B-Side Books

John Plotz is Barbara Mandel Professor of Humanities at Brandeis University. His books include Semi-Detached: The Aesthetics of Virtual Experience Since Dickens (2017) and the illustrated children’s book Time and the Tapestry: A William Morris Adventure (2014). He is the editor of the B-Sides series on Public Books and the cohost of the podcasts Recall This Book and Novel Dialogue.

• Foreword, by Sharon Marcus, series editorAcknowledgmentsIntroduction, by John PlotzPart I: Childhood, Through a Glass Darkly1. A Girl of the Limberlost (Gene Stratton-Porter), by Rebecca Zorach2. The Young Visiters (Daisy Ashford), by Caleb Crain3. The Diary of “Helena Morley” (Elizabeth Bishop, trans.), by Elizabeth Ferry4. Brown Girl, Brownstones (Paule Marshall), by Adrienne Brown5. An American Childhood (Annie Dillard), by Salvatore Scibona6. The Last Samurai (Helen DeWitt), by Toril MoiPart II. Other Worlds7. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, by Seeta Chaganti8. The House on the Borderland (William Hope Hodgson), by Namwali Serpell9. Lolly Willowes (Sylvia Townsend Warner), by Ivan Kreilkamp10. Mythology (Edith Hamilton), by Kathryn Lofton11. Other Leopards (Denis Williams), by Emily Hyde12. Solaris (Stanislaw Lem), by Kate Marshall13. Riddley Walker (Russell Hoban), by Paul Saint-AmourPart III. Comedy14. The Beggar’s Opera (John Gay), by Yoon Sun Lee15. Lady Into Fox (David Garnett), by Maud Ellmann16. Prater Violet (Christopher Isherwood), by Stephen McCauley17. “Rogue’s Gallery” (Mary McCarthy), by Sean McCann18. Gringos (Charles Portis), by Carlo RotellaPart IV. Battle and Strife19. The Road to Calvary (Alexei Tolstoy), by Upamanyu Pablo Mukherjee20. The Forbidden Zone (Mary Borden), by Steven Biel and Lauren Kaminsky21. Nikola the Outlaw (Ivan Olbracht), by Jonathan Bolton22. The House of Hunger (Dambudzo Marechera), by Isabel Hofmeyr23. The Short-Timers (Gustav Hasford), by Steven Biel24. A Flag at Sunrise (Robert Stone), by Ben Fountain25. The Vehement Passions (Philip Fisher), by Lorraine DastonPart V. Home Fires26. Annals of the Parish (John Galt), by Ursula K. Le Guin27. The Dry Heart (Natalie Ginzburg), by Merve Emre28. Life Among the Savages; Raising Demons (Shirley Jackson), by Sharon Marcus29. My Uncle Napoleon (Iraj Pezeshkzad), by Pardis Dabashi30. We Think the World of You (A. J. Ackerley), by Kevin Brazil31. All Aunt Hagar’s Children (Edward P. Jones), by Elizabeth GraverPart VI: Mysteries and Trials32. The Diaries of Lady Anne Clifford, by Ramie Targoff33. The Riddle of the Sands (Erskine Childers), by Margaret Cohen34. Stamboul Train (Graham Greene), by Penny Fielding35. The Hours Before Dawn (Celia Fremlin), by Leah PricePart VII: Journeys of the Spirit36. A Life of One’s Own (Marion Millner), by Vanessa Smith37. Butcher’s Crossing (John Williams), by John Plotz38. Journey in Search of the Way (Satomi Myōdō), by Theo Davis39. I Remember (Joe Brainard), by Andrew H. Miller40. Transformatrix (Patience Agbabi), by Stephanie BurtList of Contributors

These diverse, passionate, and persuasive essays are a rare gift—a form of exhilarating literary conversation with brilliant readers. B-Side Books introduces forgotten gems by beloved authors and undiscovered marvels by unfamiliar authors, in joyful celebration of books that the writers secretly adore.