Skip to main content
Withdrawn
Edit position
Edit position

No position recorded yet. Picking a shelf here sets the manual override.

Bound to please : an extraordinary one-volume literary education : essays on great writers and their books
Diagnose this book
Open in Vernon Browser

Bound to please : an extraordinary one-volume literary education : essays on great writers and their books

by Michael Dirda

This collection of literary essays examines one hundred diverse works, including detective fiction, ghost stories and overlooked classics. The text provides a critique of contemporary reading habits while exploring a wide range of international literature.

Accession 13678 ISBN 9780393057577 Publisher W. W. Norton & Co.
Book Images
Reference and live side by side Hover to see live images
Reference
Bound to please : an extraordinary one-volume literary education : essays on great writers and their books cover
Live
Bound to please : an extraordinary one-volume literary education : essays on great writers and their books live spine
No live
Bound to please : an extraordinary one-volume literary education : essays on great writers and their books live spine
Bound to please : an extraordinary one-volume literary education : essays on great writers and their books cover
No live
TAGS
Curated Derived
Literature
CONNECTIONS
No connections
State
on_shelf
False
position_updated_at
never
orientation
unknown
Details

Physical

binding_type
Hard Back
dimensions
none captured
spine_text
none captured

Metadata

Book form
LOCATION HISTORY
M:S3:31 2 Current vertical
3 weeks, 5 days ago
Vernon snapshot
View live

Frozen copy of Vernon's record from the last sync. Fields tagged → flow back into the Pulse record.

Last synced 2026-06-02 08:30 (1 week, 1 day ago)

Identity

name→ title
Bound to please : an extraordinary one-volume literary education : essays on great writers and their books
vernon_id
21857
accession_no→ accession_number
13678
vernon_slug
bound-to-please-an-extraordinary-one-volume-literary-education-essays-on-great-writers-and-their-books-michael-dirda

Drives Pulse state

curr_loc_status→ on_shelf
Missing
location_name
Unknown
location_reason
Missing
isbn_issn→ isbn (when valid)
9780393057577

Descriptive

production_date
2005
object_type
Books/Document genres/Information forms/Visual and Verbal Communication
object_status
Accessioned
brief_description
Among the most enjoyable of literary critics, Michael Dirda combines erudition with enthusiasm, a taste for the outré and the forgotten, and a playful, understated wit. Like George Orwell or Gore Vidal, Dirda delights in popular genres, such as the detective novel and the ghost story, without neglecting the deeper satisfactions of sometimes-overlooked classics. This new work features scores of Dirda's most engaging essays, never previously collected in book form, all intended to introduce readers to wonderful writers, from the anecdotal Herodotus and James Boswell to the sensuous Colette and Steven Millhauser to such European masters as Joseph Roth, Flann O'Brien, and Penelope Fitzgerald. With his trademark enthusiasm, Dirda also explores The Arabian Nights, the spaghetti westerns of Sergio Leone, the crime novels of Chester Himes and K. C. Constantine, and the worlds of Tarzan, Cormac McCarthy, and Proust. Bound to Please is a glorious celebration of just how much fun reading can be.

Subjects & people

authors→ author (initial fill only)
Michael Dirda
tags→ tags
American literature, United States -- Literatures
subject_people
Umberto Eco (Italian, b.1932, d.2016), Herodotus, Johannes Vermeer (b.1632, d.1675), Victor Hugo (b.1802, d.1885), Fyodor Dostoyevsky (Russian, b.1821, d.1881), William Morris (b.1913), Oscar Wilde, Jorge Luis Borges (Argentinian, b.1899, d.1986), P. G. Wodehouse (English, b.1881, d.1975), Robert Graves (English, b.1895, d.1985), Bruce Chatwin
subject_objects
—

