I discovered my favorite type of books

[@livforreading]

Wow the number of times I’ve read one paragraph and not felt like a good enough reader 😂 glad someone else has felt the same

[@colorlesswonderland]

Yeah joining Booktube was the best thing for my reading mental health because I found videos where people were going through the same reading struggles that I was! So I always want to be as transparent as possible on this! Thank you for the comment!

[@alb0zfinest]

@@colorlesswonderland I’m sure you get enough recommendations, but let me add to it anyway 😛. Germinal by Emile Zola. It’s about a coalminers strike in France in the 1860s. Even though written in 1885, it reads very modern and is probably one of the best classics I have ever read (and I’ve read many English classics, American classics, Russian classics and Latin American classics).

[@reesedonnelly7077]

This is exactly how I feel about all of my nyrb books, I was lucky enough to find Stoner at a used bookstore and it's the next book to read! Naked Earth is such a banger!

[@colorlesswonderland]

Naked Earth is absolutely riveting right now I am so excited to talk about it

[@chriss3625]

I keep seeing Stoner come up… ok, adding to tbr list now… 😀

[@MeetFrizzie]

This was honestly SO validating. I’ve never heard an avid reader talk about how they struggle to read classics and it’s honestly made me doubt myself. I’ve seen these at bookstores but never bought one bc I thought I couldn’t read classics.

[@colorlesswonderland]

You are and always have been able to read classics; they can be scary but I promise you are a good reader and will crush them!

[@lila3372]

Stoner was (and still is) my first NYRB copy too!!

[@colorlesswonderland]

It's truly an incredible book that the more I think about the more it's a shame I haven't read it 100 times already

[@clayton7463]

I’m currently reading The Recognitions. Don’t be intimidated and just jump in whenever you’re ready. It’s going to take a long time but mostly because most of the passages are so amazing you’ll find yourself wanting to read them over and over. I have had some of the best reading experiences of my life so I’m extremely thankful of NYRB for these Gaddis reprintings.

[@colorlesswonderland]

I cant wait to read it then! Both Mark and Matt have heavily recommended it so many times so I will have to tackle that soon 👀

[@chrollolucilfer3513]

@@colorlesswonderland day 61 to tell you to pls read demon slayer at least 10 chapters

[@starr2389]

Wow, everything you described about nyrb books sounds so very up my alley - I am a Criterion enthusiast as well lol - and browsing their collection now has me so excited to check some out!! Very contagious enthusiasm, thank you for sharing 🙌

[@deruntergott9727]

Check out Everyman's Library editions. I love them just as much as NYRB editions

[@sueblack5794]

Stoner is my favorite book of all time!

[@bigphilly7345]

Love the Penguin Classics editions. Somehow never heard of NYRB but will explore now.

[@everlastingfeelings]

This video was in my recommendations and I feel lucky! You have a nice voice and cool way of speaking, and I feel happy that you talk about what you love the most! Thank you so much for the content! New subscriber here!

[@rnbsn_]

I love NYRB editions I have a little collection :) They're hard to find in my city so I look for them traveling or secondhand.

[@marymermaid1313]

they should sponsor you!

[@Edog1337]

Just order them online.

[@martasgreatlibrary]

nyrb is a fantastic editing print, i also adore 20th century fiction, i used to be just like you, all about classic classics (is this even english?) but ever since i found books like those that fall into the middle ground i'm all about them

[@travys91]

absolutely love the shirt bestie : )

[@Drasora]

You might like the Daily Rituals-books from Mason Currey

[@mrlately]

Love this ❤

[@sunshineallday1780]

Just as a side note - NYR Books always have the most stunning/mesmerizing book covers. Whoever works within the art department needs several kisses.

[@joanasilva8610]

Im loving this alternative booktube content. I discovered your channel 2 days ago and already bought a book recommended by you. I'm loving it, man. Keep going :)

[@satyarthsingh2276]

NYRB is literally the 'Criterion Collection' for books, great vid! Subbed and cheers from India :)

[@buckfozos5554]

I was just thinking of that comparison, as I looked over my little set of 4 from John Williams. These editions are so nice and tight, will be looking for more.

