Rooms of Their Own: Where Great Writers Write

Rooms of Their Own: Where Great Writers Write

  • Downloads:4957
  • Type:Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date:2022-05-16 08:41:45
  • Update Date:2025-09-23
  • Status:finish
  • Author:Alex Johnson
  • ISBN:0711258015
  • Environment:PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Summary

Rooms of Their Own travels around the world examining the unique spaces, habits and rituals in which famous writers created their most notable works。 

The perennial question asked of all authors is, 'How do you write?'。 What do they require of their room or desk? Do they have favourite pens, paper or typewriters? And have they found the perfect daily routine to channel their creativity? Crossing centuries, continents and genres, Alex Johnson has pooled 50 of the best writers and transports you to the heart of their writing rooms – from attics and studies to billiard rooms and bathtubs。

Discover the ins and outs of how each great writer penned their famous texts, and the routines and habits they perfected。 Meet authors who rely on silence and seclusion and those who need people, music and whisky。 Meet novelists who travel half-way across the world to a luxury writing retreat, and others who just need an empty shed at the bottom of the garden。 Some are particular about pencils, inks, paper and typewriters, and some will scribble on anything – including the furniture。 But whether they write in the library or in cars, under trees, private islands, hotel rooms or towers – each of these stories confirms that there is no 'best way' to write。

From James Baldwin, writing in the small hours of the morning in his Paris apartment, to DH Lawrence writing at the foot of a towering Ponderosa pine tree, to the Brontë sisters managing in a crowded co-working space, this book takes us into the lives of some of history's greatest ever writers, with each writing space illustrated in evocative watercolour by James Oses。

In looking at the working lives of our favourite authors, bibliophiles will be transported to other worldsaspiring writers will find inspiration and literature fans will gain deeper insight into their most-loved authors。

Download

Reviews

Janelle

This is an enjoyable read about where authors like to write, their habits and methods。 There’s a wide range of writers covered from classic to contemporary with lots of trivia。 It has pretty illustrations throughout but I think I’d’ve preferred photos where available。 But it’d be a lovely gift for any well read person who wants a light read about some of their favourite authors (although I really didn’t need to know about Dickens’s anal fistula!)

Michelle Kidwell

Rooms of Their OwnWhere Great Writers Writeby Alex JohnsonPub Date 19 Apr 2022 Quarto Publishing Group – White Lion, Frances Lincoln Biographies & Memoirs I am reviewing a copy of Rooms of Their Own through Quarto Publishing Group, White Lion and Netgalley:How do you write? What is it you require from your room or desk? Do you have a favorite pen, typewriter? Did they find a routine, that fit their creativity perfectLy? These are the questions that were asked about writers, crossing centuries, Rooms of Their OwnWhere Great Writers Writeby Alex JohnsonPub Date 19 Apr 2022 Quarto Publishing Group – White Lion, Frances Lincoln Biographies & Memoirs I am reviewing a copy of Rooms of Their Own through Quarto Publishing Group, White Lion and Netgalley:How do you write? What is it you require from your room or desk? Do you have a favorite pen, typewriter? Did they find a routine, that fit their creativity perfectLy? These are the questions that were asked about writers, crossing centuries, genres and continents。In Rooms of their own you will not only discover the unique spaces, habits and rituals in which famous writers created their most notable works, but you’ll also discover how each great writer penned their famous texts, and the routines and habits they perfected。 Meet authors who rely on silence and seclusion and those who need people, music and whisky。 Meet novelists who travel half-way across the world to a luxury writing retreat, and others who just need an empty shed at the bottom of the garden。 Some are particular about pencils, inks, paper and typewriters, and some will scribble on anything – including the furniture。 But whether they write in the library or in cars, under trees, private islands, hotel rooms or towers – each of these stories confirms that there is no 'best way' to write。In this book you’ll discover James Baldwin, writing in the small hours of the morning in his Paris apartment, to DH Lawrence writing at the foot of a towering Ponderosa pine tree, to the Brontë sisters managing in a crowded co-working space, this book takes us into the lives of some of history's greatest ever writers, with each writing space illustrated in evocative watercolour by James Oses。If you’re looking for a quick peek into the ways which writers like Maya Angelou, and Ray Bradbury I highly recommend Rooms of Their Own。Five out of five stars!Happy Reading! 。。。more

