Most blurbs on the backs of books are worthless; a cynic might say that they're one author pimping for another, in hopes of getting a similar favor in return some day. But one endorsement has stuck in my mind since I first saw it ~1966 on a Ballantine paperback edition of J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. It was by C. S. Lewis and rang with poetic truth:

"Here are beauties which pierce like swords or burn like cold iron; here is a book that will break your heart ... good beyond hope."

(see also DangerousSelves (2 Jun 1999), IngeniousDevices (6 Jun 1999), JustDesserts (20 Sep 1999), NoTimeForThat (29 May 2001), OurOneRing (18 Dec 2001), LaughingAtOneself (14 Jan 2002), WalkAbout (9 Mar 2002), FiveOh (29 Sep 2002), TwoTowers (29 Dec 2002), EnchantedLandscapes (7 Jan 2003), ExpandingUniverse (26 Jun 2003), ... )

TopicLiterature - TopicWriting - 2004-05-30

(correlates: SubtopicTolkien, GreatWriters, SemioticArsenal, ...)