Cover image

vernon_cover_image_id→ cover_image
21996

Raw Vernon JSON

click to inspect

The source payload behind the snapshot above.
Use ⌘F to search once expanded.
{7 keys}
"slug": "bound-to-please-an-extraordinary-one-volume-literary-education-essays-on-great-writers-and-their-books-michael-dirda"
"opacObjectId": "21857"
"opacCollection": {1 keys}
"opacCollectionId": "1"
"imagesCollection": {2 keys}
"images": [1 items]
"[0]": {5 keys}
"imageId": "21996"
"cssColors": [4 items]
"[0]": {9 keys}
"hex": "708090"
"hue": 210
"rank": 1
"presence": 31.67
"colorName": "slategray"
"lightness": 50
"colorGroup": "gray"
"saturation": 13
"formattedColorName": "slate gray"
"[1]": {9 keys}
"hex": "bdb76b"
"hue": 56
"rank": 2
"presence": 51.63
"colorName": "darkkhaki"
"lightness": 58
"colorGroup": "yellow"
"saturation": 38
"formattedColorName": "dark khaki"
"[2]": {9 keys}
"hex": "d3d3d3"
"hue": 0
"rank": 3
"presence": 9.26
"colorName": "lightgray"
"lightness": 83
"colorGroup": "gray"
"saturation": 0
"formattedColorName": "light gray"
"[3]": {9 keys}
"hex": "808080"
"hue": 0
"rank": 4
"presence": 7.18
"colorName": "gray"
"lightness": 50
"colorGroup": "gray"
"saturation": 0
"formattedColorName": "gray"
"rawColors": [7 items]
"[0]": {6 keys}
"hex": "2c3431"
"hue": 157
"rank": 1
"presence": 31.67
"lightness": 18
"saturation": 8
"[1]": {6 keys}
"hex": "a08f41"
"hue": 49
"rank": 2
"presence": 51.63
"lightness": 44
"saturation": 42
"[2]": {6 keys}
"hex": "d1d5cf"
"hue": 100
"rank": 3
"presence": 9.26
"lightness": 82
"saturation": 6
"[3]": {6 keys}
"hex": "999984"
"hue": 60
"rank": 4
"presence": 7.18
"lightness": 55
"saturation": 9
"[4]": {6 keys}
"hex": "d6b96a"
"hue": 43
"rank": 5
"presence": 0.19
"lightness": 62
"saturation": 56
"[5]": {6 keys}
"hex": "4e4124"
"hue": 41
"rank": 6
"presence": 0.07
"lightness": 22
"saturation": 36
"[6]": {6 keys}
"hex": "cacc92"
"hue": 62
"rank": 7
"presence": 0.0
"lightness": 68
"saturation": 36
"imageLabels": [10 items]
"[0]": {5 keys}
"count": 331
"score": 90.73
"status": "auto_verified"
"imageLabel": "Product"
"imageLabelId": 160
"[1]": {5 keys}
"count": 163
"score": 85.15
"status": "auto_verified"
"imageLabel": "Yellow"
"imageLabelId": 609
"[2]": {5 keys}
"count": 19413
"score": 84.18
"status": "auto_verified"
"imageLabel": "Font"
"imageLabelId": 12
"[3]": {5 keys}
"count": 11763
"score": 78.38
"status": "auto_verified"
"imageLabel": "Poster"
"imageLabelId": 21
"[4]": {5 keys}
"count": 19027
"score": 71.57
"status": "auto_verified"
"imageLabel": "Publication"
"imageLabelId": 23
"[5]": {5 keys}
"count": 5352
"score": 66.24
"status": "auto_verified"
"imageLabel": "Advertising"
"imageLabelId": 71
"[6]": {5 keys}
"count": 11007
"score": 64.26
"status": "auto_verified"
"imageLabel": "Art"
"imageLabelId": 4
"[7]": {5 keys}
"count": 10019
"score": 57.75
"status": "auto_verified"
"imageLabel": "Rectangle"
"imageLabelId": 11
"[8]": {5 keys}
"count": 5578
"score": 56.83
"status": "auto_verified"
"imageLabel": "Pattern"
"imageLabelId": 24
"[9]": {5 keys}
"count": 5753
"score": 56.71
"status": "auto_verified"
"imageLabel": "Graphic design"
"imageLabelId": 17
"imageDerivatives": [6 items]
"[0]": {4 keys}
"url": "https://browser.mona.net.au/records/images/large/7791/963f90c742a23c8ef2635e8a79f0bde2b818ac08.jpg"
"width": "554"
"height": "800"
"identifier": "LARGE"
"[1]": {4 keys}
"url": "https://browser.mona.net.au/records/images/medium/7791/963f90c742a23c8ef2635e8a79f0bde2b818ac08.jpg"
"width": "277"
"height": "400"
"identifier": "MEDIUM"
"[2]": {4 keys}
"url": "https://browser.mona.net.au/records/images/nano/7791/963f90c742a23c8ef2635e8a79f0bde2b818ac08.jpg"
"width": "24"
"height": "35"
"identifier": "NANO"
"[3]": {4 keys}
"url": "https://browser.mona.net.au/records/images/small/7791/963f90c742a23c8ef2635e8a79f0bde2b818ac08.jpg"
"width": "104"
"height": "150"
"identifier": "SMALL"
"[4]": {4 keys}
"url": "https://browser.mona.net.au/records/images/tiny/7791/963f90c742a23c8ef2635e8a79f0bde2b818ac08.jpg"
"width": "52"
"height": "75"
"identifier": "TINY"
"[5]": {4 keys}
"url": "https://browser.mona.net.au/records/images/xlarge/7791/963f90c742a23c8ef2635e8a79f0bde2b818ac08.jpg"
"width": "831"
"height": "1200"
"identifier": "XLARGE"
"totalImages": 1
"objectSearchScore": 1.3185365
"opacObjectFieldSets": [40 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "accession_no"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": "13678"
"[1]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "name"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"value": "Bound to please : an extraordinary one-volume literary education : essays on great writers and their books / Michael Dirda"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "title"
