McSweeney's
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
publishing house
Publishing
Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available to the general public...
founded by editor Dave Eggers
Dave Eggers
Dave Eggers is an American writer, editor, and publisher. He is known for the best-selling memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and for his more recent work as a screenwriter. He is also the co-founder of the literacy project 826 Valencia.-Life:Eggers was born in Boston, Massachusetts,...
.
Apart from its book list, McSweeney's is responsible for four regular publications: the quarterly literary journal,
Timothy McSweeney's Quarterly Concern
Timothy McSweeney's Quarterly Concern
Timothy McSweeney's Quarterly Concern is a literary journal, first published in 1998, edited by Dave Eggers. The first issue featured only works rejected by other magazines, but thereafter the journal began to include pieces written with McSweeney's in mind. McSweeney’s has since published works by...
, the daily-updated literature and humor site McSweeney's Internet Tendency, the monthly magazine The Believer
The Believer (magazine)
The Believer is a United States literary magazine that also covers other arts and general culture. Founded and designed in 2003 by the writer and publisher Dave Eggers, it is edited by Vendela Vida, Heidi Julavits and Ed Park...
, and the new quarterly DVD magazine, Wholphin
Wholphin (DVD)
Wholphin is a quarterly DVD magazine containing a selection of short films which have had little or no exposure elsewhere. It was created by Dave Eggers and Brent Hoff of McSweeney's publishing house...
. The publishing house also runs two additional imprints, Believer Books and the Collins Library
Collins Library
The Collins Library is an imprint of McSweeney's Books that publishes unusual out-of-print books. The imprint is named for its editor, Paul Collins.-Publications:...
. Version 2.0 of the McSweeney's iOS app was released in 2011.
On the name of the organization, Eggers says that as a child his family received letters addressed from someone named Timothy McSweeney, who claimed to be a relative of his mother's, and his name took on an aura of mystery for him. Eggers claims that the real McSweeney is in care for mental illness, and his letters stemmed from confusion over Eggers' grandfather, who delivered him at birth, and the McSweeney family who adopted him sharing the same name.
McSweeney's has helped launch the careers of young writers, such as Philipp Meyer
Philipp Meyer
Philipp Meyer is an American fiction writer, born in 1974, and is the author of the novel American Rust, as well as short stories published in McSweeney’s Quarterly, The Iowa Review, and Esquire UK. Meyer is the recipient of a 2010 Guggenheim Fellowship. He grew up in Hampden, a blue-collar...
and Rebecca Curtis
Rebecca Curtis
Rebecca Curtis is an American writer. She is the author of Twenty Grand and Other Tales of Love & Money and has been published in The New Yorker, Harper's, McSweeney's, NOON, and other magazines....
; it has also published the works of well-established authors such as Michael Chabon
Michael Chabon
Michael Chabon born May 24, 1963) is an American author and "one of the most celebrated writers of his generation", according to The Virginia Quarterly Review....
, Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
, David Foster Wallace
David Foster Wallace
David Foster Wallace was an American author of novels, essays, and short stories, and a professor at Pomona College in Claremont, California...
, George Saunders
George Saunders
George Saunders is a New York Times bestselling American writer of short stories, essays, novellas and children's books. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, Harper's, McSweeney's and GQ, among other publications...
, Michael Ian Black
Michael Ian Black
Michael Ian Black is an American comedian, actor, writer and director. He has starred in several TV comedy series, including The State, Ed, Viva Variety, Stella and Michael & Michael Have Issues. He is also a prominent poker player, appearing on Celebrity Poker Showdown several times...
, and Joyce Carol Oates
Joyce Carol Oates
Joyce Carol Oates is an American author. Oates published her first book in 1963 and has since published over fifty novels, as well as many volumes of short stories, poetry, and nonfiction...
. The band One Ring Zero
One Ring Zero
One Ring Zero is a modern music group led by Joshua Camp and Michael Hearst that melds many genres and sounds to create a unique type of music.-Instruments:...
gained notoriety by becoming the house band for the New York McSweeney's store. As a result of this relationship, they gained the trust of many prominent McSweeney writers and solicited their lyric-writing assistance in the ORZ album, "As Smart As We Are". McSweeney's was also the subject of the They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years Flansburgh and Linnell were frequently accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG became a full band. Currently, the members of TMBG are...
song "The Ballad of Timothy McSweeney."
Book titles
- This Shape We're in (by Jonathan LethemJonathan LethemJonathan Allen Lethem is an American novelist, essayist and short story writer. His first novel, Gun, with Occasional Music, a genre work that mixed elements of science fiction and detective fiction, was published in 1994. It was followed by three more science fiction novels...
) 2000/02/01 - The Neal Pollack Anthology of American Literature (by Neal PollackNeal PollackNeal Pollack is an American satirist, novelist, short story writer, and journalist. He lives in Austin, Texas. Pollack has written six books: The Neal Pollack Anthology of American Literature, Never Mind the Pollacks, Beneath the Axis of Evil, Alternadad, Stretch, and Jewball. He is a member of...
