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The View from the Cheap Seats: Selected Nonfiction Kindle Edition
An enthralling collection of nonfiction essays on a myriad of topics—from art and artists to dreams, myths, and memories—observed in #1 New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman’s probing, amusing, and distinctive style.
An inquisitive observer, thoughtful commentator, and assiduous craftsman, Neil Gaiman has long been celebrated for the sharp intellect and startling imagination that informs his bestselling fiction. Now, The View from the Cheap Seats brings together for the first time ever more than sixty pieces of his outstanding nonfiction. Analytical yet playful, erudite yet accessible, this cornucopia explores a broad range of interests and topics, including (but not limited to): authors past and present; music; storytelling; comics; bookshops; travel; fairy tales; America; inspiration; libraries; ghosts; and the title piece, at turns touching and self-deprecating, which recounts the author’s experiences at the 2010 Academy Awards in Hollywood.
Insightful, incisive, witty, and wise, The View from the Cheap Seats explores the issues and subjects that matter most to Neil Gaiman—offering a glimpse into the head and heart of one of the most acclaimed, beloved, and influential artists of our time.
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherWilliam Morrow
- Publication dateMay 31, 2016
- File size3.4 MB
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“Gaiman’s prose reveals the relaxed intimacy of a cherished dinner partner and never loses sight of the big picture. . . . Highly recommended for readers of Gaiman’s work, specifically, and sf and fantasy generally, as well as those interested in cultural criticism and the art and craft of writing.” — Library Journal (starred review) on THE VIEW FROM THE CHEAP SEATS
“Full of devotion and erudition, this is also a glorious love-letter to reading, to writing, to dreaming, to an entire genre.” — Junot Díaz, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of THE BRIEF WONDROUS LIFE OF OSCAR WAO on THE VIEW FROM THE CHEAP SEATS
“If this book came to you during a despairing night, by dawn you would believe in ideas and hope and humans again. This is a beautiful, beautiful book.” — Caitlin Moran, journalist and New York Times bestselling author of How to Build a Girl
From the Back Cover
An enthralling collection of nonfiction pieces on myriad topics—from art and artists to dreams, myths, and memories to comics, films, and literature—observed in award-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman’s probing, amusing, and distinctive style.
As Neil explains, “This book is not ‘the complete nonfiction of Neil Gaiman.’ It is, instead, a motley bunch of speeches and articles, introductions and essays. Some of them are serious and some of them are frivolous and some of them are earnest and some of them I wrote to try and make people listen.”
Illuminating and incisive, witty and wise, The View from the Cheap Seats explores some of the issues, subjects, and people that matter most to Neil Gaiman—and offers a unique glimpse into the mind of one of the most beloved and influential writers of our time.About the Author
Neil Gaiman is the New York Times bestselling and multi-award winning author and creator of many beloved books, graphic novels, short stories, film, television and theatre for all ages. He is the recipient of the Newbery and Carnegie Medals, and many Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, and Will Eisner Awards. Neil has adapted many of his works to television series, including Good Omens (co-written with Terry Pratchett) and The Sandman. He is a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR and Professor in the Arts at Bard College. For a lot more about his work, please visit: https://www.neilgaiman.com/
Product details
- ASIN : B00RLRLB26
- Publisher : William Morrow
- Accessibility : Learn more
- Publication date : May 31, 2016
- Edition : Reprint
- Language : English
- File size : 3.4 MB
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 498 pages
- ISBN-13 : 978-0062262288
- Page Flip : Enabled
- Lexile measure : 1140L
- Best Sellers Rank: #879,106 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #200 in Science Fiction & Fantasy Writing
- #1,309 in British & Irish Literary Fiction
- #2,313 in Fantasy Anthologies
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Neil Gaiman is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty books, including Norse Mythology, Neverwhere, and The Graveyard Book. Among his numerous literary awards are the Newbery and Carnegie medals, and the Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, and Will Eisner awards. He is a Professor in the Arts at Bard College.
Customer reviews
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To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book insightful, with one review highlighting its incisive commentary on literature. Moreover, the writing style is articulate, with one customer noting how Gaiman conveys complex ideas in concise language. Additionally, the book is entertaining, funny, and customers consider it worth the price. They appreciate the art style, with one review describing it as a wonderful piece of art. However, customers have mixed opinions about the collection's interest.
