Description
In By the Way, John Toren offers an eclectic portrait of modern life in essays ranging in subject from river-running to astronomy, with stops along the way at a World Press conclave, a naturalists' convention, a concert pianist's master class, a publisher's trade show, and a Louisiana crayfish festival. In one essay, he reflects on the advisability of accumulating books, in another he reports on the whimsical goings-on at an ice-shanty village. Whether it's analyzing the challenges of buying firewood or parsing the distinction between the absurd and the impossible, there's something for everyone in this wide-ranging, thoughtful collection.
About the Author: In the course of a long career in the book business, John Toren has edited and designed scores of books, reviewed many, and written three or four. His articles have appeared in a range of publications including The History Channel Magazine, Minnesota Monthly, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the Milwaukee Sentinel, Twin Cities Magazine, and the Minneapolis Observer. He holds degrees in history and anthropology from the University of Minnesota and occasionally teaches a course in geography in its LearningLife program. He also writes and publishes his own quarterly magazine, Macaroni--now in its 104th issue. It received an Utne Independent Press Award for General Excellence in 2007.
