In art and words, a book lover honors the characters he cant forget.New York Times Book Review

An original look at how literary characters can transcend their books to guide our lives, by one of the world’s most eminent bibliophiles

Alberto Manguel, in a style both charming and erudite, examines how literary characters live with us from childhood on. Throughout the years, they change their identities and emerge from behind their stories to teach us about the complexities of love, loss, and the world itself. Manguels favorite characters include Jim fromHuckleberry Finn,Phoebe fromThe Catcher in the Rye,Job and Jonah from the Bible, Little Red Riding Hood and Captain Nemo, Hamlets mother, and Dr. Frankensteins maligned Monster. Sharing his unique powers as a reader, Manguel encourages us to establish our own literary relationships. An intimate preface and Manguels own doodles complete this delightful and magical book.