Life Stories: Profiles from The New Yorker (Modern Library Paperbacks)

THE DELIVERY CAME FROM NEW YORK SO IT TOOK A LITTLE WHILE BUT ARRIVED AT MY ADDRESS WELL WITHIN THE ESTIMATED TIME FRAME.AS FOR THE BOOK ITSELF IT WAS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION AND I KNEW AS SOON AS I OPENED THE PACKAGE HOW MUCH I WOULD ENJOY IT.THE 'PROFILES FROM NEW YORK' ARE MANY AND VARIED AND IF YOU ARE A LOVER OF THE UNIQUE STYLE, HUMOUR AND ERUDITION OF THIS GREATEST OF MAGAZINES THEN YOU MUST HAVE A COPY.IT CAME WITH A 'THANK YOU' BOOKMARK FROM THE HOUSING WORKS BOOKSTORE CAFE (NEW YORK) - A CHARITY MISSION TO END THE DUAL CRISIS OF HOMELESSNESS, HIV AND AIDS.

If you are a fan of biographies but are intimidated by 1,000-page tomes, Life Stories is a great choice. Some say the New Yorker invented the "profile," and though it does seem the magazine was the first to call its biographical pieces by that name (amazing, considering how ubiquitous the term is today), editor David Remnick is quick to assert that they hardly invented the style. What they have done for decades is find the most interesting people and have the best writers provide illumination. Nearly every profile here is profound and nearly every one of them is short enough to read in a single (long) sitting. And while it's a treat to learn intimate details of some of the most famous people of the 20th century, it's the profiles of the lesser-known people that shine: from Joseph Mitchell's encounter with an aging churchman with a penchant for baking to the story of the Chudnovsky brothers, Russian emigres who built a supercomputer in their apartment from salvaged parts. Fantastic reading from start to finish.

The book arrived earlier than the delivery date, which was great.I love the New Yorker profiles, and this book contains some gems, like Truman Capote's profile of Marlon Brando and the tightrope walk piece, which I read with great interest, and intend to reread.Still, what prevents me giving this a fifth star is the questionable editorial choice made by the editor. Joseph Mitchell's piece, which opens the book, is kind of aimless and obscure, and the profile of Ricky Jay I found a slog and struggled to take interest in. I feel like there were better choices David Remnick could have made in deciding upon the best profiles to be included in this collection.But overall the good parts in this book outweighed the bad parts, and I recommend it to people interested in good writing and the New Yorker.

Loved this book. Extremely well written profiles of writers, artists, influential people. Pick it up and read it and never disappointed!

These profiles are so great. Well written, insightful, on subjects both silly and profound, with lots of insight into human nature. The one about Hemingway makes him seem like a pompous, self-inflated horse's butt and a stone alcoholic. I believe it was accurate. The one about Ricky Jay, the magician's magician, is great, too. A genius. I can't wait to read the rest. This book is good to keep around, so I always have something fun to read. These are not butt-kiss profiles, like the ones you find in Vanity Fair. These are honest, objective, and true. Real journalism. Rare these days. Buy this book. You won't be sorry.