"value": "Bound to please : an extraordinary one-volume literary education : essays on great writers and their books / Michael Dirda"
"[2]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "other_name"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[3]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "artist_last_first"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": "Dirda, Michael"
"[4]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "prod_pri_date"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"value": "2005"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [2 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "earliest_date"
"value": "2005-01-01Z"
"[1]": {2 keys}
"key": "latest_date"
"value": "2005-12-31Z"
"[5]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "prod_pri_date_notes"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[6]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "edition"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[7]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "brief_desc"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": "Among the most enjoyable of literary critics, Michael Dirda combines erudition with enthusiasm, a taste for the outré and the forgotten, and a playful, understated wit. Like George Orwell or Gore Vidal, Dirda delights in popular genres, such as the detective novel and the ghost story, without neglecting the deeper satisfactions of sometimes-overlooked classics. This new work features scores of Dirda's most engaging essays, never previously collected in book form, all intended to introduce readers to wonderful writers, from the anecdotal Herodotus and James Boswell to the sensuous Colette and Steven Millhauser to such European masters as Joseph Roth, Flann O'Brien, and Penelope Fitzgerald. With his trademark enthusiasm, Dirda also explores The Arabian Nights, the spaghetti westerns of Sergio Leone, the crime novels of Chester Himes and K. C. Constantine, and the worlds of Tarzan, Cormac McCarthy, and Proust. Bound to Please is a glorious celebration of just how much fun reading can be."
"[8]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "measure_desc"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[9]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "credit_line"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[10]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "curr_loc_status"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"value": "Missing"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "search"
"value": "curr_loc_status:"Missing""
"[11]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "ob_status"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": "Accessioned"
"[12]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "lender"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[13]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "copyright_owner"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[14]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "copyright_type"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[15]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "copyright_start"
"opacObjectFields": [0 items]
"[16]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "copyright_expiry"
"opacObjectFields": [0 items]
"[17]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "copyright_notes"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[18]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "curr_loc"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": "Unknown"
"[19]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "object_type"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"value": "Books/Document genres/Information forms/Visual and Verbal Communication"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "search"
"value": "object_type:"Books/Document genres/Information forms/Visual and Verbal Communication""
"[20]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "collection"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"value": "Main Collection/Library"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "search"
"value": "collection:"Main Collection/Library""
"[21]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "prod_pri_place"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": "New York City/New York/United States of America"
"[22]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "prod_pri_publisher"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": "W. W. Norton & Co."
"[23]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "physical_notes"
