The Wingéd Elephant

Overlook Reads: What Staffers are Reading this Friday

2012-02-24T16:25:00.005-05:00

On any given day, there is a remarkable amount of reading going on in the Overlook office. There are piles of manuscripts, books, emails, manuscripts, press materials, newspapers and more to power through (Did we mention manuscripts?). But every once in awhile our eyes wander from the page to our favorite literary websites, news outlets, blogs, and pop-culture reads. Do you ever wonder what our

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT: Sasha Karlins, Sales & Marketing

2012-02-22T17:00:00.003-05:00

It’s time to reveal another Overlook worker bee (err, elephant?) with this month’s Employee Spotlight. So far you’ve met our wonderful editors and two key players in Overlook’s production and publicity departments here on the blog. Today we would like to introduce you to the the person responsible for a number of important duties including, but not limited to coordinating our seasonal catalogs,

Available Now: Monty and Rommel: Parallel Lives

2012-02-16T13:10:00.005-05:00

Thought you knew all there was to know about the Second World War? Think again. Today we're celebrating the release of Monty and Rommel: Parallel Lives, the new dual biography exploring the lives of WWII's opposing European generals Bernard Montgomery and Erwin Rommel, written by military defense analyst and BBC contributor Peter Caddick-Adams.During the Second World War, British and German

Happy Valentine’s Day; Breakup Night at KGB

2012-02-14T15:12:00.002-05:00

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Books are the Very Best Valentine

2012-02-10T17:18:00.010-05:00

With endless manifestations of red and pink on every corner, and commercials for chocolate and diamonds assaulting us outside and in our homes, I don’t think anyone needs a reminder that the infamous Day of Love is closing in on us. Each year as Valentine’s Day draws near, numerous camps inevitably arise supporting or opposing the saccharine holiday, creating a 24-hour period so polarizing that

The Legend of the Winged Elephant

2012-02-07T22:05:00.005-05:00

In January, we announced the launch of a monthly video series—Conversations with Peter Mayer—to share some of the lesser known stories about the inception of the Overlook Press and to discuss the publishing industry over the last 40 years. Last month, our publisher Peter Mayer talked about the book that originated the Overlook Press, a small operation which started out of his family home in

Happy 200th Birthday, Charles Dickens; Nonesuch Dickens Giveaway

2012-02-07T13:05:00.007-05:00

In his final essay for Vanity Fair, the late Christopher Hitchens wrote of Charles Dickens, “He loved the idea of a birthday celebration, being lavish about it, reminding people that they were once unborn and are now launched. This is bighearted, and we might all do a bit more of it.” Timely words, as today marks the long awaited Dickens bicentenary. If Dickens did indeed relish an extravagant

Susan Hill, The Woman in Black, and A Question of Identity

2012-02-03T13:34:00.010-05:00

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Celebrating Joseph Roth

2012-02-02T14:08:00.010-05:00

In his review for the new biography, Joseph Roth: A Life in Letters, Adam Kirsch writes for Tablet Magazine, “The rediscovery of Joseph Roth has been one of the happiest literary developments of the last 10 years—perhaps the first time that the word ‘happy’ could be used in the same sentence as Roth’s name. Roth, born in the town of Brody in Austrian Galicia in 1894, was one of the best-known

Stephen Fry Visits NYC

2012-01-31T11:29:00.011-05:00

British comedian, actor, playwright, and author Stephen Fry graced New York City and the Overlook Press office with his warm and magnetic presence last Tuesday, January 24. We invited Fry to the States to promote his newest autobiography, THE FRY CHRONICLES, a witty and brutally honest stunner that we’ve praised here before. Yet the novelty of having the real life Jeeves from the comic series

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT: Stephanie Gorton, Editor

2012-01-25T15:57:00.003-05:00

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A Night of Events: THE FRY CHRONICLES, A QUIET VENDETTA & A KILLER’S ESSENCE

2012-01-23T14:31:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow night brings two out-of-town Overlook authors, as well as one northeastern native to bookstores across New York for an evening of readings, signings, and lively discussion. Award-winning English novelist R.J. Ellory, author of A Quiet Vendetta will be joined by A Killer’s Essence author Dave Zeltserman to promote their latest crime thrillers at Brooklyn’s BookCourt, while English

