A new stage adaptation of one of Pratchetts best-selling novelsTheres been a murder. Allegedly. William de Worde is the Discworlds first investigative journalist. He didnt mean to be - it was just an accident. But; as William fills his pages with reports of local club meetings and pictures of humorously shaped vegetables; dark forces high up in Ankh-Morporks society are plotting to overthrow te citys ruler; Lord Vetinari."One of the funniest authors alive" The Independent
#3225764 in eBooks 2014-02-05 2014-02-05File Name: B00I98IX8Q
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. The man who couldnt stop collectingBy NotebookerIt was a really good read. Im not a huge fan of memoirs; but you really get to know Mr. King through this slim; but expansive; self-history; and come to recognize the things you have in common. Fans of Nicholson Bakers novels and essays and Billy Collins poetry will likely enjoy it; it has that kind of meticulous humanity.11 of 12 people found the following review helpful. Collections of Et CeteraliaBy takingadayoffWilliam Davies King is a collector. It practically defines him. In fact; that is how he normally describes himself. "Im a collector;" he says several times in his book; but its not a boast; more of a rueful admission that he picks up this and that. You can see why he might want to play down his collecting. He collects what most people would consider trash: old discarded keys; cereal boxes; labels from cans of tuna; the stickers showing when your next oil change is due.His collections take a lot of space and a fair amount of time; both amassing and curating. It would be easy to dismiss Kings collecting as an unhealthy obsession. And yet it doesnt seem to interfere with his life; not in any serious way. Yes; he has trouble with relationships in the course of his memoir; but the collecting seems to be a symptom of his insecurities; not a cause. Not at all like Simon Garfields resumption of stamp collecting in midlife in The Error World: An Affair with Stamps; another memoir that features collecting. Garfield spends more money than he has on stamps and is obsessed with completing his collection. His hobby causes him more grief than pleasure. This is not the case with King; at least as he tells his story.Collections of Nothing is a book that is not easy to categorize. Its partly a memoir; although I found the memoir parts of it the least interesting; and the Freudian connections unpleasant. What fascinated me was the exploration of the phenomenon of collecting. Nearly everyone collects something at some stage of their life; usually as a child. Many continue their childhood collections into adulthood or start new collections. Completing a collection is a surprisingly unsatisfying accomplishment for many collectors. At what point does collecting become hoarding? When does a hobby become an obsession?On the other hand; when does collecting "nothing" become something? When King and his daughters take his 1;579 cereal boxes and lay them out on the stage of the theater at the university; the effect is "a brilliant tapestry of eye-catching graphics." His scrapbook of drawings from discarded dictionaries is a work of art; or at least a work of craft. And the cover of Collections of Nothing is a pleasant assortment of colored patterns made of Kings collection of envelope liners; the inner layer of security envelopes that keeps people from being able to read through the envelope. Who would think to collect those? He has over 800 different patterns. Is it art?If King isnt exactly an artist (and whos to say he isnt?); hes a creative craftsman and has a way with words as well. A few of the words he uses to describe his collections are "et ceteralia" and "ephemerrhea."As a non-collector; I started this book somewhat skeptically; but in the end; came to see the value in what King was doing with his collections. In an understated way; he even pointed out the relative harmlessness of his own collections in comparison with those of his brothers; whose "vast television screens; minivans and maxi-SUVs; hot tubs and wet bars...far outweigh the odd gross of saltine boxes I have..." But he goes on to appreciate the opportunity to raid their pantries for interesting boxes and labels to add to his own collection.1 of 2 people found the following review helpful. not so good as all thatBy BrightSky9The appeal lies in the forceful honesty William Davies King applies to his compulsive collecting of worthless objects - and in the frank interest those worthless collections draw from us just from his writing about them. How interesting can a collection of empty cereal boxes; of "PLACE POSTAGE STAMP HERE" corners of envelopes; of once-rusted now-shined-up metal objects of indeterminate uses; be? (I prefer my modest gathering of rusted objects to remain rusted.)That Kings mid-life attractions to younger women accompany this honest accounting is a sorry disappointment. I easily believe that the resurgence of...desire? instinct? hormones!...that drew him out of his marriage went along with his not-easy exploration of his childhood and the origins of the endless collecting. Its no surprise that this dark memoir of compulsion concludes in the brilliant (unsustainable) sunshine of a new marriage. Thats the problem - once the young women enter the story; the outcome is old news. The result is considerably less confidence in his insights; less confidence in *his* confidence in the future.
