Born and raised in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Diane Schoemperlen has published several collections of short fiction and three novels, In the Language of Love (1994), Our Lady of the Lost and Found (2001), and At A Loss For Words (2008). Her 1990 collection, The Man of My Dreams, was shortlisted for both the Governor-General's Award and the Trillium. Her collection, Forms of Devotion: Stories and Pictures won the 1998 Governor-General's Award for English Fiction. In 2008, she received the Marian Engel Award from the Writers' Trust of Canada. In 2012, she was Writer-in-Residence at Queen's University. She lives in Kingston, Ontario.

• INTRODUCTIONBY THE BOOK OR: ALESSANDRO IN THE NEW WORLD: AN UNLIKELY TALE OF TIME TRAVEL, TRANSLATION, AND TRAGIC LOVEA NERVOUS RACE: 222 BRIEF NOTES ON THE STUDY OF NATURE, HUMAN OR OTHERWISEWHAT IS A HAT? WHERE IS CONSTANTINOPLE? WHO WAS SIR WALTER RALEIGH? AND MANY OTHER COMMON QUESTIONS, SOME WITH ANSWERS, SOME WITHOUTA BODY LIKE A LITTLE NUT: IN WHICH THE BOTANIST LOOKS FOR LOVE IN THE WILD, APPROPRIATES THE ALPHABET, WAXES POETIC, SUCCUMBS TO DESPAIR HISTORY BECOMES AUTHENTIC OR: THE QUESTION OF THINGS HAPPENINGCRY HAVOC AND LET SLIP THE DOGS OF WAR: A HANDBOOK FOR THE ADVANCED STUDY OF SENTENCES AND PARAGRAPHSCONSUMPTIVES SHOULD NOT KISS OTHER PEOPLE: A HANDY GUIDE TO THE CARE AND MAINTENANCE OF YOUR FAMILY’S GOOD HEALTHAROUND THE WORLD IN 100 POSTCARDS: IN WHICH THE GEOGRAPHER MAKES A SURVEY OF THE WORLD, FINDS IT WANTING, COMES TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOMEA NOTE ON THE ILLUSTRATIONSACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 316

Praise for By The Book "By the Book suggest[s] ways old texts might speak to us today, chopped up, reordered, tweet-ready. Schoemperlen works in a tradition that recalls, in addition to [Jonathan] Lethem and [David] Shields, the cubist fictions of Lydia Davis, David Markson and Padgett Powell. The most effective stories here affirm the notion ... that 'the beauty of a fragment is that it still supports the hope of a brilliant completeness.'"--Mark Sarvas, The New York Times Sunday Book Review "[Schoemperlen] breaks her readers out of the present to give them more insight into who they are and how they live... A meditative, poetic journey ..."--Stacey May Fowles, The Globe & Mail "One of the reasons for the popularity of Schoemperlen's inventive work ... is that she seems to be having so much fun creating it. ... Schoemperlen wants us to consider the randomness, absurdity, and militant certainties not only of another era's texts and images but of our own."--The Toronto Star "The stories are illustrated by beautiful, hand-assembled visual collages ... [which add] a levity of spirit that would be missing if the book were nothing but text ... By the Book contains rewards aplenty for the reader adventurous enough to engage it on its own unique terms."--Winnipeg Review "By the Book is a witty, imaginative, and sometimes whimsical journey through words and pictures."--This Magazine "Strangely appealing ... an extremely clever and often graceful collection that rewards the curious reader."--Kirkus Reviews "Charming and cool ... Schoemperlen's re-mixed antique illustrations delight the eye, and yet also provoke laughter, close study, and further examination ... By The Book is unusual, witty, and whimsical. Add to that the high production value of the volume itself ... and you have a terrific gift for a book, art, or ephemera lover."--Fine Books & Collections Magazine "The accompanying collages are bright and colourful... [and] although made recently, stylistically, textually, and playfully reflect the eras of the publications." --kolaj Magazine Praise for Diane Schoemperlen "Beautifully written and brimming with complexity."--Boston Globe "One of the most charming novels you're likely to read this year."--New Orleans Times-Picayune "A book about believing in something bigger than oneself and putting faith in what we can't fully know ... a look at the search for meaning."--Philadelphia Inquirer "A thoughtful and intelligent writer. Readers who enjoy unconventional fiction will find food for thought here."--Publishers Weekly "Highly intelligent and unique."--Library Journal "A holy hoot."--Elle

Born and raised in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Diane Schoemperlen has published several collections of short fiction and three novels, In the Language of Love (1994), Our Lady of the Lost and Found (2001), and At A Loss For Words (2008). Her 1990 collection, The Man of My Dreams, was shortlisted for both the Governor-General's Award and the Trillium. Her collection, Forms of Devotion: Stories and Pictures won the 1998 Governor-General's Award for English Fiction. In 2008, she received the Marian Engel Award from the Writers' Trust of Canada. In 2012, she was Writer-in-Residence at Queen's University. She lives in Kingston, Ontario.

