Macro Literature

Open up Gail Crowther's new bestseller Marilyn and Her Books (now available in the U.S.) and the first thing you'll see are some of the editions Marilyn owned. I was thrilled to see she had a penchant for my beloved Modern Library books, which I'm used to thinking of as "vintage," but they were contemporary for her. And I actually own most of the editions she had.

I've been reading the book (I'm about a third of the way through), and it's beautifully written and absolutely fascinating. This is a perfect read for ALL book lovers, not just those who appreciate Marilyn Monroe. It speaks to us as readers, delving into things like: what the books we own and read say about us (as well as the books we don't read); shelf-snooping--something we're all guilty of; books we read vs. books we skim; books we bought versus books we received as gifts; and so much more.

I'd say it's the best book about books/reading since Maureen Corrigan's So We Read On (about The Great Gatsby), but Crowther's book is better.

Open up Gail Crowther's new bestseller Marilyn and Her Books (now available in the U.S.) and the first thing you'll see are some of the editions Marilyn owned. I was thrilled to see she had a penchant for my beloved Modern Library books, which I'm used to thinking of as "vintage," but they were contemporary for her. And I actually own most of the editions she had.

I've been reading the book (I'm about a third of the way through), and it's beautifully written and absolutely fascinating. This is a perfect read for ALL book lovers, not just those who appreciate Marilyn Monroe. It speaks to us as readers, delving into things like: what the books we own and read say about us (as well as the books we don't read); shelf-snooping--something we're all guilty of; books we read vs. books we skim; books we bought versus books we received as gifts; and so much more.

I'd say it's the best book about books/reading since Maureen Corrigan's So We Read On (about The Great Gatsby), but Crowther's book is better.

Giveaw@y: We’re giving away 12 vintage paperback classics! Won’t these look lovely on your shelf? =) Enter to win by: 1) following macrolit on Tumblr (yes, we will check. :P), and 2) reblogging this post. We will choose a random winner on 31 May 2026. Good luck!