Laura Jones

This is a really lovely book that tells us all about the preferred writing rituals of fifty well-known authors。 It is the sort of book you can leave on your coffee table and pick up when you have five minutes, and become absorbed in the writing life of your favourite author。 It has a nice balance of modern and traditional writers and is punctuated with fun, full-colour illustrations that bring a sense of light playfulness to the book。This book would make a perfect gift for both writers and reade This is a really lovely book that tells us all about the preferred writing rituals of fifty well-known authors。 It is the sort of book you can leave on your coffee table and pick up when you have five minutes, and become absorbed in the writing life of your favourite author。 It has a nice balance of modern and traditional writers and is punctuated with fun, full-colour illustrations that bring a sense of light playfulness to the book。This book would make a perfect gift for both writers and readers and it introduced me to several authors that I had not heard of before。 It is full of interesting facts about each writer but more importantly, it made these great writers into real human beings - the portrait in Roald Dahl’s shed of his daughter who died aged seven; Colette’s habit of procrastinating and how she attempted to overcome it by being locked in a room for four hours to make her write; Emily Dickinson’s need for solitude; and I loved Margaret Mitchell’s envelopes! Many of the writers made efforts to create their own spaces in which to write。 As a writer myself I felt a kinship with these authors as I realised that they struggled too, but they pushed through these struggles by ensuring they had the best conditions for them to write in。 It has inspired me to take a good look at my own writing space!I really recommend this book if you like to have a peek into the lives of other writers。 There is much to be learned here。 With thanks to Netgalley and Quarto-White Lion for providing an advance review copy。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more

Reading_ Tamishly

This is such a fun read! Writers and readers will enjoy this book。 I didn't expect the book to be this entertaining。 I expected a serious read about writers but with the illustrations and the possible assumptions on each of these famous writers made a very enjoyable read。Love the illustrations。 Please don't take everything so seriously when you happen to read this book。 If you are a writer, you will understand better what I mean to say here。 But also, you will get to learn a lot more about the w This is such a fun read! Writers and readers will enjoy this book。 I didn't expect the book to be this entertaining。 I expected a serious read about writers but with the illustrations and the possible assumptions on each of these famous writers made a very enjoyable read。Love the illustrations。 Please don't take everything so seriously when you happen to read this book。 If you are a writer, you will understand better what I mean to say here。 But also, you will get to learn a lot more about the writers mentioned。And I loved Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own a lot。 It's fun to read this compilation!Thank you, Quarto Publishing Group White Lion, for the advance reading copy。 。。。more

joyce w。 laudon

Clearly the title of this book plays homage to Virginia Woolf in the nicest possible way。 Alex Johnson in this delightfully illustrated book shares stories about where writers like to go when they want to write。 There are fifty writers included in this volume which can be dipped into according to one’s fancy。 I looked first to some of my favorite authors and then moved on to others who were equally interesting。Just a few of those included are Jane Austen, James Baldwin, Agatha Christie, Charles Clearly the title of this book plays homage to Virginia Woolf in the nicest possible way。 Alex Johnson in this delightfully illustrated book shares stories about where writers like to go when they want to write。 There are fifty writers included in this volume which can be dipped into according to one’s fancy。 I looked first to some of my favorite authors and then moved on to others who were equally interesting。Just a few of those included are Jane Austen, James Baldwin, Agatha Christie, Charles Dickens, Emily Dickinson, Thomas Hardy Astrid Lindgren, Haruki Murakami, Sylvia Plath, Beatrix Potter and J。K。 Rowling。 Each author’s entry includes interesting facts and a most evocative illustration or two。I adored spending time in these writers’ spaces and learning about how they made their choices。 For example, Emily Dickinson embraced the “solitude” of her bedroom。 She “pretended to lock the door” and noted that freedom was within。 Conan Doyle had a very special writing set up made by a well known luggage manufacturer while Maya Angelou wrote in a hotel room。This is a book that is perfect for bibliophiles。 It would make a lovely gift。Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto publishing for this title。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more

Theediscerning

Coffee – whether one or fifty cups a day – or something stronger? Silence or music? Meditation and dog-walking before a day's shift, a skinny-dip, or the usual two a。m。 alarm bell? A must-have bolt-hole, or any desk in a storm? Writers' residences and their habits in them are looked at in lots of pleasant little essays here, which almost seem linked and flowing in one narrative at times (although the disjuncture between Ray Bradbury's disembodied head maquettes and the Bronte parsonage has never Coffee – whether one or fifty cups a day – or something stronger? Silence or music? Meditation and dog-walking before a day's shift, a skinny-dip, or the usual two a。m。 alarm bell? A must-have bolt-hole, or any desk in a storm? Writers' residences and their habits in them are looked at in lots of pleasant little essays here, which almost seem linked and flowing in one narrative at times (although the disjuncture between Ray Bradbury's disembodied head maquettes and the Bronte parsonage has never been exceeded)。 It's a genial, light entity perfect for browsing and perhaps wishing to have similar posthumous renown coming to our own homes when we're gone。 The stickler for detail in me would probably prefer photographic evidence as opposed to the artist's knock-ups, but all the same this is for lovers of writerly trivia, and may also provide lots of fun experimentation for those still just finding their path to the full page。 On that note, however, much of this is for the trained liver only。 。。。more