[@patrickking9600]

I’ve noticed that 19th century books for “young readers” are some of the best classics I’ve read. Florence Kingsley, Emma Leslie, and EDEN Southworth come to mind.

[@BadgerOfTheSea]

They were written at a time that people didn't talk down to young people. They wrote about things young people like that adults may feel not sophisticated enough, but its in a similar tone. Basically saying "sure kids like different things to what adults like but they are not dumb".

[@patrickking9600]

@@BadgerOfTheSea yeah that’s a good point, before they had childhood classified as its own “science” to be studied, kids were just treated like little adults.

[@Pabloaxolotl5628]

I love NYRB Classics, especially the new copy of The Anatomy of Melancholy, which is ridiculously cheap. It’s frankly amazing to me that we can own this book for so cheap, I mean for centuries it wasn’t at all accessible, it’s just so amazing to have such a great book for so cheap, when that book was ridiculously expensive for centuries.

[@samhammond7575]

you said it’s cheap five times!

[@blakeray9856]

I discovered this book not long before the NYRB edition became available, and up to that time, it was very hard to find. I used a library, and scoured all the used book stores I could. I bought the Anatomy of Melancholy in the NYRB edition as soon as it was available. It is my number 1 favorite book of all time. More recently, it has been published in a new Penguin edition, which is excellent and I got it in an ebook version. The NYRB edition is a reprint of an older three-volume Everyman edition. But it is great and I would never part with it!

[@biancasbooks6492]

I agree on the nyrb and criterion comparison! They both highlight such underrated gems in their respective mediums. If you’re up for it, a tour of your nyrb collection would be sweet!

[@elinamorrison]

my boyfriend introduced me to nyrb and i haven’t gone back. Currently I have Nightmare Alley by William Lindsay Gresham and That Awful Mess on the Via Merulana by Carlo Emilio Gada. But I’m hoping to build out a collection!

[@JesseOnYoutube]

Your self critical commentary on “reader imposture syndrome” was elucidating. Thank you for it ✨

[@liamfrederic5203]

off topic but I love your t-shirt!!!!

[@colorlesswonderland]

Lowkey the target pride month selection goes kinda hard

[@Draxtor]

Dude thank you so much! What a passionate "manifesto" for reading and ESPECIALLY when you do NOT understand everything. The joy: going into something unprepared, intuitive, going with the flow of the words and then being transformed about it, getting outside your comfort zone etc etc etc! As the host of the Second Life Book Club I KNOW how you feel in re self-confidence ;) every week a new author and I feel I need to project an aura of KNOWLEDGE about literature and context etc while the point is DISCOVERY and JOY and being ABSORBED by worlds that may be intimidating and DESTABILIZING you even, at least temporarily. Anyhow = great stuff man!

[@babettedejong2975]

Ooh, yeah, nice editions! Thanks for introducing them to me.

[@sushi_donut]

An educator wearing that shirt gives me hope for our future. Thank you.

[@To9R]

When I started seriously reading again in my early twenties, I devoured everything from classics to contemporaries, and just like you, it seems like it's that middle ground of "contemporary classics" (late 40s to early 90s) that really ended up doing it for me. Very few can beat authors like Gombrowicz and Kawabata, and not to mention Williams. Always nice to hear your thoughts, looking forward to following you along the lovely road of reading!

[@arayasunshinec]

Really fascinated by this, honestly have no idea if I’ve come across NYRBs or not but I’m gonna pay attention now. This reminded me of when I was 12 and started reading a tale of two cities and loved it but felt like I didn’t fully understand what it was about so waited a few years to read it fully and really felt like that was the right call. I grew as a reader between time. I also pace myself with classics, they do wear you out! I usually cycle through a easier read, a classic, And a non fiction so I’m never fully burnt out on something haha

[@kate___lynch]

This was such an interesting video. I’ve never seen any other of your videos, this was randomly recommended to me, but I stayed because you made me intrigued right off the start. I’ve never heard anyone talk about such unique topics and It’s always interesting to listen to people like you.

