"In this irreverent analysis of the book industry, John Maxwell Hamilton provides a rich history of the book - from the days when monks laboriously hand-copied texts to the recent tidal wave of Titanic tie-ins - and gives an overview of the state of the industry today, including writing, marketing, promoting, reviewing, ghost-writing, and collecting.".

"Throughout are tidbits of information that will fascinate bibliophiles everywhere. For instance, did you know that Walt Whitman was fired from a government job because his boss found Leaves of Grass, and its author, immoral? Or that the most stolen books in the United States are the Bible, followed by The Joy of Sex? How about that Dan Quayle's 1989 Christmas card read "May out nation continue to be a beakon of hope to the world?" Or that Casanova was an ardent lover of books as well as women?".

"Hamilton offers an inside look at the history and business of book reviewing, explaining why, more often than not, reviewers resemble "counselors at a self-esteem camp" and examining the enormous impact of the "Oprah effect" on the market. As the self-appointed Emily Post of the book world, he advises publishers, authors, and readers on proper etiquette for everything from book parties and jacket photos to book signings and promotion by friends and relatives."--BOOK JACKET.