Blurb Your Enthusiasm

'A small masterpiece. There is something funny, notable or awe-inspiring on every single page. Some books simply slide into your life like good-humoured old friends. This is undoubtedly one of them.' -- Jenny Colgan * Spectator * ‘The bookiest book about books you’ll ever read – I loved it.’ -- Lucy Mangan, author of <i>Bookworm</i> ‘Truly delightful… charming and gracefully learned… Louise Willder, a copywriter with decades of experience, brings so much joy and, indeed, enthusiasm to her book about books that anyone who revels in reading will find real enchantment here. I couldn’t have had more fun.’ -- Benjamin Dreyer, author of the <i>New York Times</i> bestseller <i>Dreyer’s English</i> 'A little marvel...consummately brilliant' * Daily Mail * ‘Very funny, erudite and profound. A delight!’ -- Nina Stibbe ‘I love this book’s sheer happiness and humanity. It is rich, wise and soul-awaking, exhilarating-like-the-snowman-flying-through-the-air-of-human-gloriousness. And, God, she's funny. Buy it, read it, give it.’ -- Martin Latham, author of <i>The Bookseller’s Tale</i> ‘This total gem is an illuminating, dazzling, quirky, fascinating, erudite, thought-provoking, hilarious and totally essential celebration of the outside of books. Willder is my new style icon.’ -- Caroline Sanderson, <i>The Bookseller</i>, Editor’s Choice 'Bookworms will devour this' * Good Housekeeping * ‘Wise and witty...she is full of vim, blessed too with an unusual sense of enquiry, a comic turn of phrase and a talent for investigation into almost every nook and cranny of the business and pleasure of books.’ -- Carmen Callil * The Oldie * ‘This book is ace! A must-read for any and every writer or book-obsessed person!’ -- Sophie Hannah ‘Jammed with funny, curious and stylish thoughts and insights, Blurb Your Enthusiasm will be loved by absolutely everybody with an obsessive interest in books and their appearance.’ -- Simon Winder, author of <i>Germania</i> 'Studded with jewels' * Literary Review * ‘Tracking the blurb through history, literary practices, authors’ lives, reading habits, and more, Willder opens up the world of wordplay that lies at the heart of writing and publishing.’ * Idler * ‘Willder’s breezy book sweeps across publishing history, imbuing her research and professional expertise with the tantalizing thrill of dinner party gossip … so smart and witty that you barely realize how much she is teaching about writing’ -- Ron Charles * Washington Post * ‘Delightful … charming … this book feels like the surprising pleasure of a mimosa with breakfast or a bawdy song after dinner… Willder is the perfect guide’  -- Carrie Callaghan * Washington Independent Review of Books * ‘Uproarious, gossipy and utterly fascinating: a masterclass in how to judge a book by its cover. It makes words seem weird and wild again.’ -- Henry Eliot, author of <i>The Penguin Classics Book</i> ‘For anyone who needs or wants to use words persuasively, this is the most enjoyable masterclass you’ll ever read.’ -- Rob Williams, screenwriter of <i>Killing Eve</i> and <i>The Victim</i> 'A zingy compendium… A crisp reminder of how profoundly words can affect us.’ -- Sunday Business Post ‘Louise Willder’s witty guide Blurb Your Enthusiasm is a treat for insiders and book-world fans… Wilder celebrates the practice of turning literature into a catchy product that both illuminates people about a book and retains the book’s mystique.’ -- Foreword Reviews ‘A delight… She is a delightful and amusing guide to the subject. One for the book lover in your life.’  -- Herald (Glasgow) ‘[Willder] is a charming guide not just to blurbs, but to first lines, hatchet jobs, puffs … I couldn’t, as the cliché goes, put it down.’ -- Laura Freeman * The Times, Best Books of 2022 *