AI Generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book insightful, with one customer particularly appreciating the author's thoughts on life and literature.
"...It’s a collection of speeches, articles, introductions, and essays on a variety of topics ranging from light-hearted to serious...." Read more
"Well this was wonderful and boring and inspiring and tedious all at different times. I'd read many parts before, so it's a mixed bag...." Read more
"...as I said and at turns nostalgic, delightful, charming, foreboding, informative, thoughtful, funny, and so much more. Definitely recommend." Read more
"...I especially enjoyed his essay on fairytales and how that influenced the writing of Stardust." Read more
Customers find the book entertaining to read, with one mentioning it's particularly suitable for young people, and another noting it's best when read in bits and pieces.
"...It's a great book, and the answers to the standard questions above do not give this read its due because it isn't a novel, it's a collection of..." Read more
"I thought this book was great. Anybody who likes to read will appreciate most of this book...." Read more
"...Always a good read." Read more
"...Worth every letter of type. Outstanding." Read more
Customers appreciate the writing style of the book, describing it as articulate and wonderful to read, with one customer noting how much can be conveyed in a small amount of words.
"Short stories are a wonderful way to read...." Read more
"...It’s a collection of speeches, articles, introductions, and essays on a variety of topics ranging from light-hearted to serious...." Read more
"I received a fine hardcover of this book for my birthday, and soon picked up the Kindle version as well...." Read more
"...It really reads like his voice and it feels personal." Read more
Customers appreciate the art style of the book, describing it as wonderful and charming, with one customer noting how it paints a vivid picture.
"...Neil was charming and witty and humble, but also strangely wise...." Read more
"...The View from the Cheap Seats is more than a catalogue of books and works of art that have influenced Gaiman; it’s also a tribute to the many people..." Read more
"...Not that I don't love fine-smelling, beautiful hardcover books, but if you are of a sort that likes to read while standing in lines, walking in parks..." Read more
"The content of the book is not only superb, but the overall artistic value of the entirety of the book is amazing...." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's humor, finding it very funny, with one customer noting its range from light-hearted to serious.
"...nostalgic, delightful, charming, foreboding, informative, thoughtful, funny, and so much more. Definitely recommend." Read more
"...Neil was charming and witty and humble, but also strangely wise...." Read more
"...introductions, and essays on a variety of topics ranging from light-hearted to serious...." Read more
"...Introductions. Speeches and random musings. As always Neil is entertaining...." Read more
Customers find the book worth the money.
"...This one is worth a read, probably more like a box of chocolates than as a cover-to-cover endeavor...." Read more
"...This is one of a number of books I consider valuable enough to earn a place on both my shelf and my e-reader...." Read more
"Certainly worth reading if you want to get Neil Gaimain's opinions on a large number of other famous others in the field...." Read more
"...Some books are worth it and this is one of them." Read more
Customers appreciate the book collection, with one mentioning it includes wonderful non-fiction pieces.
"Wonderful collection of a great author's musings, forwards, articles, general thoughts, on literature, science fiction and a host of other topics...." Read more
"...There are some really wonderful bits in this book, and like any book of introductions, essays, speeches and other stuff collected over a lifetime of..." Read more
"This is a nice collection of non-fiction pieces, by the author. Introductions. Speeches and random musings. As always Neil is entertaining...." Read more
"Growing my Gaiman collection book by book. A good collection here." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the book's interest, with one customer loving the collection of non-fiction, while another finds it repetitive.
"Gaiman is a great writer. I loved this collection of non-fiction. Some were introductions to other books. He made me have to buy those too!" Read more
"...matter of many of these stories, speeches and snippets just weren't interesting to me...." Read more
"...'s musings, forwards, articles, general thoughts, on literature, science fiction and a host of other topics. Loved it." Read more
"...in this...it is a collection of speeches Gaiman has given and seems very repetitive...." Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2018When I first saw Neil Gaiman in person, he was saying this: "The next time someone tells you about comics as the hot investment item of the nineties, do me a favor, and tell them about the tulips."
