So Many Books, 2nd Edition

Translated by Natasha WimmerIntroduction by Robin SloanIllustrations by Grant Silverstein 152-page paperback / 4.25" x 7" / ISBN 9781589882072Publication Date: 10/7/2025 (available for preorder)A charming new edition of a much-loved book about books "A playful celebrant of literary proliferation."—New Yorker (on the first edition) “This slim volume is above all a book about vastness; about oceanic tides of language, about the feelings they produce, for writer and reader alike. About how words work in the marketplace, and how they fail to work, too. About books and the internet and culture itself.”—From Robin Sloan’s Introduction In So Many Books, Gabriel Zaid offers his observations on the literary condition: a highly original analysis of the predicament that readers, authors, publishers, booksellers, librarians, and teachers find themselves in today—when there are simply more books than any of us can contemplate. Translated from the Spanish by Natasha Wimmer, this second edition includes a new introduction by Robin Sloan and clever illustrations by Grant Silverstein.PRAISE FOR THE FIRST EDITION: “Zaid traces the preoccupation with reading back through Dr. Johnson, Seneca, and even the Bible ('Of making many books there is no end'). He emerges as a playful celebrant of literary proliferation, noting that there is a new book published every thirty seconds, and optimistically points out that publishers who moan about low sales 'see as a failure what is actually a blessing: The book business, unlike newspapers, films, or television, is viable on a small scale.'”—New Yorker“One of the pleasures of So Many Books is that its content and form are perfectly synchronized. Zaid makes his points in a vivid, concise way; his text is a compactly designed 144 pages. Each chapter could be a separate essay, but there is a clear overview; So Many Books is a whole with an air of improvisation.” —Margo Jefferson, New York Times"Lively, cosmopolitan, and piquant, Zaid's treatise will engage every serious reader."—Booklist "This small book is a gem: an absorbing conversation about the whole point of reading, the surplus of titles, and our own lack of time."—Sunday Telegraph "With cascades of books pouring down on him from every direction, how can the twenty-first-century reader keep his head above water? Gabriel Zaid answers that question in a variety of surprising ways, many of them witty, all of them provocative."—Anne Fadiman, Author of Ex-Libris "A truly original book about books. Destined to be a classic!"—Enrique Krauze, author of Mexico: Biography of Power, Editor of Letras Libres "Gabriel Zaid's small gem of a book manages to be both delectable and useful, like chocolate fortified with vitamins. His rare blend of wisdom and savvy practical sense should make essential and heartening reading for anyone who cares about the future of books and the life of the mind."—Lynne Sharon Schwartz, Author of Ruined by Reading: A Life in Books Gabriel Zaid's poetry, essays, and social and cultural criticism have been widely published throughout the Spanish-speaking world. He lives in Mexico City with the artist Basia Batorska, her paintings, three cats, and ten thousand books. Natasha Wimmer is an editor and a translator in New York City. Her translations include The Savage Detectives and 2666 by Roberto Bolaño and You Dreamed of Empires by Álvaro Enrigue. Robin Sloan is the author of the novels Moonbound, Sourdough, and Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. He splits his time between the San Francisco Bay Area and the San Joaquin Valley of California. Grant Silverstein specializes in etchings of a narrative character and in studies of figures, landscapes, and animals. He has illustrated several Paul Dry Books titles including Girlatee and The Battle Between the Frogs and the Mice. Silverstein lives in rural Pennsylvania.