| Outwitting History: The Amazing Adventures of a Man Who Rescued a Million Yiddish Books Contributor(s): Lansky, Aaron (Author) |
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ISBN: 1565125134 ISBN-13: 9781565125131 Publisher: Algonquin Books OUR PRICE: $17.99 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: September 2005 Annotation: As a twenty-three-year-old graduate student, Aaron Lanskey set out to save the world's abandoned Yiddish books before it was too late. Today, twenty-five years and one and a half million books later, he has accomplished what has been called " the greatest cultural rescue effort in Jewish history." In "Outwitting History," Lansky shares his adventures as well as the poignant and often laugh-out-loud stories he heard as he traveled the country collecting books. Introducing us to a dazzling array of writers, he shows us how an almost-lost culture is the bridge between the old world and the future-- and how the written word can unite everyone who believes in the power of great literature. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | Jewish - General - Literary Criticism | Books & Reading |
| Dewey: 002.075 |
| LCCN: 2004051587 |
| Physical Information: 0.9" H x 5.4" W x 8.2" (0.60 lbs) 328 pages |
| Themes: - Ethnic Orientation - Jewish |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: "Incredible . . . Inspiring . . . Important." --Library Journal, starred review "A marvelous yarn, loaded with near-calamitous adventures and characters as memorable as Singer creations." --The New York Post "What began as a quixotic journey was also a picaresque romp, a detective story, a profound history lesson, and a poignant evocation of a bygone world." --The Boston Globe "Every now and again a book with near-universal appeal comes along: Outwitting History is just such a book." --The Sunday Oregonian As a twenty-three-year-old graduate student, Aaron Lansky set out to save the world's abandoned Yiddish books before it was too late. Today, more than a million books later, he has accomplished what has been called "the greatest cultural rescue effort in Jewish history." In Outwitting History, Lansky shares his adventures as well as the poignant and often laugh-out-loud stories he heard as he traveled the country collecting books. Introducing us to a dazzling array of writers, he shows us how an almost-lost culture is the bridge between the old world and the future--and how the written word can unite everyone who believes in the power of great literature. A Library Journal Best Book A Massachusetts Book Award Winner in Nonfiction An ALA Notable Book |
Contributor Bio(s): Lansky, Aaron: - Aaron Lansky is the founder and president of the Yiddish Book Center (www.yiddishbookcenter.org) in Amherst, Massachusetts. The recipient of a MacArthur "genius" fellowship, he has helped fuel the renaissance of Jewish literature in this country. He lives with his family in western Massachusetts. |