• INTRODUCTIONBY THE BOOK OR: ALESSANDRO IN THE NEW WORLD: AN UNLIKELY TALE OF TIME TRAVEL, TRANSLATION, AND TRAGIC LOVEA NERVOUS RACE: 222 BRIEF NOTES ON THE STUDY OF NATURE, HUMAN OR OTHERWISEWHAT IS A HAT? WHERE IS CONSTANTINOPLE? WHO WAS SIR WALTER RALEIGH? AND MANY OTHER COMMON QUESTIONS, SOME WITH ANSWERS, SOME WITHOUTA BODY LIKE A LITTLE NUT: IN WHICH THE BOTANIST LOOKS FOR LOVE IN THE WILD, APPROPRIATES THE ALPHABET, WAXES POETIC, SUCCUMBS TO DESPAIR HISTORY BECOMES AUTHENTIC OR: THE QUESTION OF THINGS HAPPENINGCRY HAVOC AND LET SLIP THE DOGS OF WAR: A HANDBOOK FOR THE ADVANCED STUDY OF SENTENCES AND PARAGRAPHSCONSUMPTIVES SHOULD NOT KISS OTHER PEOPLE: A HANDY GUIDE TO THE CARE AND MAINTENANCE OF YOUR FAMILY’S GOOD HEALTHAROUND THE WORLD IN 100 POSTCARDS: IN WHICH THE GEOGRAPHER MAKES A SURVEY OF THE WORLD, FINDS IT WANTING, COMES TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOMEA NOTE ON THE ILLUSTRATIONSACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 316

Praise for By The Book "By the Book suggest[s] ways old texts might speak to us today, chopped up, reordered, tweet-ready. Schoemperlen works in a tradition that recalls, in addition to [Jonathan] Lethem and [David] Shields, the cubist fictions of Lydia Davis, David Markson and Padgett Powell. The most effective stories here affirm the notion ... that 'the beauty of a fragment is that it still supports the hope of a brilliant completeness.'"--Mark Sarvas, The New York Times Sunday Book Review "[Schoemperlen] breaks her readers out of the present to give them more insight into who they are and how they live... A meditative, poetic journey ..."--Stacey May Fowles, The Globe & Mail "One of the reasons for the popularity of Schoemperlen's inventive work ... is that she seems to be having so much fun creating it. ... Schoemperlen wants us to consider the randomness, absurdity, and militant certainties not only of another era's texts and images but of our own."--The Toronto Star "The stories are illustrated by beautiful, hand-assembled visual collages ... [which add] a levity of spirit that would be missing if the book were nothing but text ... By the Book contains rewards aplenty for the reader adventurous enough to engage it on its own unique terms."--Winnipeg Review "By the Book is a witty, imaginative, and sometimes whimsical journey through words and pictures."--This Magazine "Strangely appealing ... an extremely clever and often graceful collection that rewards the curious reader."--Kirkus Reviews "Charming and cool ... Schoemperlen's re-mixed antique illustrations delight the eye, and yet also provoke laughter, close study, and further examination ... By The Book is unusual, witty, and whimsical. Add to that the high production value of the volume itself ... and you have a terrific gift for a book, art, or ephemera lover."--Fine Books & Collections Magazine "The accompanying collages are bright and colourful... [and] although made recently, stylistically, textually, and playfully reflect the eras of the publications." --kolaj Magazine Praise for Diane Schoemperlen "Beautifully written and brimming with complexity."--Boston Globe "One of the most charming novels you're likely to read this year."--New Orleans Times-Picayune "A book about believing in something bigger than oneself and putting faith in what we can't fully know ... a look at the search for meaning."--Philadelphia Inquirer "A thoughtful and intelligent writer. Readers who enjoy unconventional fiction will find food for thought here."--Publishers Weekly "Highly intelligent and unique."--Library Journal "A holy hoot."--Elle

Born and raised in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Diane Schoemperlen has published several collections of short fiction and three novels, In the Language of Love (1994), Our Lady of the Lost and Found (2001), and At A Loss For Words (2008). Her 1990 collection, The Man of My Dreams, was shortlisted for both the Governor-General's Award and the Trillium. Her collection, Forms of Devotion: Stories and Pictures won the 1998 Governor-General's Award for English Fiction. In 2008, she received the Marian Engel Award from the Writers' Trust of Canada. In 2012, she was Writer-in-Residence at Queen's University. She lives in Kingston, Ontario.

