About this title: Hitchens writes in the long and distinguished tradition of contrarianism and invective. In this work, he presents an overview of contrarian modes of discourse, and illustrates how the maverick stance--as dissident, curmudgeon, or just plain crank--may be essential to preserving standards of truth and democratic ideals.
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Description: Acceptable. Book is in good reading condition. Cover has wear at edges and corners. Spine has wear at edges. Note written on first page. Dust jacket has some wear. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Basic Books
Date Published: 2005-04-12
ISBN-13:9780465030330ISBN:0465030335
Description: Like New. May be shiny, in some instances dust jackets are not included, no missing pages, no damage to binding, may have a remainder mark. read more
Edition: First Printing
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Basic Books
Date Published: 2001
ISBN-13:9780465030323ISBN:0465030327
Description: Fine in Very Good jacket. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. First printing, Basic Books, 2001. Excellent in a VG jacket with a short closed tear to upper front fold-in of jacket. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Basic Books
Date Published: 2001
ISBN-13:9780965421218ISBN:096542121X
Description: Very Good. Cover has minimal rubbing, marking, and minor corner/edge wear. Pages are very clean and neat, with firm binding. Excellent reference copy.2002 3rd Printing Edition, Softcover. (C) read more
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Fine. 0465030335 In Great Condition Softcover ~ Slightest shelf-wear ~ PRISTINE text, ~ We would ship within 24 Hours, reply to customer emails ASAP, accept returns and offer 100% satisfaction guarantee! read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Basic Books,
Date Published: 2001.
Description: Fine in Fine dj. 8vo. Grey cloth backed white paper covered boards with silver title to spine. Pristine, tight interior. White illustrated dust jacket with black title to spine. 141 pages. LIT/012006. read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Basic Books
Date Published: 2005-04-12
ISBN-13:9780465030330ISBN:0465030335
Description: NEW. Softcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9780465030330. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Basic Books
Date Published: 2005
ISBN-13:9780465030330ISBN:0465030335
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Edition: First printing
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Basic Books,, New York, New York:
Date Published: 2001.
ISBN-13:9780465057917ISBN:0465057918
Description: Fine/Fine. Octavo, 8 1/4" tall, 141 pages, gray boards. A fine, clean, neat sturdy hard cover first edition with little shelf wear; hinges and binding tight, paper cream white, BUT an inscription from the previous owner on the front endpaper. In a fine dust jacket with the original price clipped. read more
Edition: First Edition, 1st printing
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Basic Books
Date Published: 2001
ISBN-13:9780465030323ISBN:0465030327
Description: Fine. Slipped in is review of book from Boston Sunday Globe, Dec. 30, 2001. 141 page hardcover, pages clean & tight Appears unread. read more
Edition: Reprint. Third printing.
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Basic Books, Cambridge, MA
Date Published: 2001
ISBN-13:9780465030323ISBN:0465030327
Description: Very good in very good dust jacket. xii, 141 p. This is part of The Art of Mentoring series. Hitchens writes in the long and distinguished tradition of contrarianism and invective. In this work, he presents an overview of contrarian modes of discourse, and illustrates how the maverick stance--as dissident, curmudgeon, or just plain crank--may be essential to preserving standards of truth and democratic ideals. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Basic Books, New York City, NY
Date Published: 2001
ISBN-13:9780465030323ISBN:0465030327
Description: Hardcover. First Edition. First Printing. 141 pages. As New in As New Dust Jacket. Collection of essays written in the epistolary mode. The true First Edition. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions. Published in a small and limited print run as a hardcover original as part of "The Art of Mentoring" Series. By Hitchens' own admission, the form is not only inspired by, but consciously patterned after, Rainer Maria Rilke's masterpiece, "Letters To A Young Poet" ... read more
"I'm not exactly sure who Hitchens is talking to here. I get the format, I get the goal but I still felt the conversation was very narrow and therefore my ability to take anything away was limited. Hitchens would probably say I'm not smart enough to 'get it', which may be true but either way, I did not enjoy this book and di not find it particularly insightful."
"There are two basic ways to approach this book. First, there's reading it as an inspirational tract on living a life of contrariness and dissent and all the baggage that comes with such a life. Secondly, one could read this as a treatise on several of Christopher Hitchens' favorite topics, ranging from misspent socialist youth to his journalism days to the preview of coming anti-religious attractions phase.
In both cases, the book fails. To the first option, I'm not sure anyone will walk away from this book with an inspired feeling. Hitchens certainly makes a plethora of valid and insightful points about the type of person he is (and the type of person we could do with a lot more of). But lost between the vague, self-serving references and the almost indiscernible pieces of advice, one is more or less forced to conclude that being a contrarian is either innate or it isn't. Question everything, don't let fear set up blockades, be informed--all these pieces of essentially valid advice are hedged by mountains of irrelevant and often times cloudy discussions of foreign affairs and quasi-history/philosophy. Put simply, finding the point in many chapter-letters is like finding a piece of glitter on the beach.
Regarding the second approach, here is where the one weakness of Hitchens' writing starts to glare through. I don't know if it's pure snobbery or a simple disregard for his audience, but Hitchens seems to very much enjoy talking over people. This can be as simple a thing as mentioning a name (or a list of them) nobody has heard of without an appropriate explanation, or an entire political upheaval which he was privy to but about which the rest of us are completely clueless. (Let's remember that a 'young contrarian' in 2001--the book's publication date--probably would have no idea about the Bosnian war in the early 90s). The true mark of an educated man isn't in what he knows, but how well he's able to share it. Sometimes this book lets off the impression that Hitchens is more concerned with appearing brilliant than informing his audience. A shame, because with a skeptic like me such an approach appears neither informing or brilliant.
The two star rating is then perfect here. "It was okay." And while this was by no means a chore to read, there were instances where I wished Hitchens would drop his academic facade and simply explain what the hell he was talking about. The surface treatment of nearly everything can give the impression of hidden depth to the unwary, but the ultimate impression left by this book is one of shallowness. Fans of his work may be riveted, but for newcomers I'd try one of his more focussed books."
"Laugh, cry, laugh and cry. We all would love to have this guy at the dinner table - no one is safe - and we will all go away examining some belief we thought we held dear. This is a book you will read and re-read. I wont even mention that most Americans would never tire of hearing Christopher Hitchens say the word "pious" with that great English accent."
"As Hitchens would agree, being a gadfly to societal norms is a full-time job not for the weak at heart, yet he does with excitement, forcing the reader into wishing they could be him as he boldly states his critique of being an American."
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