"opacObjectFields": [2 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": "xxvii, 525 pages ; 24 cm."
"[1]": {1 keys}
"value": "Includes bibliographical references."
"[24]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "language"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": "English"
"[25]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "isbn_issn"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": "9780393057577"
"[26]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "user_sym_1"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": "081 DIR"
"[27]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "usual_loc_being"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": "Open Shelving/Library/Roundhouse Complex"
"[28]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "subject_class"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"value": "American literature/United States -- Literatures"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "search"
"value": "subject_class:"American literature/United States -- Literatures""
"[29]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "subject_date"
"opacObjectFields": [0 items]
"[30]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "subject_event"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[31]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "subject_period"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[32]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "subject_object"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[33]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "subject_person"
"opacObjectFields": [11 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"value": "Umberto Eco (Italian, b.1932, d.2016)"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "search"
"value": "subject_person:"Umberto Eco (Italian, b.1932, d.2016)""
"[1]": {2 keys}
"value": "Herodotus"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "search"
"value": "subject_person:"Herodotus""
"[2]": {2 keys}
"value": "Johannes Vermeer (b.1632, d.1675)"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "search"
"value": "subject_person:"Johannes Vermeer (b.1632, d.1675)""
"[3]": {2 keys}
"value": "Victor Hugo (b.1802, d.1885)"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "search"
"value": "subject_person:"Victor Hugo (b.1802, d.1885)""
"[4]": {2 keys}
"value": "Fyodor Dostoyevsky (Russian, b.1821, d.1881)"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "search"
"value": "subject_person:"Fyodor Dostoyevsky (Russian, b.1821, d.1881)""
"[5]": {2 keys}
"value": "William Morris (b.1913)"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "search"
"value": "subject_person:"William Morris (b.1913)""
"[6]": {2 keys}
"value": "Oscar Wilde"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "search"
"value": "subject_person:"Oscar Wilde""
"[7]": {2 keys}
"value": "Jorge Luis Borges (Argentinian, b.1899, d.1986)"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "search"
"value": "subject_person:"Jorge Luis Borges (Argentinian, b.1899, d.1986)""
"[8]": {2 keys}
"value": "P. G. Wodehouse (English, b.1881, d.1975)"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "search"
"value": "subject_person:"P. G. Wodehouse (English, b.1881, d.1975)""
"[9]": {2 keys}
"value": "Robert Graves (English, b.1895, d.1985)"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "search"
"value": "subject_person:"Robert Graves (English, b.1895, d.1985)""
"[10]": {2 keys}
"value": "Bruce Chatwin"
"opacObjectFieldAttributes": [1 items]
"[0]": {2 keys}
"key": "search"
"value": "subject_person:"Bruce Chatwin""
"[34]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "subject_place"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[35]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "assoc_person"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[36]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "assoc_place"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[37]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "assoc_event"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[38]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "assoc_object"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"[39]": {2 keys}
"identifier": "user_sym_9"
"opacObjectFields": [1 items]
"[0]": {1 keys}
"value": ""
"relationshipsCollection": {2 keys}
"relationships": [1 items]
"[0]": {4 keys}
"relatedRecords": [1 items]
"[0]": {3 keys}
"slug": "michael-dirda"
"title": "Michael Dirda"
"relatedRecordId": "26633"
"relationshipId": "object_prod_pri_person"
"relatedRecordType": "person"
"totalRelatedRecords": 1
"totalRelationships": 1
Topics and Themes