[@daydream1066]

Huh... maybe I should actually read the introduction to my classics because then maybe I would understand them so much better! I will start doing that and hopefully it will help my comprehension! :D

[@godlyuchis]

we love an ally !! btw you should check out the penguin english library and oxford world classics edition, they would absolutely make a great collection. also noticed the tabs on your books and maybe take us on how you do annotations ??

[@LuluST-nc6us]

Great idea! I would live a video on annotation.

[@colorlesswonderland]

I have had a couple people ask me about annotations before and as much as I would love to say that I have a very intricate method of annotating my books, I really just mark passages that are well written/engaging/interesting/etc

[@tristanschafer1]

My first NYRB Classic was Skylark by Dezső Kosztolányi, and it kickstarted a pretty strong obsession for me too. I wasn't even really much of a reader at the time, but it was short and I liked the cover so I rented it from my local library. I loved it, and when I returned it and looked through the shelves I started seeing more and more of those familiar spines all over the shelves. That kind of uniformity of design is really striking to the eye so it makes it really easy to spot the books on shelves; the first few experiences I had with their publications were really positive so it inspired trust in the quality of the material, and those two qualities (in addition to everything you said in the video, which I didn't even really think about until now) are what caused me to actually be able to turn recreational reading into a hobby that I do consistently. Not sure which books you've already read, but the aforementioned Skylark, Qiu Miaojin's Notes of a Crocodile, and Elliott Chaze's Black Wings Has My Angel stick out to me as especially high quality.

[@bex262]

i loved notes of a crocodile! one of my fav books of all time! was such a gem to find and maybe one of the most stunning covers on my shelf!

[@beauritten9112]

NYRB and New Directions are always putting out bangers!

[@beauritten9112]

For New Directions I highly recommend Mrs. Caliban, His Name Was Death, and Miss Lonelyhearts & The Day of the Locust (they're all fairly short) as starters if you want to stick with contemporary classics.

[@Comedygames07]

If you haven’t, definitely give some books from New Directions publishing a shot, too! Some of my favorites from them have been The Hole, by Hiroko Oyamada, Unclay, by T.F. Powys and The Houseguest, by Amparo Dávila.

[@jessicawang6558]

Seconded! New directions publishing is my NYRB : )

[@EPDUBSKIII]

I totally relate to the feeling of going through phases of confidence with reading! Sometimes I pick up a book and get intimidated by the language or the sentence structure, even though I've been a voracious reader my whole life. I have a copy of Eve Babitz's "Slow Days, Fast Company" and I'm reading it next because of this recc!

[@jat4554]

Pretty good reads, that's for sure ... Nice shirt too btw

[@colorlesswonderland]

Thank you :)

[@LogDod]

"It took forever for me to get through Pride and Prejudice. It took me 3 weeks!"............ ah yes......

[@goom-]

Ohhh I have a manga from nyrb but instead it's nyrc. I'll check out their books too, great video!

[@nateskii]

NYRB books deserve more attention! What introduced me to the collection is this magnificent bildungsroman classic NOTES OF A CROCODILE by Qiu Miaojin (Translated from the Chinese by Bonnie Huie) and it still remains one of my favourite books of all time. If you're into historical fiction and bildungsroman, I highly, highly recommend it!

[@leftiesmudge]

one of my favorite books of all time!!!! a special place in my heart fr

[@nateskii]

@@leftiesmudge the aesthetic!!

[@aliciaguzman]

I had no idea NYRB existed! The editions look great. I need to start paying more attention to publications and presses

[@homeirasoufi7565]

Very interesting video and different point of view, which was great help for me. Thanks you.

[@kermit3194]

Yess!! Love the nyrb editions!! They are gorgeous

[@Emma-he3df]

Hi everyone! A lot of NYRB's are on sale right now at the Harvard Bookstore Warehouse Sale (online) until 7/11! They ship in the United States.

