"What, you may ask, are feuding nudists, dueling translators of the Bible into Klingon, and the makers of high-quality prison underwear doing on the front page of "The Wall Street Journal?"" Veteran "Journal" reporter and Page One editor Ken Wells provides the answer in this collection of the most entertaining and memorable pieces from the renowned "middle column" of the "Journal." On any given day, millions of "Journal" readers put aside the serious business and economic stories of the day to focus first on the paper's middle column -- the "A-hed" in "Journal" parlance. There, they find these stories and more, pieces that cover unexpected, odd and amusing topics that readers unfamiliar with the "Journal" wouldn't expect to find in so august a publication, stories crafted with wit, whimsy and wry understatement that are the hallmarks of the "Journal's" best writing. Here are just a few: How to throw your grand piano 125 yards Is golf played up the side of a bear-infested mountain in blizzard conditions still really golf? Why more people than you might imagine get a kick out of smoking toads How we found the biblical Garden of Eden, just past the orange juice factory The very latest developments in sheep orthodontia The bit of high-profile real estate that the middle column occupies once held a tip sheet on the stock market, until legendary managing editor Barney Kilgore decided to introduce a tonic or a diversion -- a story so light that it has been said to "float off the page." Ever since, the middle column has been a daily haven for harried business readers. With selections chosen by Ken Wells, one of the Journal's most accomplished writers andfeature editors, the book is the perfect elixir for "The Wall Street Journal's" millions of regular readers, and for all admirers of innovative prose.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Nothing Heavy:
For those who enjoy good journalistic writing, these stories are like eating a box of chocolates. Reading one or two a day can be a real treat. Reading a half dozen at a time may leave a saccharine aftertaste.
Editorial arrangement of the stories in topical groups is reasonable enough, but the editor plays coy with the date of composition, putting it at the end of the essay. It's as if the topics are so airy, it makes little difference whether they're true in the recent past or forty years ago. Enjoy the... more info
News Stories Of Lasting Quality and Value:
Most daily journalism is written, edited and published under strict deadline pressure, and is as perishable as the newsprint it's printed on. But there are exceptions. Give a talented reporter freedom of time and subject matter, and sometimes the result can soar close to, if not actually achieve, the quality of literature. Some great examples of this are collected in "Floating Off the Page." The Wall Street Journal is primarily known as a financial newspaper. But since 1941, the middle column of its... more info
Informative and Funny:
Admittedly, I knew very little about the Middle Column of the Wall Street Journal before reading this book. Now, I might just have to get a subscription to WSJ! The stories unfold as if they are the creation of some short story writer. Would you ever think that getting a hole-in-one in golf could be a bad thing? Well, in Japan, it is....in a way. And if you think that Stephen King writes a lot of books, wait until you hear about the man who holds the world record. A lot of the stuff you will learn from this... more info
Interesting to read and useful as a gift:
A few times a year we need a gift for someone whose tastes and interests are not well known to us. After perusing the many brief essays that make up this book, I know this will be a choice we'll use again and again.
First, the editor chose widely among dates available, resulting in a selection that includes not only material from the past decade, but studies that reach into the early sixties. It is intriguing to play a little game whilst reading each story: what decade is it? Sometimes you'll win;... more info
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