years, without knowing what its pages might hold, John Berger has imagined finding Bento’s sketchbook, wanting to see the drawings alongside his surviving words. When one day a friend gave him a beautiful virgin sketchbook, Berger said, “This is Bento’s!” and he began to draw, taking inspiration from the philosopher’s vision.’ Flipping through the book reveals many sketches along with text. Like the Duras book above, it seems like it would make for an unusual and interesting reading experience. And also a rewarding one.
Books on GIF does not solicit or accept review copies. We feature books we purchase at independent bookstores around New York City and on our travels, or were borrowed electronically from the Brooklyn Public Library.
Thanks for reading, and thanks especially to Donna for editing this newsletter!
Until next time,
Mike
I can't believe I never heard of this Kate Bush book! I just ordered a copy for my fiance (and perhaps also for me!).
I love the idea of you reviewing a book that's maybe largely visual. So that's what I'm voting for. Bento!