This Month

In the book world, the spotlight is often crowded with novels, memoirs, book-length nonfiction, and many other things that one consumes whole. While we love those generes, this month we pay tribute to the humble collection. The best anthologies are often the products of smoldering individual talents or choosy editors, and this issue we review a few of each sort. Zadie Smith's selections for The Book of Other People have made it one of the most anticipated books of the season. In his first monograph, artistic savant Gregory Blackstock showcases his life-long passion for drawing. There are plenty of other wonderful anthologies to pore over — from the enlightening interviews of the Paris Review to the quirky letters of the Mitford sisters. We close out the issue with an interview with Michael Chabon, who chats about his science-fiction collection and his next book, which honors his personal artistic pantheon.