) 2000/09/01 - Lemon (by Lawrence Krauser) 2000/12/01
- Pharmacist's Mate (by Amy Fusselman) 2001/03/01
- The New Sins/Los Nuevos Pecados (by David ByrneDavid ByrneDavid Byrne may refer to:*David Byrne , musician and former Talking Heads frontman**David Byrne , his eponymous album*David Byrne , Irish footballer*David Byrne , English footballer...
) 2001/07/01 - Samuel Johnson Is Indignant (by Lydia DavisLydia DavisLydia Davis is a contemporary American writer noted for her short stories. Davis is also a French translator, and has produced several new translations of French literary classics, including Proust's Swann’s Way and Flaubert's Madame Bovary....
) 2001/10/01 - Superbad (by Ben GreenmanBen GreenmanBen Greenman is an American writer and magazine editor.-Biography:Greenman was born in Chicago, Illinois and raised in Miami, Florida. He attended Miami Palmetto High School and then Yale University where he worked on the Yale Herald...
) 2001/11/01 - English As She Is Spoke (Book 1 in Collins Library) (by Jose Da Fonseca / Pedro Carolino / Paul CollinsPaul Collins-Athletes:* Paul Collins , American football player* Paul Collins , Canadian long-distance runner* Paul Collins , Australian rugby union international...
(EDT)]]) 2002/04/01 - I (by Stephen Dixon) 2002/05/01
- You Shall Know Our VelocityYou Shall Know Our VelocityYou Shall Know Our Velocity! is a 2002 novel by Dave Eggers. It was Eggers's debut novel, following the success of his memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius ....
(by Dave EggersDave EggersDave Eggers is an American writer, editor, and publisher. He is known for the best-selling memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and for his more recent work as a screenwriter. He is also the co-founder of the literacy project 826 Valencia.-Life:Eggers was born in Boston, Massachusetts,...
) 2002/09/01 - The Middle Stories (by Sheila HetiSheila HetiSheila Heti is a Canadian writer.Heti, who was born in Toronto, Ontario, studied art history and philosophy at the University of Toronto and playwriting at the National Theatre School of Canada....
) 2002/11/01 - Songbook (by Nick HornbyNick HornbyNick Hornby is an English novelist, essayist and screenwriter. He is best known for the novels High Fidelity, About a Boy, and for the football memoir Fever Pitch. His work frequently touches upon music, sport, and the aimless and obsessive natures of his protagonists.-Life and career:Hornby was...
/ Marcel DzamaMarcel DzamaMarcel Dzama is a contemporary artist who lives and works in New York. His work has been exhibited internationally, in particular his ink and watercolor drawings.-Range of practice:...
) 2002/12/01 - The Berlin Years (by Marcel DzamaMarcel DzamaMarcel Dzama is a contemporary artist who lives and works in New York. His work has been exhibited internationally, in particular his ink and watercolor drawings.-Range of practice:...
) 2003/04/01| - To Ruhleben—and Back (Book 2 in Collins Library) (by Geoffrey PykeGeoffrey PykeGeoffrey Nathaniel Joseph Pyke was an English journalist, educationalist, and later an inventor whose clever, but unorthodox, ideas could be difficult to implement...
) 2003/04/15 - My Words Consume Me: An Anthology of Youth Speaks Poets (by Chinaka Hodge (FRW) / James Kass (INT)]]) 2003/05/01
- Talking Back (by Students of Leadership High School) 2003/06/01
- Jokes Told in Heaven About Babies (by Lucy Thomas) 2003/09/01
- Speak, Commentary (by Jeff AlexanderJeff AlexanderJeff Alexander was an American conductor, arranger, and composer of film, radio and television scores.-Career:...
/ Tom BissellTom BissellTom Bissell is a journalist, critic, and fiction writer, originally from Escanaba, Michigan and currently based in Portland, Oregon.-Life:...
) 2003/09/01 - Rising Up and Rising DownRising Up and Rising DownRising Up and Rising Down: Some Thoughts on Violence, Freedom and Urgent Means is a seven-volume treatise on the subject of violence by American author William T. Vollmann. First published by McSweeney's in November 2003, it was nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award...
(by William T. VollmannWilliam T. VollmannWilliam Tanner Vollmann is an American novelist, journalist, short story writer, essayist and winner of the National Book Award...
) 2003/11/01 - Giraffes? Giraffes! (by Mark Wasserman) 2003/12/01
- Happy BabyHappy BabyHappy Baby, is a 2004 novel by Stephen Elliott.-Plot:Theo is addicted to sadomasochism. He insists on being hurt - whether by one he loves or by a professional dominatrix. Theo is a victim of the child welfare system. Told in reverse chronological order, 'Happy Baby' begins when 36-year-old Theo...