This was the end of his 1993 speech to a room full of comic shop owners and sellers who were experiencing an unprecedented boom in their business - comics were selling as they never had before, and were seen as great investments. Neil's speech was about tulips, and about good comics, and about history and economy. But mostly, it was about tulips.
It was a warning: Don't get complacent with the current scenario. We've seen this sort of thing before, and it didn't end well. Focus on selling good comics, the comics you love, and the future will be the brighter for it. "Remember what it is you're selling people," he implored. It was a strangely controversial speech, and was not well-received by many of those in attendance.
I thought it was brilliant. As an introduction to Neil Gaiman the man, beyond the visionary author behind Sandman, it's hard to imagine a better way to come to understand how he views the world around him. Neil was charming and witty and humble, but also strangely wise. He brought an obscure historical analogy about tulips, as described in a century-old book about popular delusions, into a room full of people enjoying their success in a modern medium, and he warned them of what the tulips had to say about the comics industry. For those listening, he made his point perfectly. For those listening, he was an inspiration to do better. Sadly, not everyone was listening.
The text of Neil's 1993 speech is reprinted in 'The View from the Cheap Seats.' It's one of many such speeches, introductions, articles, and musings you'll find in these pages, and here's the thing: they're all like that. All are written with wit and with wisdom, in a voice that is similar to the one you hear in Neil's fictions, but more distinctly him. There's a natural humility and warmth that exudes each piece, and with each one, you learn a little more about the things he's seen, what he loves, and who he is. Like that 1993 speech, each piece reveals an aspect of the man behind the fiction - these pieces read like a conversation, the good kind of conversation that keeps you up until the grey hours of the morning because you don't want it to end.
We see his love of literature, of course, and get a sense of the authors who shaped him as a writer and as a reader. We hear about people he's known and people he's worked with. We experience the change of a deeply British author who moves to midwestern America. We see his love of music and musicians, films and filmmakers, art and artists, and comic books. Of course, comic books.
Often in these little glimpses of his mind and heart, Neil is unabashedly enthusiastic. He gets to expound upon and explain why he loves the tales of Lord Dunsany, the comics of Will Eisner, the experience of working with Charles Vess. And these are delightful to read. But there is also the strange melancholy of Neil in attendance at the Oscars, on the first anniversary of the death of his father, and the barely-contained rage against the impending death of old friends. For their insight into Gaiman the man, and their insights into our own brief lives, these pieces are no less valuable than the jubilant ones.
If you're already a fan of Neil Gaiman, there's a good chance you've seen (or heard) some of these pieces already, as I had. As this collection spans over 25 years of material, there's an even better chance that you'll find something new, something you'd never even known about, that will surprise and delight you. Opening these pages is a little like meeting Neil for the first time, over and over again, and that is an experience not to be missed.
25 years ago, I was fortunate to meet Neil in person, on the same night he gave his speech, and to have a few minutes to talk to him. I remember that he was wearing sunglasses, even though we were indoors, and that he smiled. I don't remember what either of us said, but I remember that he seemed kind, and more than a little surprised at all the attention he was getting. I hope I told him how much I appreciated his work on Sandman, and how much I enjoyed and was inspired by the speech he shared with us.
But, just in case I failed to do so: Neil, you were brilliant. I won't forget about the tulips.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2018Well this was wonderful and boring and inspiring and tedious all at different times. I'd read many parts before, so it's a mixed bag. It was one of those Kindle deals that I can never pass up (until recently when I installed the library extension and forced myself to use the darn thing finally.) I'm going to get through them! So 1 down, who knows how many to go.
Neil Gaiman (whose name I always misspell) is always charming, smart, interesting and wise. I did get more added to my TBR shelf from him, and I enjoyed the beginning of the book and the end of the book much more than the middle - where he picks authors and discusses them. It's funny, since I just -- like a week or two ago -- adored his introduction to Fahrenheit 451 on a reread. It was critical to me being able to get around some issues I had with the book and actually brought me much more joy on that read. Yet, on reading the same words here, it felt dull and flat. It's a book introduction, and it works best with the book. This happens to many of the introductions - especially if I hadn't read the book or wasn't familiar with the work in question. (Actually, I have started reading introductions twice: once before and once I've finished, because they always mean more to me after the book.)