[@colorlesswonderland]

Emma you are my hero I had no idea that sale was going on and I just bought 13 books. I also got my other friends to buy books to it was euphoric

[@aadamtx]

I understand completely - I've been a NYRB fan for years (and bought the sale books) butt am also currently plowing through Ann Radcliffe's MYSTERIES OF UDOLPHO in the Penguin edition. You're correct that it's hard to find NYRBs in used bookstores - the copies I donate locally at my store in Houston disappear almost immediately (I also work there part-time, so it's easy to spot what's gone). Hope you got around to reading Gaddis - I'm a big fan and am constantly shoving folks towards him and Mark Helprin. And STONER is excellent!

[@karenbird6727]

A wonderful book put out by NYRB is Uwe Johnson's Anniversary: From a Year in the Life of Gesine Cresspahl

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

I have a shelf specifically for my NYRB collection. And another one for Europa. 🤓

[@colorlesswonderland]

Oh crap I don't have any Europa books but they look amazing....damn you you may have started another addiction

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

@@colorlesswonderland LOL! Let me know if you want some suggestions. 🤣

[@MIDDLEoftheBookMARCH]

Jane Gardam and Elena Ferrante are a few Europa favorite authors. Oh and Negar Djavadi.

[@blakeray9856]

These NYRB editions are great and much needed. Some of the best books I have ever read. I highly recommend some recent ones, if you like Russian literature: The Story of a Life, by Konstantin Paustovky, the first half of an extraordinary memoir of a man who was a young adult at the time of the Russian Revolution. Even this first half is very long (769 pages), but it is very interesting and not difficult or dull. The author is sane and sensitive, and writes vivid pictures of people, places, nature, and of what is now a lost world. NYRB estions of Leskov and Platonov, two lesser known writers (in the West, at least) are very rewarding. And don't miss Patrick Leigh Fermor's "A Time of Gifts," a memoir of his walk across Europe on foot, solo, in his youth from Rotterdam to Constantinople in the 1930s. Incredible! There are many others. NYRB selects titles of real literary merit. You almost can't go wrong.

[@Sbp9284]

Omg I remember Borders books! That takes me back to being a kid in that book wonderland. Anyway, great video.

[@Cleosaurusrex]

Saw the shirt, had to sub

[@TheRealFinnWilliams]

Have you read any of Hard Rain Falling (Don Carpenter), Black Wings Has My Angel (Elliot Chaze) or Fat City (Leonard Gardner)? All NYRB

[@sidclark1953]

You gotta get into Abebooks for NYRBs, save a lotta money. And I've read a few NYRBs and some of them are so crazy and quirky you feel they were republished as a joke. Here are the weird ones I've read that just make me scratch my head: "Rim of the Morning", "Machines in the Head", "The Long Ships", "A High Wind in Jamaica", "Black Wings Has My Angel". The Human Comedy short stories of Balzac are surprisingly shallow, his novella, "The Duchess of Langeais" has a punchline that'll make ya puke. "Jakob von Gunten" is very nice though. I'm currently reading "The Go-Between" and it's OK. They made a movie of it written by Pinter and directed by Losey that I saw many years ago that's pretty tragic in a weird way. Oh, and beware of the write-ups on the NYRB site, they can be pretty misleading. Always check with the Amazon and Goodreads reviewers first.

[@MyFreezerBride]

Alright. So I don't ever comment on any YT video or any post on social media, but I'm ITCHING to do so now because of this vid. So English is not my native language. Arabic is. But I ADORE reading classics, especially ones written in English. Admittedly, sometimes I find it arduous to read classics. Whether it's because the language is difficult and expensive, or the historical context is lost on me or the philosophical concept is complicated... etc Often times I find myself having to re-read whole paragraphs or unfortunately DNF'ing a few books because I feel like I'm not equipped enough to read them. So Tyler, you have no idea how COMFORTING it is to hear you validate my worries and issues. Especially that there are classics reading content creators on this platform who make it look effortless. That said, I'll be on the lookout for some NYRB publications now.