(by Stephen ElliottStephen Elliott (author)Stephen Elliott is an American author and activist living in San Francisco who has written and published seven books. He is also the founder of the political action committee LitPAC, which holds readings by authors to raise money for progressive candidates.-Background and education:Elliott grew...
) 2004| - Waiting to Be Heard: Youth Speak Out About Inheriting a Violent World (by Students of San Francisco's Thurgood Mar / Isabelle Allende) 2004/05/01
- Lady into Fox (Book 3 in Collins Library) (by David GarnettDavid GarnettDavid Garnett was a British writer and publisher. As a child, he had a cloak made of rabbit skin and thus received the nickname "Bunny", by which he was known to friends and intimates all his life.-Early life:...
/ R. A. Garnett (ILT) / Paul Collins (EDT)) 2004/05/30 - English As She Is Spoke (Book 1 in Collins Library) (by Jose Da Fonseca / Pedro Carolino / Paul CollinsPaul Collins-Athletes:* Paul Collins , American football player* Paul Collins , Canadian long-distance runner* Paul Collins , Australian rugby union international...
(EDT)]]) 2004/06/01 - Stepmother (by Robert CooverRobert CooverRobert Lowell Coover is an American author and professor in the Literary Arts program at Brown University. He is generally considered a writer of fabulation and metafiction.-Life and works:...
/ Michael KuppermanMichael KuppermanMichael Kupperman, also known by the pseudonym P. Revess, is an American cartoonist and illustrator. He created the comic strips Up All Night and Found in the Street, and has written scripts for DC Comics...
(ILT)]]) 2004/06/01 - How We Are Hungry (by Dave EggersDave EggersDave Eggers is an American writer, editor, and publisher. He is known for the best-selling memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and for his more recent work as a screenwriter. He is also the co-founder of the literacy project 826 Valencia.-Life:Eggers was born in Boston, Massachusetts,...
) 2004/11/30 - The Polysyllabic SpreeThe Polysyllabic SpreeThe Polysyllabic Spree is a collection of Nick Hornby's "Stuff I've Been Reading" columns in The Believer. The book collates his columns from September 2003 to November 2004, inclusive. It also includes excerpts from such authors as Anton Chekhov and Charles Dickens.In it, Hornby lists the books...
(by Nick HornbyNick HornbyNick Hornby is an English novelist, essayist and screenwriter. He is best known for the novels High Fidelity, About a Boy, and for the football memoir Fever Pitch. His work frequently touches upon music, sport, and the aimless and obsessive natures of his protagonists.-Life and career:Hornby was...
) 2004/12/31 - H. P. Lovecraft: Against The World, Against LifeH. P. Lovecraft: Against the World, Against LifeH. P. Lovecraft: Against the World, Against Life is a work of literary criticism by French author Michel Houellebecq regarding the works of H. P. Lovecraft...
(by Michel HouellebecqMichel HouellebecqMichel Houellebecq , born Michel Thomas, 26 February 1958—or 1956 —on the French island of Réunion, is a controversial and award-winning French author, filmmaker and poet. To admirers he is a writer in the tradition of literary provocation that reaches back to the Marquis de Sade and Baudelaire;...
/ Stephen KingStephen KingStephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
(INT)]]) 2005/05/01 - I Might Get Somewhere: Oral Histories of Immigration and Migration (by Students at Balboa High School / Amy TanAmy TanAmy Tan is an American writer whose works explore mother-daughter relationships. Her most well-known work is The Joy Luck Club, which has been translated into 35 languages...
) 2005/05/01 - The Facts of Winter (by Paul Poissel / Paul La Farge) 2005/05/22
- Bicycles Locked To Poles (by John Glassie (PHT)]]) 2005/06/30
- The People Of PaperThe People of PaperThe People of Paper is the debut novel of Salvador Plascencia. It was first published as a part of the Rectangulars line of McSweeney's Books. In form the novel owes a debt to a wide variety of experimental fiction from the magical realism of Latin American writers, to the Beat writings of William S...
(by Salvador PlascenciaSalvador PlascenciaSalvador Plascencia is an American writer, born 1976 in Guadalajara, Mexico.The Plascencia family eventually settled near Los Angeles in the city of El Monte when he was eight years old. Plascencia holds a B.A. in English from Whittier College and an MFA in fiction from Syracuse University...
) 2005/07/28 - Dear New Girl Or Whatever Your Name Is (by Wagner, Lisa (EDT) / Dalton, Trinie (EDT) / Horowitz, Eli (EDT)) 2005/08/30
- Noisy Outlaws, Unfriendly Blobs, and Some Other Things That Aren't as Scary, Maybe, Depending on How You Feel About Lost Lands, Stray Cellphones, Creatures from the Sky, Parents Who Disappear in Peru, a Man Named Lars Farf, And One Other Stories We Could (by Thompson, Ted (EDT) / Horowitz, Eli (EDT)) 2005/09/15
- The Believer Book of Writers Talking to Writers (by Vida, Vendela (EDT)) 2005/10/10
- A Child Again (by Coover, Robert) 2005/10/12
- The Better of Mcsweeney's (by Not Available (NA)) 2005/10/14
- The Future Dictionary of America (by Jonathan Safran FoerJonathan Safran FoerJonathan Safran Foer is an American author best known for his novels Everything Is Illuminated and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close...
