Re: RARA-AVIS: Why books are over 200 pages

MT (matrxtech@sprintmail.com)
Sat, 05 Sep 1998 14:43:38 -0500 <<"Rainbow Six" Tom Clancy. $27.95 retail US, Amazon.com $19.57, Crown
$16.77 (what I paid for it).

"The Sweet Forever" George P. Pelecanos. $23.95 retail US, Amazon.com
$16.77, Dalton Bookseller $21.56 (what I paid).

RS is 740 pages while TSF is 298 ... based on the cheapest price, that's
$.02 per page for RS and $.06 per page for TSF.>>

If Pelecanos's book sold for $1000 and Clancy's for $1.99, Pelecanos
would still be a bargain in comparison. Bad writing is worth nothing.

In artistic matters, I have always associated greatness with the ability
to condense - which is why I consider Beethoven an immeasurably greater
composer than, say, Mahler. The other day I was reading Chandler's story
_Trouble is my business_, and what struck me, besides Chandler's
legendary way with words, was how economical the development was. No
doubt one could take this story and write 300 pages, but why?

<<I'd rather pick up a tome of short stories vice one
little thin book ... just think of the bigger book as a form of exercise
... ;)>>

This statement amazes and dumbfounds. Exercise? Like lifting weights?

Regards,

Mario Taboada
#
# To unsubscribe, say "unsubscribe rara-avis" to majordomo@icomm.ca.
# The web pages for the list are at http://www.vex.net/~buff/rara-avis/.