An enthralling collection of nonfiction essays on a myriad of topics—from art and artists to dreams, myths, and memories—observed in #1 New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman’s probing, amusing, and distinctive style. An inquisitive observer, thoughtful commentator, and assiduous craftsman, Neil Gaiman has long been celebrated for the sharp intellect and startling imagination that informs his bestselling fiction. Now, The View from the Cheap Seats brings together for the first time ever more than sixty pieces of his outstanding nonfiction. Analytical yet playful, erudite yet accessible, this cornucopia explores a broad range of interests and topics, including (but not limited to): authors past and present; music; storytelling; comics; bookshops; travel; fairy tales; America; inspiration; libraries; ghosts; and the title piece, at turns touching and self-deprecating, which recounts the author’s experiences at the 2010 Academy Awards in Hollywood. Insightful, incisive, witty, and wise, The View from the Cheap Seats explores the issues and subjects that matter most to Neil Gaiman—offering a glimpse into the head and heart of one of the most acclaimed, beloved, and influential artists of our time.

The View from the Cheap Seats draws together myriad non-fiction writing by international phenomenon and Sunday Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman. From Make Good Art, the speech that went viral, to pieces on artists and legends including Terry Pratchett and Lou Reed, the collection offers a glimpse into the head and heart of one of the most acclaimed writers of our time. 'If this book came to you during a despairing night, by dawn, you would believe in ideas and hope and humans again' Caitlin Moran 'Literature does not occur in a vacuum. It cannot be a monologue. It has to be a conversation' This collection will draw you in to exchanges on making good art and Syrian refugees, the power of a single word and playing the kazoo with Stephen King, writing about books, comics and the imagination of friends, being sad at the Oscars and telling lies for a living. Here Neil Gaiman opens our minds to the people he admires and the things he believes might just mean something - and welcomes us to the conversation too.

The View from the Cheap Seats draws together myriad non-fiction writing by international phenomenon and Sunday Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman. From Make Good Art, the speech that went viral, to pieces on artists and legends including Terry Pratchett and Lou Reed, the collection offers a glimpse into the head and heart of one of the most acclaimed writers of our time. 'If this book came to you during a despairing night, by dawn, you would believe in ideas and hope and humans again' Caitlin Moran 'Literature does not occur in a vacuum. It cannot be a monologue. It has to be a conversation' This collection will draw you in to exchanges on making good art and Syrian refugees, the power of a single word and playing the kazoo with Stephen King, writing about books, comics and the imagination of friends, being sad at the Oscars and telling lies for a living. Here Neil Gaiman opens our minds to the people he admires and the things he believes might just mean something - and welcomes us to the conversation too.

In his latest collection of award-winning boxing essays, Springs Toledo takes a hard look at the hardest game from a seat next to yours. Where the widely-acclaimed The Gods of War (Tora, 2014) zoomed in at the greatness of the golden era, In the Cheap Seats zooms out for a panoramic view of the wild world of boxing: the true champions and contenders, the stumblebums trying to make a buck inside of six rounds, the fans who swear by it and sometimes swear at it, and the rich assortment of characters large and small that inevitably gather around the ring. Whether you're a purist or a critic, a casual fan or a toe dipper, Toledo proves to be the perfect companion at the fights.

Poet Barry Holland wasnt born to riches and fancy things in South Wales. He recalls, blithely, that his family was so poor when he was young that, in wintertime, his dad would suck an extra strong mint and the whole family would sit around his tongue to stay warm. Now, he looks back on forty-two years of living in Newport and what those years have meant. View from the Cheap Seats is a collection of fictions, imaginings, as well as true stories from Hollands tumultuous life. He writes of his battles with mental illness as well as the challenges of being a single parentwith a mental illness. Poems draw upon visions Holland saw while sick to real people, the wild characters hes met along the way. Despite lifes difficulties, Holland weaves his quirky sense of humor through every word. He dedicates pages to his beloved son, LeuanHollands favorite rugby player and best friendand some serious words to delusion. But no matter how dark things get, how desperate the times, Holland believes in seeing the levity and finding whatever it is that keeps you laughing.

Actor and theatre aficionado Ron Fassler recalls his upbringing on Broadway, in conversation with Harold Prince, Stephen Sondheim, Bette Midler, Sheldon Harnick, James Earl Jones, Austin Pendleton, Ken Howard, Hal Linden, Stacy Keach, Jane Alexander and Mike Nichols among many others.

HE'S BACK. AND HE'S THE BIGGEST THING IN POLITICS. He is the perfect presidential candidate. Conservatives love his hard-hitting Republican résumé. Liberals love his peaceful, progressive practicality. The media can’t get enough of his larger-than-life personality. And all the American people love that he’s an honest, hard-working man who tells it like it is. There’s just one problem. He is William Howard Taft . . . and he was already president a hundred years ago. So what on earth is he doing alive and well and considering a running mate in 2012? A most extraordinary satire, Jason Heller’s debut novel follows the strange new life of a presidential Rip Van Winkle: a man who never even wanted the White House in the first place, yet finds himself hurtling toward it once more—this time, through the media-fueled madness of 21st-century America.

Straight from the far reaches of Hell, comes a collection of classic HELLRAISER tales that will light your soul on fire! This must-have collection features stories originally published by Marvel Comics--classic spine-tinglers for die-hard fans and new readers alike, collecting a host of work from comic luminaries that you will not want to miss! Featuring the work of Clive Barker (HELLRAISER), Neil Gaiman (SANDMAN), Mike Mignola (HELLBOY) Larry Wachowski (THE MATRIX), Alex Ross, (KINGDOM COME), Kevin O'Neill (LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN) and many more! Don't miss this first volume in a series that will assemble the best HELLRAISER comics that have ever been!

Have you ever wondered what goes on in the mind of an evangelist? Probably not, but here is your chance to get a glimpse from the cheap seats. Join Matthew Watson as we laugh through church bloopers, evangelist woes, and childhood memories as well as reflect on serious matters such as the foreign mission field and things learned in evangelism. Centered around the culture of the Apostolic Church, From the Cheap Seats is a humor gold, with just a hint of the thought provoking

What really happened on the first Thanksgiving? How did a British drinking song become the US national anthem? And what makes Superman so darned American? Every tradition, even the noblest and most cherished, has a history, none more so than in the United States—a nation born with relative indifference, if not hostility, to the past. Most Americans would be surprised to learn just how recent (and controversial) the origins of their traditions are, as well as how those origins are often related to such divisive forces as the trauma of the Civil War or fears for American identity stemming from immigration and socialism. In pithy, entertaining chapters, Inventing American Tradition explores a set of beloved traditions spanning political symbols, holidays, lifestyles, and fictional characters—everything from the anthem to the American flag, blue jeans, and Mickey Mouse. Shedding light on the individuals who created these traditions and their motivations for promoting them, Jack David Eller reveals the murky, conflicted, confused, and contradictory history of emblems and institutions we very often take to be the bedrock of America. What emerges from this sideways take on our most celebrated Americanisms is the realization that all traditions are invented by particular people at particular times for particular reasons, and that the process of “traditioning” is forever ongoing—especially in the land of the free.