(EDT) / Dave EggersDave EggersDave Eggers is an American writer, editor, and publisher. He is known for the best-selling memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and for his more recent work as a screenwriter. He is also the co-founder of the literacy project 826 Valencia.-Life:Eggers was born in Boston, Massachusetts,...
(EDT) / Nicole KraussNicole KraussNicole Krauss is an American author best known for her novels Man Walks Into a Room , The History of Love and, most recently, Great House...
(EDT)]]) 2005/10/14 - Baby, Make Me Breakfast (by Brown, Lisa / Brown, Lisa (ILT)) 2005/11/11
- Baby, Mix Me a Drink (by Brown, Lisa / Brown, Lisa (ILT)) 2005/11/11
- How to Dress for Every Occasion by the Pope (by Daniel HandlerDaniel HandlerDaniel Handler is an American author, screenwriter and accordionist. He is best known for his work under the pen name Lemony Snicket.-Personal life:...
/ Bennett, Sarah Pinkie (ILT)) 2005/11/11 - Surviving Justice: America's Wrongfully Convicted and Exonerated (by Dave EggersDave EggersDave Eggers is an American writer, editor, and publisher. He is known for the best-selling memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and for his more recent work as a screenwriter. He is also the co-founder of the literacy project 826 Valencia.-Life:Eggers was born in Boston, Massachusetts,...
(EDT) / Vollen, Lola (EDT)) 2005/12/01 - The Riddle of the Traveling Skull [Book 4 in Collins Library (by Keeler, Harry Stephen / Collins, Paul) 2005/12/30
- Everything That Rises: A Book of Convergences (by Weschler, Lawrence) 2006/01/30
- Hello Children (by Dave EggersDave EggersDave Eggers is an American writer, editor, and publisher. He is known for the best-selling memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and for his more recent work as a screenwriter. He is also the co-founder of the literacy project 826 Valencia.-Life:Eggers was born in Boston, Massachusetts,...
) 2006/02/09 - Here They Come (by Murphy, Yannick) 2006/03/12
- Voyage Along the Horizon (by Marias, Javier / Cordero, Kristina (TRN)) 2006/03/28
- The Secret Language of Sleep: A Couple's Guide to the Thirty-Nine Positions (by Thomas, Evany / Bauer, Amelia (ILT)) 2006/03/30
- IcelanderIcelander (novel)Icelander is the debut novel of Dustin Long. It is part of the Rectangulars line of McSweeney's Books. It appeared on the Los Angeles Times best-seller's list....
(by Dustin LongDustin Long (writer)Dustin Long is the author of the novel Icelander, which was published in hardcover in 2006 by McSweeney's Books and in paperback in 2007 by Grove Press. It appeared on the Los Angeles Times best-seller's list. Long studied English Literature at UC Berkeley and is currently a Ph.D. student at...
) 2006/04/28 - The Very Persistent Gappers of FripThe Very Persistent Gappers of FripThe Very Persistent Gappers of Frip is short story writer George Saunders’s first children's book. -Plot summary:The village of Frip, consisting of three shacks by the sea, relies entirely on the production and sale of goat's milk. The gappers, an unintelligent lifeform shaped like a spiky fish,...
(by Saunders, George / Smith, Lane (ILT)) 2006/04/28 - Long Time Walking (by Angui, Thiep) 2006/06/09
- Baby Do My Banking (by Brown, Lisa / Brown, Lisa (ILT)) 2006/06/12
- Baby Fix My Car (by Brown, Lisa / Brown, Lisa (ILT)) 2006/06/12
- End of I (by Dixon, Stephen) 2006/06/12
- The Children's HospitalThe Children's HospitalThe Children's Hospital is the second novel by Chris Adrian, published in 2006 by McSweeney's.- Introduction :The Children's Hospital is a very long, ambitious work, with the first edition copies running some 615 pages long . The novel starts within the maternity ward of a famous hospital...
(by Adrian, Chris) 2006/09/01 - The New Sins / Los Nuevos Pecados (by David ByrneDavid ByrneDavid Byrne may refer to:*David Byrne , musician and former Talking Heads frontman**David Byrne , his eponymous album*David Byrne , Irish footballer*David Byrne , English footballer...
) 2006/09/01 - Housekeeping vs. The DirtHousekeeping vs. The DirtHousekeeping vs. The Dirt is a 2006 collection of essays from The Believer written by Nick Hornby. It follows on from another collection of columns from the same magazine entitled The Polysyllabic Spree....