[@cameronarthur0]

NYRB has a cool comics line. If you're in to manga I would recommend The Man Without Talent by Yoshiharu Tsuge. It is not like a lot of the manga you see and also has a great essay in it by the manga scholar Ryan Holmberg. Also check out the graphic novel they put out called Pittsburgh by Frank Santoro.

[@apurplepaintingunicorn3363]

Great video as always, and congrats on the 12k! I'm also from a small town in MA! I can only imagine how surreal the amount of support feels, even though it's well deserved.

[@colorlesswonderland]

Hell yeah we love our small town Massachusetts people here!

[@pippistyles]

I miss reading books in high school English class when we would learn about the author, time period and the context of books. Because now when I try to read a classic it’s harder since I have to actively learn any context of a book by myself 😂

[@gs547]

Language changes over time. So reading Chaucer is challenging. Reading Shakespeare is more difficult than it was in the 1800s. So eventually, reading old classics will become impossible. You are on to something. If the language is hard to understand, the payback of finishing is less. You are the consumer and are the final arbiter of worth.

[@seb267]

Note for philosophy nerds: Stay away from penguin classics, especially for the Greeks. The translations are often extremely outdated/bad

[@babettedejong2975]

A specific question: I want to read The Anatomy of Melancholy, but I was wondering how the NYRB edition lays open? Since it's such an enormous chonker, how does it feel in the hands?

[@chantel-tbr]

Wow that’s how I realized I loved penguin too when I was enjoying the long intros they provided when I read The Count of Monte Cristo!

[@laurasalo6160]

If im struggling to get into a book, i will open it up halfway thru chapter 3 or 4 and start yhere. Then when im so interested, ill jump back to the beginning to find out what i missed and then go back to where i was before. Im reading a huge bio abour Che Guevara and the first few pages were so boring so i jumped to his motorcycle trip and its an awesome read - and i dont even like the guy, i just want to understand the man vs the myth. I'll head back to the beginning later!! It works for me.

[@kipsiki]

What kind of introductions did you say about books from the penguin classics? Is it just a few pages at the beginning? P.S. the T-shirt is fabulous like the video

[@ericw4377]

I have two of them. Now I just need to get the other 628 and I'll have a complete NYRB collection!

[@sindijaz7912]

I'm not entirely sure how it is in USA, but if you buy from book depository a lot of times the nyrb books are cheaper.

[@katepoche4603]

THANK YOU for introducing me to NYRBs! Every book is a new favorite!

[@Ali-xw5nw]

nice shirt.

[@soumyabratachakraborty7283]

Having a dark shelf full of worn out penguin classics is the highest mark of intellect a person can flex.

[@hinnakoto]

am i the only one who thought this guy was the hamburger waiter from Severance? :P i’m glad i made that mistake though, this is good content!

[@stanbrown32]

I do like the NYRB editions I've had, but I mostly am not into the modern lit they reprint. I got their books each month for a year or so and then didn't renew the subscription.

[@myangeljin_]

thank you so much for introducing me to this!!! I'm in love with the editions and I'll probably read one of their books this month!!!!

[@colorlesswonderland]

I cant wait for you to check them out! Let me know which ones you get and what you end up thinking about them!

[@driesclans8974]

the way I relate to this is uncanny thanks for making me realise how i feel about classics

[@sarahhavillamelooliveira5825]

I deeply understand getting used to an author style. The first page of Judith Buttler felt like trying to run underwater. The second book thing is chinese novels which I adore, but there is so much to go through before you NEED to understand in order to actually read it and I felt so proud the first time I actually understand their chit chat about traditional poetry and I did understand. It was a refrence of a poet that talked how his wife was just the best and how he didn't felt the appeal of any other human like he did to his wife. He goes to say other lands may have beautiful skies, but none it's like that one place he belongs.

[@booknikYT]

I have the big Allen Ginsberg NYRB and it's great. I never see them in my bookstore so I don't ever think about checking their library out. I really need to....

[@sethtopper700]

My first (and only) nyrb classic is "A Time of Gifts" by Patrick Leigh Fermor. Have you read this one?

