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The Mezzanine
by Nicholson Baker
ISBN: 0679725768
ISBN-13: 9780679725763
Format: Paperback
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Summary
Nicholson Baker's divinely nutty first book, THE MEZZANINE, takes place as Howie, the protagonist, rides down the escalator in the office building where he works, planning to buy a new shoelace because his has broken. From this series of nonevents in a plotless novel, Baker fashions a brilliant and hilarious narrative about nothing more (or less) than Howie's view of the world. As one digression leads to another (and to a whirlwind of elaborate, funny, and/or informative footnotes), Howie ponders such things as milk cartons, bathrooms, staples, the little thread you pull to open a band aid, Pez dispensers, doorknobs, and of course shoelaces (the physics of their breakage) and even footnotes themselves. Of all his novels, THE MEZZANINE seems the most accurate mirror of what the inside of its author's curious (in both senses) mind must look like: a roomy, well-stocked fusion of the astutely scientific and the purely childlike, full of fascinating facts, utterly unique observations, and an enviable way with the English language.
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Media Reviews
"THE MEZZANINE...has no story, no plot, no conflict. When somebody describes it to you it sounds stupid (which, by the way, is a characteristic of all good gimmick novels). Yet its 135 pages probably contain more insight into life as we live it than anything currently on the best-seller lists....THE MEZZANINE is a very funny book about the human mind, in particular that part of the mind that processes the triviality of daily events that seem to have no importance but end up occupying so much of our existence....[T]here is a first-rate comic mind at work here, so let's be thankful he's chosen to toil in the salt mines of fiction rather than making a fortune writing for David Letterman." -- Robert Plunkett
-- New York Times Book Review
"I confess to finding Nicholson Baker's prose so witty and hypnotic that I never want it to stop."
-- Washington Post Book World
"[A] wonderfully pedantic take on five minutes of normal life..." -- Vince Passaro
-- Harper\'s
"This novel traces a few hours in the life of an overly analytical, urban office worker named Howie. It sounds boring, but Nicholson Baker's first-person creation mixes old-fashioned wit with a keen eye for meaningful minutiae, giving the book a surprising heft." -- Damien Cave
-- Salon
Bibliographic Details
Publisher: Vintage Books
Published date: 1990
Size: 5.25 x 8.25 inches
Weight: 0.35 pounds
Publisher's Notes
Turns an ordinary ride up an office escalator into a meditation on our relations with familiar objects--shoelaces, straws, and more. Baker's debut novel, and a favorite amongst many of us here.
Other Editions
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The Mezzanine
Nicholson Baker
Vintage. Used - Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! ( more information) Offered by Better World Books (United States)
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2)
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The Mezzanine
Baker, Nicholson
New York: Vintage Contemporaries, 1990. Trade Paperback. Very Good/No Jacket as Issued. Upper corner of front cover has a few small puncture marks, otherwise cover shows only light wear. Previous owner name to flyleaf. No other marks. 135pp. ISBN: 0-679-72576-8. ( more information) Offered by Muses Books (United States)
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3)
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The Mezzanine
Nicholson Baker
Vintage, 1990-01-16. Paperback. Good. Edge and corner weear. Slight creases to cover. Slight crease to spine. Pages still clean and tight. ( more information) Offered by Half Price Books, Inc. (United States)
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4)
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The Mezzanine (Vintage Contemporaries
BAKER, NICHOLSON
New York: Vintage. January 16, 199. Paperback. Near Fine. Baker's irresistibly readable short novel presents the quirkyand often hila riousinner life of a thoroughly modern office worker. With high wit and in precisely articulated prose, the unnamed narrator examines, in minute and c omically digressive detail, the little things in life that illustrate how o ne addresses a problem or a new idea: the plastic straw (and its annoying t endency to float), the vacuous ci vilities of office chatter, doorknobs, ne ckties, escalators and the laughable evolution of milk deliveryfrom those o ld-fashioned hefty bottles to the folding carton. Using the keenly observed odds and ends of day-to-day consciousness, Baker allows his narrator to re -create the budding perceptions of a child facing a larger mysterious world , as each event in his day conjures up memories of previous incidents. Thro ugh the elegant manipulation of time, and sharp, defining memories of child hood, the narrator dissects each item of apparent cultural flotsam with the thoroughness of a prosaic, though wacky, technical manual. The rambling "f ootnotes" alone are worth the price of this cheerfully original novel. ( more information) Offered by Infinity Books Japan (Japan)
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5)
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mezzanine
baker, nicholson
Trade Paperback. All books in VG or better condition. ( more information) Offered by Sixth Chamber Used Books (United States)
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6)
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The Mezzanine
Baker, Nicholson
Vintage. PAPERBACK. 0679725768 45__ BRAND NEW OVERSIZE EDITION !!!!!!!!!!__FREE DELIVERY CONFIRMATION !___SHIPS OUT WITHIN 24 HOURS . New. ( more information) Offered by HUDSON BOOKS (United States)
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7)
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The Mezzanine
Baker, Nicholson
New York, New York, U.S.A.: Vintage. Very Good/No Jacket. 1990. Trade Paperback. 0-679-72576-8. ( more information) Offered by Ink and Paper (United States)
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MEZZANINE
BAKER, NICHOLSON
RANDOM HOUSE TRADE, 190. QUALITY PAPERBACK. FR. ( more information) Offered by Elliott Bay Book Company (United States)
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9)
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The Mezzanine
Baker, Nicholson
New York: Vintage, 1990 133 p. Fine. Scarce this condition. MB10. First Paperback Edition. Soft Cover. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. ( more information) Offered by Neil G. Marshall (Canada)
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10)
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The Mezzanine [Paperback] by Baker, Nicholson
Nicholson Baker
Vintage, 1990-01-16. Paperback. Like New. Excellent condition. Appears unread. No marks/underlines/highlights. Pages are clean and tight. Satisfaction guaranteed! Shipping within 24 hours! ( more information) Offered by XYZBOOK (United States)
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11)
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The Mezzanine (Qty: 2)
Baker, Nicholson
Vintage. PAPERBACK. 0679725768 We sell only brand new merchandise! . New. ( more information) Offered by Robin Pugh's Nest of Treasures (United States)
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The Mezzanine (Qty: 2)
Baker, Nicholson
Vintage. PAPERBACK. 0679725768 We sell only brand new merchandise! . New. ( more information) Offered by Robin Pugh's Nest of Treasures (United States)
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