(by Nick HornbyNick HornbyNick Hornby is an English novelist, essayist and screenwriter. He is best known for the novels High Fidelity, About a Boy, and for the football memoir Fever Pitch. His work frequently touches upon music, sport, and the aimless and obsessive natures of his protagonists.-Life and career:Hornby was...
) 2006/09/30 - Voices from the Storm: The People of New Orleans on the Hurricane Katrina and Its Aftermath (by Vollen, Lola (EDT) / Ying, Chris (EDT)) 2006/10/28
- What Is the What (by Dave EggersDave EggersDave Eggers is an American writer, editor, and publisher. He is known for the best-selling memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and for his more recent work as a screenwriter. He is also the co-founder of the literacy project 826 Valencia.-Life:Eggers was born in Boston, Massachusetts,...
) 2006/10/28 - Animals of the Ocean, in Particular the Giant Squid (by Doris and Benny Haggis-On-whey) 2006/11/17
- Arboretum (by David ByrneDavid ByrneDavid Byrne may refer to:*David Byrne , musician and former Talking Heads frontman**David Byrne , his eponymous album*David Byrne , Irish footballer*David Byrne , English footballer...
) 2006/11/30 - The Berlin Years (by Marcel DzamaMarcel DzamaMarcel Dzama is a contemporary artist who lives and works in New York. His work has been exhibited internationally, in particular his ink and watercolor drawings.-Range of practice:...
) 2006/12/28 - Embryoyo (by Dean YoungDean YoungDean Young may refer to:*Dean Young *Dean Young , Australian professional rugby league footballer*Dean Young , scripter for the Blondie comic strip...
) 2007/01/28 - Lunatic at Large (Book 5 in Collins Library) (by Clouston, J. Storer / Collins, Paul (EDT) / Ames, Jonathan (INT)) 2007/03/16
- McSweeney's Book of Poets Piking Poets (by Orr, David (INT)) 2007/04/18
- Comedy by the Numbers (by Hoffman, Eric / Rudoren, Gary) 2007/05/04
- Everything That Rises: A Book of Convergences (by Lawrence WeschlerLawrence WeschlerLawrence Weschler is an author of works of creative nonfiction.A graduate of Cowell College of the University of California, Santa Cruz , Weschler was for over twenty years a staff writer at The New Yorker, where his work shuttled between political tragedies and cultural comedies...
) 2007/07/28 - Bowl of Cherries (by Millard KaufmanMillard KaufmanMillard Kaufman was an American screenwriter and novelist. His works include the Academy Award-nominated Bad Day at Black Rock . He was also one of the creators of Mr. Magoo.-Life:...
) 2007/08/28 - Heroes in Disguise (by Jim ShepardJim ShepardJim Shepard is an American author and professor of creative writing and film at Williams College.-Biography:Shepard was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He received a B.A. at Trinity College in 1978, his MFA from Brown University in 1980. He currently teaches creative writing and film at Williams...
) 2007/08/28 - Baby in the Manger (by Lemony SnicketLemony SnicketLemony Snicket is the pen name of American novelist Daniel Handler . Snicket is the author of several children's books, serving as the narrator of A Series of Unfortunate Events and appearing as a character within the series. Because of this, the name Lemony Snicket may refer to both a fictional...
) 2007/10/28 - Small Box of Short Stories (by Dave EggersDave EggersDave Eggers is an American writer, editor, and publisher. He is known for the best-selling memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and for his more recent work as a screenwriter. He is also the co-founder of the literacy project 826 Valencia.-Life:Eggers was born in Boston, Massachusetts,...
/ Sarah MangusoSarah MangusoSarah Manguso is an American writer and poet born in Massachusetts in 1974. In 2007, she was awarded the Joseph Brodsky Rome Prize Fellowship in literature by the American Academy of Arts and Letters...
/ Deb Olin UnferthDeb Olin UnferthDeb Olin Unferth is an American short-story writer, novelist, and memoirist. She is the author of the collection of stories Minor Robberies, the novel Vacation, both published by McSweeney's, and the memoir, Revolution: The Year I Fell in Love and Went to Join the War, published by Henry Holt.Her...
) 2007/10/28 - The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming: A Christmas Story (by Lemony SnicketLemony SnicketLemony Snicket is the pen name of American novelist Daniel Handler . Snicket is the author of several children's books, serving as the narrator of A Series of Unfortunate Events and appearing as a character within the series. Because of this, the name Lemony Snicket may refer to both a fictional...
/Lisa BrownLisa BrownHarley Brown is an American actress, born in Kansas City, Missouri.She is best known as half of the supercouple Quint and Nola, playing alongside actor Michael Tylo, on Guiding Light. She played the role of Nola Reardon Chamberlain from 1980 to 1985 and again from 1995 to 1998...