I loved his writing on music, but that's because we have extremely similar taste in music, so I had some idea of what he was typing, some investment already. (In fact, I first learned of Gaiman via music circles long before I ever delved into his books.) Much as I adore Stephen King's writing, I don't know him as a person, so warm talks about personal life don't do much for me. Though I now know Terry Pratchett loved chocolate, I would have appreciated more about his work that I could relate to (instead of, because there was obviously a lot about Pratchett.) This may also be an idiosyncratic personal tic. I've recently been aware that I care far less about a celebrity's personal life than many other people.
There are some really wonderful bits in this book, and like any book of introductions, essays, speeches and other stuff collected over a lifetime of work, some less wonderful bits. Nothing is bad, and it's practical to skip things unless you have a touch of OCD like me and would feel like you "cheated."
This one is worth a read, probably more like a box of chocolates than as a cover-to-cover endeavor. Pick one, savor it, then put the box away for another time. I've got a few more of these books on my Kindle from Gaiman, so I'll know better in future.
Top reviews from other countries
- M. W. HatfieldReviewed in the United Kingdom on May 31, 2016
5.0 out of 5 stars A motley bunch of speeches, articles, introductions and essays...but O what a motley bunch!!
Let' s get two things straight from the start: First, Gaiman, by dint of his popularity among geeks and Goths, SF and fantasy fans and minorities of all kinds, is possibly the most overpraised author of the day. Secondly, he is a bloody good writer. And he deserves the praise.
Sandman was a unique comic book achievement, profound, literary AND popular. Echoes of Chesterton,Ellison, Leguin...and James ( both M R and Henry!) A story about storytelling. American Gods outKinged Steven King. Stardust was a new Princess Bride. He collaborated with the greats of fantasy fiction,notably Terry Pratchett.
And he is a genuinely good man, standing.up for liberty and freedom.of.expression, donating his time and talent as well as money to support the things he believes in....
He is popular and.talented, and hasn't put a foot wrong so far. So...how's his non fiction? Vanity project?
No. This is good stuff. It ranges from introductions to authors' works, journalism, articles on music, comics and films. And.statements of personal belief.
First point: he has astoundingly good taste. Make a note of.every author mentioned and go buy the books. I GUARANTEE your life will be enriched. ( especially the Einstein Intersection and The Stars my Destination- personal favourites!)
When emotionally involved, he writes beautifully. And.he always gets emotionally involved.A straight journalistic piece about Syrian refugees took me by surprise. Heartbreaking in its simplicity,it's worth the price of admission on its own.
Dammit, you end up loving the man
Just like everyone else. This is a real book, by a real author. Like life, it contains a little bit of everything. Like life, you won't like all of it equally. But (hopefully, like life.)you will leave it better than when you opened it. A dream of a book.
- ILoveBigBooksReviewed in India on December 12, 2018
5.0 out of 5 stars Must-have!
I loved all the small notes, articles and essays on topics as varied as Gaiman's thinking style, favourite authors, etc. There's even a morbid section on How did Amanda Palmer die? I found it funny and invigorating at the same time.
I found this book on a day when I felt very low, and by the morning things had started to look up. Just like it says on the cover.
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BernardoReviewed in Mexico on December 12, 2016
5.0 out of 5 stars Un gran libro de ensayos por un gran escritor.
Si te gusta la obra de Gaiman, encontrarás que este libro tiene muchos pequeños pedazos que la complementan, una carta de amor del escritor a todo aquello que le inspira a crear.
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ArehlReviewed in Germany on June 10, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Cover anders als Abbilung - Tolles Buch
Nun ja, was man gerne liest ist sehr subjektiv. Ich liebe es. Alle die Fiction erwarten sind hier nicht gut beraten. Es sind Essays. Das Cover des Taschenbuches, das mir zugesendet wurde ist ein anderes als auf der Abbildung - noch schöner finde ich.
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gallowayReviewed in Italy on December 13, 2019
3.0 out of 5 stars Leggere e scrivere
Se scrivo per capire chi sono, mi pare evidente che poi debba leggere quello che ho scritto. Non posso leggere, se non ho scritto. Ma per scrivere devo pensare. Se non penso, non posso né leggere né scrivere. Penso allora a quanto forse è felice chi è analfabeta ...