SOPA Blackouts, Cole Stryker Speaks Out

2012-01-20T16:20:00.006-05:00

Where were you during the great internet blackout of 2012? Without the aid of everyone’s favorite fact-checking resource, were you busy inventing #FactsWithoutWikipedia? Left without Reddit or BoingBoing to keep us distracted, Overlookers actually got some work done around the office. Cole Stryker, author of Epic Win for Anonymous: How 4chan’s Army Conquered the Web, used last Wednesday’s

Giveaway: THE FRY CHRONICLES

2012-01-18T14:30:00.012-05:00

Stephen Fry’s latest autobiography, The Fry Chronicles hits shelves tomorrow, January 19. Hailed by The Times (London) as “heartbreaking, a delight, a lovely comfy, book,” and “cheeky” and “hilarious” by Publishers Weekly, this tell-all story from the beloved British comedian picks up where Moab is My Washpot finishes, delving into Fry’s college years and beyond. Our excitement over this

Downton Abbey on Wooster Street

2012-01-13T17:49:00.010-05:00

Since its highly acclaimed debut in 2010, the Primetime Emmy Award winning series Downton Abbey has captured the hearts and minds of American viewers. With a killer cast and rich plot wrought with juicy aristocratic drama and the political tensions of a world at war, it is no wonder this stunning British melodrama hits all the right notes for stateside fans. The series, which airs Sunday nights

Conversations with Peter Mayer: The Origins of Overlook

2012-01-11T11:40:00.003-05:00

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Happy 77th Birthday, Elvis!

2012-01-09T12:55:00.002-05:00

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2012-01-06T11:39:00.004-05:00

What Overlook author has outsold literary giants A. A. Milne, Charles Dickens, and Jackie Collins? Hailed the "doyenne of the modern blockbuster" by Glamour magazine and beloved worldwide for her captivating dramas, it could be no other than bestselling author Penny Vincenzi. With over seven million copies of her thirteen novels sold, including her widely popular Spoils of Time trilogy (No

THE WARSAW ANAGRAMS Author Richard Zimler Interviewed in Los Angeles Times

2012-01-05T10:11:00.005-05:00

Richard Zimler, author of The Warsaw Anagrams and The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon, was recently featured in the Los Angeles Times. In a fascinating interview with Nick Owchar, Zimler recounts his trip to Poland last Fall. Here's a brief excerpt:"In his most recent novel, "The Warsaw Anagrams," published earlier this year by Overlook Press, Zimler tells a ghostly tale of murder set in the Warsaw

On the twelfth day of Christmas Overlook Press gave to me...

2011-12-23T09:39:00.011-05:00

Welcome back! It has been a fantastic twelve days, readers, but every good thing must come to an end. Today we wrap up our 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway. Each day we have carefully selected books for themed gift packs we thought were unique and memorable and happily sent them off one by one to loving new owners. It was fun playing Santa while it lasted. On this 12th Day of Christmas, we

On the eleventh day of Christmas, Overlook Press gave to me …

2011-12-22T14:10:00.004-05:00

“I’m dreaming of a white Christmas just like the ones I used to know. Where the tree tops glisten, and children listen to hear sleigh bells in the snow.” – “White Christmas” by Irving Berlin Between this week’s unseasonal warmth in the New York metro area and an unfavorable outlook for snow over the holiday weekend, it seems unlikely that any NYC-based Overlookers will be enjoying a white

On the tenth day of Christmas, Overlook Press gave to me...

2011-12-21T10:00:00.007-05:00

For the last nine days, we have been wrapped up in holiday gift-giving of the literary variety--the very best kind, in our opinion. Shall we recap? With three days left to go in our 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway, we've already featured a number of themed prize packs from our extensive Overlook library, including: Charles Portis, design, mystery and true crime, journalism, YA, gift books, Mervyn

On the ninth day of Christmas, Overlook Press gave to me …

2011-12-20T14:58:00.003-05:00

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On the eighth day of Christmas, Overlook Press gave to me...

2011-12-19T10:07:00.007-05:00

Today is an exciting day at Overlook. Not only is it Day 8 of our 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway, but this evening is our Holiday office party! We've all been hard at work wrapping things up before the Swarovski-studded ball drops, and in a few days we'll go our separate ways--hitting the road, rails, or sky--to celebrate with our own families and friends. But tonight we're excited to take pause

On the seventh day of Christmas, Overlook Press gave to me …

2011-12-16T15:30:00.002-05:00

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