(ILT)) 2007/10/28 - Impossible, You Say?: Nothing Is Impossible When Yow Work for the Circus (by McSweeney's (COR)) 2007/12/01
- Giraffes? Giraffes! (by Doris and Benny Haggis-On-whey) 2008/02/28
- The Believer Book of Writers Talking to Writers (by Vendela VidaVendela VidaVendela Vida is an American novelist, journalist, and editor who lives in the Bay Area.-Books:Vida has written four books....
(EDT)) 2008/02/28 - Where to Invade Next (by Stephen ElliottStephen Elliott (author)Stephen Elliott is an American author and activist living in San Francisco who has written and published seven books. He is also the founder of the political action committee LitPAC, which holds readings by authors to raise money for progressive candidates.-Background and education:Elliott grew...
/ McSweeney'sMcSweeney'sMcSweeney's is an American publishing house founded by editor Dave Eggers.Apart from its book list, McSweeney's is responsible for four regular publications: the quarterly literary journal,...
) 2008/02/28 - Arkansas (by John Brandon) 2008/03/01
- Maps and LegendsMaps and LegendsMaps and Legends is an essay collection by American author Michael Chabon that was scheduled for official release on May 1, 2008, although some copies shipped two weeks early from various online bookstores. The book is Chabon's first book-length foray into nonfiction, with 16 essays, some...
(by Michael ChabonMichael ChabonMichael Chabon born May 24, 1963) is an American author and "one of the most celebrated writers of his generation", according to The Virginia Quarterly Review....
) 2008/04/28 - All Known Metal Bands (by Dan NelsonDan NelsonDan Nelson is a singer/songwriter and the singer/guitarist for the band Tomorrows Ghost.He also is the lead vocalist/guitarist for the band BlackGates, as well as being the former lead vocalist of American thrash metal band Anthrax from 2007-2009.Dan Nelson has also worked with the Long Island...
(COM)) 2008/05/28 - The Berliner Ensemble Thanks You All (by Marcel DzamaMarcel DzamaMarcel Dzama is a contemporary artist who lives and works in New York. His work has been exhibited internationally, in particular his ink and watercolor drawings.-Range of practice:...
(ART)) 2008/05/28 - Your Disgusting Head: The Darkest, Most Offensive-and Moist-secrets of Your Mouth, Nose and Ears (by Doris and Benny Haggis-On-whey) 2008/05/28
- Underground America: Narratives of Undocumented Lives (by Orner, Peter (COM) / Orner, Peter (EDT) / Alberto, Luis (FRW)) 2008/06/28
- VacationVacation (novel)Vacation is the first and most recent novel by American author Jeremy C. Shipp. Vacation’s protagonist, Bernard Johnson, finds himself trapped in a job his parents chose for him, miserable in a loveless relationship, and dependent on anti-depressants for his emotional stability...
(by Deb Olin UnferthDeb Olin UnferthDeb Olin Unferth is an American short-story writer, novelist, and memoirist. She is the author of the collection of stories Minor Robberies, the novel Vacation, both published by McSweeney's, and the memoir, Revolution: The Year I Fell in Love and Went to Join the War, published by Henry Holt.Her...
) 2008/10/01 - Underground America: Narratives of Undocumented Lives (by Orner, Peter (COM) / Orner, Peter (EDT) / Alberto, Luis (FRW)) 2008/11/01
- Out of Exile: Narratives from the Abducted and Displaced People of Sudan (by Walzer, Craig (EDT) / Eggers, Dave (INT) / Deng, Valentino Achak (INT)) 2008/11/15
- Curious Men: Being a Collection of Freaks, Frauds, and Fine Fellows, Gathered by an Eminent Victorian (Book 6 in Collins Library) (by Buckland, Frank / Buckland, Frank (EDT)) 2008/12/01
- Shakespeare Wrote for MoneyShakespeare Wrote for MoneyShakespeare Wrote for Money is a collection of English author Nick Hornby's "Stuff I've Been Reading" columns for The Believer...
(by Nick HornbyNick HornbyNick Hornby is an English novelist, essayist and screenwriter. He is best known for the novels High Fidelity, About a Boy, and for the football memoir Fever Pitch. His work frequently touches upon music, sport, and the aimless and obsessive natures of his protagonists.-Life and career:Hornby was...
/ Sarah VowellSarah VowellSarah Jane Vowell is an American author, journalist, essayist and social commentator. Often referred to as a "social observer," Vowell has written five nonfiction books on American history and culture, and was a contributing editor for the radio program This American Life on Public Radio...
(INT)) 2008/12/01 - Cold FusionCold fusionCold fusion, also called low-energy nuclear reaction , refers to the hypothesis that nuclear fusion might explain the results of a group of experiments conducted at ordinary temperatures . Both the experimental results and the hypothesis are disputed...
(by Doris and Benny Haggis-On-whey) 2009/02/01 - Thanks and Have Fun Running the Country: Kids Letters to President Obama (by Jory, John (EDT)) 2009/03/01
- Be a Nose! (by Art SpiegelmanArt SpiegelmanArt Spiegelman is an American comics artist, editor, and advocate for the medium of comics, best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning comic book memoir, Maus. His works are published with his name in lowercase: art spiegelman.-Biography:Spiegelman was born in Stockholm, Sweden, to Polish Jews...
