Bound to Last, an array of writers come to the passionate defense of the printed book with spirited, never-before-published essays celebrating the hardcover or paperback that matters most to them-not necessarily because of its content, but because of the significance it holds for them as a one-of-a-kind, irreplaceable object. Whether focusing on the circumstances behind how a particular book was acquired, for example, or how it has become forever "bound up" with a specific person, time, or place, each piece collected here confirms-poignantly, delightfully, irrefutably-that every book tells a story far beyond the one found within its pages.Bound to Last features original essays by Ray Bradbury, Francine Prose, Julia Glass, Douglas Brinkley, David Hajdu, Jim Shepard, Wells Tower, Abigail Thomas, Anthony Swofford, and others.words : 70239