James Hoff is an artist, musician and co-founder of Primary Information, a non-profit arts organization that re-publishes the kinds of obscure out-of-print underground & counter-culture books & pamphlets that collectors hunt high & low for. But things only remain obscure until you know about them, and James makes many obscure things things seem natural (media theory as light reading, forgotten-but-important-street-stall-booksellers-in-NYC, asking for reading lists while in VR, etc.) in this week's installment of One Great Reader with interviewer Wes Del Val. Click to read more...

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Authors and designers are not often one and the same. Editors and historians who spend 10 years bringing astounding projects to light are usually another breed as well. But if you pour all these abilities into one person who's also a great conversationalist, you have this week's guest, Mark Nelson. Interviewer Wes Del Val delves into the books that make the man in this week's installment of One Great Reader. Click to read more...

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Being a scholar of comics may sound something like being a professional ice cream taster, more fun than work, but Dan Nadel takes his pleasures seriously. He's a publisher, editor, author, curator, and art historian whose many books document highly original work made far from the well-worn track of standard art history. Making discoveries like those takes a lot of great reading in some unusual corners of the books world, and we're pleased to have Dan as our tour guide around them in this week's installment of One Great Reader, with interviewer Wes Del Val. Click to read more...

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Q: "What does reading do better than anything else?"

A: "It opens up a world and gives you license to cultivate your legitimate weirdness."

So opens this week's One Great Reader with Simon Critchley, a philosopher and teacher, as well as prolific author on everything from Martin Heidegger to Wallace Stevens to David Bowie. We're pleased to present this succinct and bracing conversation about books, morals, and funny philosophers with interviewer Wes Del Val. Click to read more...

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One Great Reader returns with Series 3, and it gets a strong start with this very readerly conversation between interviewer Wes Del Val and New York Review Books founder and editorial director Edwin Frank. The indispensable NYRB series brings crucial books back into print, and does so with intelligence and panache. It's a generous-spirited venture that reflects real vision, and for 21 years that vision has been realized through the hard work and high standards of Edwin Frank. We couldn't wait to hear his thoughts on poetry, publishing, book collecting, and more.  Click to read...

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Being an esteemed political writer to pay the bills for your side job (and true passion) of being an esteemed writer about architecture and design sounds like a nice problem to have, doesn't it? Andrew Romano juggles each with brisk, intelligent prose and a highly educated taste. We feel lucky to get a BTS look at the books that sharpen both Andrew's writing skills and design sensibilities in this week's installation of One Great Reader (the last of Series 2, by the way! We'll be back with Series 3 in late January.) Clear your schedule and get your clicker finger ready for Andrew's fascinating and heavily hyperlinked interview. Click to read more...

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What does a feminist look like? How about a mother of 3 small kids who unwinds with Great British Bakeoff and edits the new, incredibly bold iteration of Playgirl magazine? Skye Parrott founded the arts & culture magazine Dossier and worked with iconic photographer Nan Goldin before taking on her latest chapter: giving new, relevant life to an iconic seventies magazine that hadn't kept up with contemporary women. Skye has brought brains and plenty of great reading to the magazine's formerly skin-deep reputation. She knows what modern girls like. Click to read more...

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It takes a deep immersion in the art & literature of the past to write convincingly about those of the present, and David Rimanelli has written so well, for so long, about contemporary art that you just know there must be an ocean of great reading behind him. Little surprise then (but great delight) to see just how deep and far-ranging David's reading goes, and what fun he has with it, in this week's installment of One Great Reader with interviewer Wes Del Val. Click to read more...

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In the image-soaked world of social media, it's a real feat to be one of those people who can always point us to the fresh, the arresting, and the rarely-ever seen. London-based Jaja Hargreaves has made her Instagram feed a must-visit for those of us seeking images from the past that feel exactly right for the present, and that unlock a way forward for art & style in the near future. People with deep visual knowledge aren't usually pulling that knowledge from the internet; they usually go right to the source, their own incredible collections of books & magazines. So, it's no wonder Jaja has a deep connection with books, and no wonder Wes Del Val had to speak to her for this week's installment of One Great Reader. Click to read more...

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Italian fashion writer Angelo Flaccavento treats us to his fresh and frequently surprising outlook on writers' style (both fashion style and literary style), the kinds of home libraries he likes to see, the bookstore that shaped him, the way he organizes books, what he reads for work ("I keep myself interested in fashion by not reading about fashion"), and much else in a conversation of depth, great charm and very good book recommendations for this installation of One Great Reader with interviewer Wes Del Val. Click to read more...

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