) 2009/02/28 - The Convalescent (by Jessica Anthony) 2009/04/28
- Baby Get Me Some Lovin' (by Brown, Lisa (ILT)) 2009/05/01
- Baby Plan My Wedding (by Brown, Lisa (ILT)) 2009/05/01
- Read Hard: Five Years of Great Writing from the Believer (by ) 2009/06/01
- The Weirding Field: The North Texas Spacecraft of Gen Watson, Father and Visionary (by Esther Pearl Watson) 2009/06/01
- Fever Chart (by Not Available (NA)) 2009/09/30
Books published under McSweeney's Rectangular's imprint include:
- The People of PaperThe People of PaperThe People of Paper is the debut novel of Salvador Plascencia. It was first published as a part of the Rectangulars line of McSweeney's Books. In form the novel owes a debt to a wide variety of experimental fiction from the magical realism of Latin American writers, to the Beat writings of William S...
(by Salvador PlascenciaSalvador PlascenciaSalvador Plascencia is an American writer, born 1976 in Guadalajara, Mexico.The Plascencia family eventually settled near Los Angeles in the city of El Monte when he was eight years old. Plascencia holds a B.A. in English from Whittier College and an MFA in fiction from Syracuse University...
) - The Facts of Winter (by Paul LaFargePaul LaFargePaul La Farge is an American novelist, essayist and academic whose three books, The Artist of the Missing , Haussmann, or the Distinction and The Facts of Winter received generally favorable critical notices, with Haussmann, in particular, singled out as the work of a unique and original...
) - The Middle Stories (by Sheila HetiSheila HetiSheila Heti is a Canadian writer.Heti, who was born in Toronto, Ontario, studied art history and philosophy at the University of Toronto and playwriting at the National Theatre School of Canada....
) - A Child Again (by Robert CooverRobert CooverRobert Lowell Coover is an American author and professor in the Literary Arts program at Brown University. He is generally considered a writer of fabulation and metafiction.-Life and works:...
) - Samuel Johnson Is Indignant (by Lydia DavisLydia DavisLydia Davis is a contemporary American writer noted for her short stories. Davis is also a French translator, and has produced several new translations of French literary classics, including Proust's Swann’s Way and Flaubert's Madame Bovary....
) - Here They Come (by Yannick MurphyYannick Murphy-Life:She graduated from New York University and studied with Gordon Lish. She lived in New York and California. She now lives in Vermont, with her husband and their three children.-Awards:* 1990 Whiting Writers' Award* National Endowment for the Arts award...
) - IcelanderIcelander (novel)Icelander is the debut novel of Dustin Long. It is part of the Rectangulars line of McSweeney's Books. It appeared on the Los Angeles Times best-seller's list....
(by Dustin LongDustin Long (writer)Dustin Long is the author of the novel Icelander, which was published in hardcover in 2006 by McSweeney's Books and in paperback in 2007 by Grove Press. It appeared on the Los Angeles Times best-seller's list. Long studied English Literature at UC Berkeley and is currently a Ph.D. student at...
) - The Children's HospitalThe Children's HospitalThe Children's Hospital is the second novel by Chris Adrian, published in 2006 by McSweeney's.- Introduction :The Children's Hospital is a very long, ambitious work, with the first edition copies running some 615 pages long . The novel starts within the maternity ward of a famous hospital...
(by Chris AdrianChris AdrianChris Adrian is an American author. Adrian's writing styles in short stories vary a great deal, from modernist realism to pronounced lyrical allegory. His novels both tend toward surrealism, having mostly realistic characters experience fantastic circumstances. He has written three novels: Gob's...
) - VacationVacation (novel)Vacation is the first and most recent novel by American author Jeremy C. Shipp. Vacation’s protagonist, Bernard Johnson, finds himself trapped in a job his parents chose for him, miserable in a loveless relationship, and dependent on anti-depressants for his emotional stability...
(by Deb Olin UnferthDeb Olin UnferthDeb Olin Unferth is an American short-story writer, novelist, and memoirist. She is the author of the collection of stories Minor Robberies, the novel Vacation, both published by McSweeney's, and the memoir, Revolution: The Year I Fell in Love and Went to Join the War, published by Henry Holt.Her...
) 2008/10/01 - Fever Chart (by Bill CotterBill CotterWilliam "Bill" Cotter is a former Fine Gael politician in Ireland.A school principal before entering politics, he was elected to Dáil Éireann on his first attempt, when he stood in the Cavan–Monaghan constituency at the 1989 general election to the 26th Dáil...