• INTRODUCTIONBY THE BOOK OR: ALESSANDRO IN THE NEW WORLD: AN UNLIKELY TALE OF TIME TRAVEL, TRANSLATION, AND TRAGIC LOVEA NERVOUS RACE: 222 BRIEF NOTES ON THE STUDY OF NATURE, HUMAN OR OTHERWISEWHAT IS A HAT? WHERE IS CONSTANTINOPLE? WHO WAS SIR WALTER RALEIGH? AND MANY OTHER COMMON QUESTIONS, SOME WITH ANSWERS, SOME WITHOUTA BODY LIKE A LITTLE NUT: IN WHICH THE BOTANIST LOOKS FOR LOVE IN THE WILD, APPROPRIATES THE ALPHABET, WAXES POETIC, SUCCUMBS TO DESPAIR HISTORY BECOMES AUTHENTIC OR: THE QUESTION OF THINGS HAPPENINGCRY HAVOC AND LET SLIP THE DOGS OF WAR: A HANDBOOK FOR THE ADVANCED STUDY OF SENTENCES AND PARAGRAPHSCONSUMPTIVES SHOULD NOT KISS OTHER PEOPLE: A HANDY GUIDE TO THE CARE AND MAINTENANCE OF YOUR FAMILY’S GOOD HEALTHAROUND THE WORLD IN 100 POSTCARDS: IN WHICH THE GEOGRAPHER MAKES A SURVEY OF THE WORLD, FINDS IT WANTING, COMES TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOMEA NOTE ON THE ILLUSTRATIONSACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 316

Praise for By The Book "By the Book suggest[s] ways old texts might speak to us today, chopped up, reordered, tweet-ready. Schoemperlen works in a tradition that recalls, in addition to [Jonathan] Lethem and [David] Shields, the cubist fictions of Lydia Davis, David Markson and Padgett Powell. The most effective stories here affirm the notion ... that 'the beauty of a fragment is that it still supports the hope of a brilliant completeness.'"--Mark Sarvas, The New York Times Sunday Book Review "[Schoemperlen] breaks her readers out of the present to give them more insight into who they are and how they live... A meditative, poetic journey ..."--Stacey May Fowles, The Globe & Mail "One of the reasons for the popularity of Schoemperlen's inventive work ... is that she seems to be having so much fun creating it. ... Schoemperlen wants us to consider the randomness, absurdity, and militant certainties not only of another era's texts and images but of our own."--The Toronto Star "The stories are illustrated by beautiful, hand-assembled visual collages ... [which add] a levity of spirit that would be missing if the book were nothing but text ... By the Book contains rewards aplenty for the reader adventurous enough to engage it on its own unique terms."--Winnipeg Review "By the Book is a witty, imaginative, and sometimes whimsical journey through words and pictures."--This Magazine "Strangely appealing ... an extremely clever and often graceful collection that rewards the curious reader."--Kirkus Reviews "Charming and cool ... Schoemperlen's re-mixed antique illustrations delight the eye, and yet also provoke laughter, close study, and further examination ... By The Book is unusual, witty, and whimsical. Add to that the high production value of the volume itself ... and you have a terrific gift for a book, art, or ephemera lover."--Fine Books & Collections Magazine "The accompanying collages are bright and colourful... [and] although made recently, stylistically, textually, and playfully reflect the eras of the publications." --kolaj Magazine Praise for Diane Schoemperlen "Beautifully written and brimming with complexity."--Boston Globe "One of the most charming novels you're likely to read this year."--New Orleans Times-Picayune "A book about believing in something bigger than oneself and putting faith in what we can't fully know ... a look at the search for meaning."--Philadelphia Inquirer "A thoughtful and intelligent writer. Readers who enjoy unconventional fiction will find food for thought here."--Publishers Weekly "Highly intelligent and unique."--Library Journal "A holy hoot."--Elle