[@colorlesswonderland]

I have not but I have seen it in stores and it looks interesting! Do you recommend it?

[@sethtopper700]

@@colorlesswonderland I'm currently a third of the way through it and it is great. Also challenging as there are many references to Dutch and German landmarks, architecture, history, and literature of which I am unfamiliar. But yes, a recommend.

[@Pi-Mae]

Awww 🥰 I found your catcher in the rye video so I wanted to see your latest content. Then I saw your trans rights T shirt✌🏽🐝💕

[@turningpageswithclaudia4559]

Sounds like when I’m in the mood for a classic, but also not in the mood for a classic, I’ll pick up those editions.

[@colorlesswonderland]

That is exactly my mindset with these!

[@JesseOnYoutube]

Your shirt ✨

[@DUFMAN123]

I'm really excited to have my first NYRB arrive in the next week and it's also Stoner! I too loved their website and I have no less than about 20 of their books that I'm eyeing to buy over the next few years. I mostly read the classics and so finding out about all of these under read and previously out of print books has been like discovering a treasure trove. I'm so excited to see what they are like and slowly grow my collection.

[@ASMRpaperbackboy]

You already were such a comfort wat h to me. But the shirt had me. I’m sold.

[@michaelmcgee335]

The introductions are great but they should be read after the main text because of spoilers.

[@deadstar962]

Too expensive and they don’t have the classics I’m looking for

[@alicerivierre]

Hello, Colorless Wonderland! What's up, dude?

[@colorlesswonderland]

Hello Alice! What's up with you?

[@ellarene3478]

Yes!!! Finally someone mentions NYRB!! Have been collecting these editions since I first found them :)

[@troytradup]

I love NYRB books, although I think I've gotten more gnarly paper cuts from their sharp covers and paper than from any other publishing line. If you're ever in Minneapolis, there's a store here (Magers & Quinn) that has several full shelves of remaindered NYRB books all around $9 a piece. Also, kudos to NYRB for republishing THE Great American Horror Novel: The Other by Thomas Tryon.

[@j.s.elliot7121]

Interestingly, NYRB had gone under my radar. I know and love the Penguin Classics, even being mostly a fantasy and scifi reader. I'll have to check their selection out.

[@colorlesswonderland]

Their selection is amazing! Let me know what you end up getting!

[@j.s.elliot7121]

_The Enchanted April_ by Elizabeth von Arnim - It looks interesting! I used self-control and only got one. 😆

[@barbaramacedo1575]

Thank you too 😊 you’ve inspired me. I

[@colorlesswonderland]

That is the nicest comment I have ever received thank you so much!

[@ElaineDarlingtonBrown]

Great stuff. thanks. Where's DRUNZO???

[@tonybennett4159]

Wasn't sure if I could get NYRB editions in the UK, but a visit to my nearest bookshop showed that indeed we can and at the back of "We Think the World of You" which was what I bought, is a super list of titles showing just what is available. On a different note, will you be reviewing "The Professor's House" which I know you were in the process of reading?

[@erik5608]

Omg I literally just bought a penguin classic book today

[@ashleygallaher7837]

I think NYRB published a few of Eve Babitz’s books. Her writing is incredible!! Highly recommend

[@johnnamurraycamp5100]

I've enjoyed many Penguin classics and adore the NYRBs. LOVED Stoner. Stefan Zweig's writing is also wonderful. Go you!

[@thaluthathaluth]

Are you trans or an ally? Beautiful man either way.

[@NoufKh-e1l]

I just dont trust someone with a catcher in the rye poster behind them

[@Emmet_Moore]

Just wait until you find out about Oxford World Classics lol

[@jannekevandenberg1119]

O my gosh i love the way you talk about books. So passionately. The vibe you have is amazing, a subscribe from me

[@glimmeringshard]

This is the first vid from you I came across and I like how you talk about them and I checked out the other videos you made and they're all very interesting topics! Immediately subscribed!

[@moeadul]

i've seen a few of your videos but your shirt made me a subscriber today

[@ellelle]

New directions!