)
Non-McSweeney's collections
These titles are typically compilations of McSweeney's works either from print or online sources. The publisher of the works is listed at the end.- McSweeney's Mammoth Treasury of Thrilling Tales Michael ChabonMichael ChabonMichael Chabon born May 24, 1963) is an American author and "one of the most celebrated writers of his generation", according to The Virginia Quarterly Review....
2003 Vintage - Created in Darkness by Troubled Americans Dave EggersDave EggersDave Eggers is an American writer, editor, and publisher. He is known for the best-selling memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and for his more recent work as a screenwriter. He is also the co-founder of the literacy project 826 Valencia.-Life:Eggers was born in Boston, Massachusetts,...
2004 | KnopfAlfred A. KnopfAlfred A. Knopf, Inc. is a New York publishing house, founded by Alfred A. Knopf, Sr. in 1915. It was acquired by Random House in 1960 and is now part of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group at Random House. The publishing house is known for its borzoi trademark , which was designed by co-founder... - McSweeney's Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories Michael ChabonMichael ChabonMichael Chabon born May 24, 1963) is an American author and "one of the most celebrated writers of his generation", according to The Virginia Quarterly Review....
2004 Vintage - Created in Darkness by Troubled Americans Dave EggersDave EggersDave Eggers is an American writer, editor, and publisher. He is known for the best-selling memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and for his more recent work as a screenwriter. He is also the co-founder of the literacy project 826 Valencia.-Life:Eggers was born in Boston, Massachusetts,...
2005 Vintage - The McSweeney's Joke Book of Book Jokes 2008 Vintage
- Mountain Man Dance Moves 2006 Vintage
- Greetings from the Ocean's Sweaty Face: 100 McSweeney's Postcards 2009 ChronicleChronicle BooksChronicle Books is a San Francisco-based American publisher of books for adults and children.The company was established in 1968 by Phelps Dewey, an executive with Chronicle Publishing Company, then-publisher of the San Francisco Chronicle. In 1999 it was bought by Nion McEvoy, great-grandson of...
826 Valencia Publications
These titles are releases of/by 826 Valencia. They are not the focus of this page, but these title have been published by McSweeney's/826.- 826 Quarterly Vol. 1 Students in Conjunction With 826 Valencia 2003/05/01
- 826 Quarterly Vol. 2 Students in Conjunction With 826 Valencia 2003/09/01
- 826 Quarterly Vol. 3 Students in Conjunction With 826 Valencia 2004/09/01
- 826 Quarterly Vol. 4 Students in Conjunction With 826 Valencia 2005/05/01
- 826 Quarterly Vol. 5 Students in Conjunction With 826 Valencia 2005/10/28
- 826 Quarterly Vol. 6 Students in Conjunction With 826 Valencia 2006/10/01
- 826 Quarterly Vol. 7 Students in Conjunction With 826 Valencia 2007/10/28
- 826 Quarterly Vol. 8 Students in Conjunction With 826 Valencia 2007/11/28
- 826nyc Review: Issue One Students in Conjunction With 826 Valencia / Seeley, Scott / Potts, Sam 2005/08/01
- 826nyc Review: Issue Two Students in Conjunction With 826 Valencia / Seeley, Scott / Potts, Sam 2006/06/01
- 826nyc Review: Issue Three Students in Conjunction With 826 Valencia / Seeley, Scott / Potts, Sam 2008/09/28
- 826NYC Art Show: A Limited Edition Catalog of 23 Original Pieces by Prominent Contemporary Artists 826NYC (EDT) 2007/08/28
In December 2006 Advanced Marketing Services, since 2002 the parent company of McSweeney's distributor Publishers Group West (PGW), declared bankruptcy. At the time of the filing, PGW owed McSweeney's about $600,000. McSweeney's eventually accepted an offer from Perseus Books Group
Perseus Books Group
Perseus Books Group is an American publishing company founded in 1996 by investor Frank Pearl. It was named Publisher of the Year in 2007 by Publishers Weekly magazine for its role in taking on publishers formerly distributed by Publishers Group West and acquiring Avalon Publishing Group.In January...
to take over distribution; the deal reduced McSweeney's losses to $130,000. In June 2007, McSweeney's held a successful sale and eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
auction which helped make up the difference.
External links
- McSweeney's Internet Tendency, official site
- "Too Cool for Words", by Judith Shulevitz, a 2001 review of everything McSweeney's from The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
- A.O Scott's New York Times piece on McSweeney's and n+1N+1n+1 is a New York–based American literary magazine that publishes social criticism, political commentary, essays, art, poetry, book reviews, and short fiction. It is published three times each year, and content is published on several times each week...
- Stephen AmidonStephen AmidonStephen Amidon is an American author and film critic. He grew up on the East Coast of the United States of America, including a spell in Columbia, Maryland, which served as the inspiration for his fourth novel The New City. Amidon moved to London, UK, in 1987, where he was given his first job as a...
Sunday Times, "Their Master's Voice: The Rise and Rise of Brand McSweeney's", February 3, 2008 http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article3277269.ece