Floating Off the Page: The Best Stories from the Wall Street Journal's Middle Column

by Ken Wells and Ken Wells

Book Overview

On any given day, millions of Wall Street Journal readers put aside the serious business and economic news of the day to focus first on the paper's middle column (a.k.a. the A-hed), a virtual sound-bubble for light literary fare -- a short story, a tall tale, an old yarn, a series of vignettes, and other unexpected delights that seem to "float off the page." In this first-ever compendium of middle-column pieces, you'll find an eclectic selection of writings, from the outlandish to the oddly enlightening. Read about:
- one man's attempt to translate the Bible into Klingon
- sheep orthodontics, pet-freezing, and toad-smoking
- being hip in Cairo, modeling at auto shows, piano-throwing
- the fate of mail destined for the World Trade Center after 9/11
- the plight of oiled otters in Prince William Sound

...and much, much more. Edited by 20-year Journal veteran Ken Wells, and with a foreword by Liar's Poker author Michael Lewis, Floating Off the Page is the perfect elixir for fans of innovative prose in all its forms and function.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 074322664X
• ISBN13: 9780743226646
• Release Date: June 2003
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Interesting to read and useful as a gift

A few times a year we need a gift for someone whose tastes and interests are not well known to us. After perusing the many brief essays that make up this book, I know this will be a choice we'll use again and again.First, the editor chose widely among dates available, resulting in a selection that includes not only material from the past decade, but studies that reach into the early sixties. It is intriguing to play a little game whilst reading each story: what decade is it? Sometimes you'll win; sometimes the answer will have you scratching your head for a while.Second, the range of topics is virtually encyclopedic: from the academic ("The Art of the Perfectly Awful", a writing contest), to the esoteric ("The Bean of His Existence", about improving the quality of beans), to the banal ("Naked Assumptions", about nudist prudists), to the frankly bizarre ("Bear Hunting Is Hard on Wives"). There is much here you do not know about; there is probably plenty you have never heard of before.Finally, some of the material is side-splittingly funny, some is thought provoking, and some is frankly poignant. This is far from being a one-note book; it invokes a full range of emotion whilst it ranges across time, geography, and subjects. This makes it a good gift for yourself or, for that matter, nearly anyone.

Fabulous (but at least one urban legend?)

I enjoyed this so much that I got a copy for somebody else, who pointed out that chapter 25 ("The Steak Tender, the Soup Positively Rodentine") is apparently cited as an urban legend. That left me wondering how many of these columns are "real" and how many are just cleverly woven yarns. But real or not, it's a terrific read.

All You Need to Know about Smoking Toads

There are the usual dull collections and then there's this fun and easy to read anthology covering stories from the silly (psychedelic toad smokers) to the serious (the post-Sept. 11 torment of a WTC postal clerk) to the sublime (a trip along Australia's dingo fence.) The writing often rises to high-end magazine writing yet you aren't required to wade through 10,000-word pieces. These stories are about 1,500 words on average--perfect bedtime prose bites.

Middle, but Not Mediocre

Like many readers checking out this book, I've read the "middle column" for years. I'm bemused to learn everyone else calls it the same thing. What else could it be called? "That funky human interest article in the WSJ that has no direct relationship to anything else in the paper"? Maybe, but that would take too long to say."Floating off the Page: The Best Stories from The Wall Street Journal's "Middle Column"" covers all those stories you missed. On one hand, it is just a collection of articles from a well-read newspaper column. On the other, it is a peek into the unusual world we live in. As bizarre as some of these stories are, as much as you'll look and tell the other person with you, "listen to this, there's this guy in New York who...", these are real life.It isn't all humor, but you'll find many a chuckle in the book. You'll wonder where and how they found these people, but you'll be drawn into every page. The middle column isn't one of those selection of odd newswire stories, but a fully-researched look into one story, and all its oddities. They are written with as much erudite literary prowess as the rest of the WSJ, but without the MBA-level knowledge required. Coffeehouses should stock this one, as well as waiting rooms at dentists' office everywhere.I fully recommend "Floating off the Page: The Best Stories from The Wall Street Journal's "Middle Column""Anthony Trendl

Great Writing, Bright Thinking

This collection of mostly humorous, occasionally tragic, but always clever stories is a pleasure to read and to consider stealing from. The "middle column" of the Wall Street Journal is where you'll find all kinds of quirky, off-beat pieces on people or issues you thought you might not care about. But the writing draws you in and makes you care about the eccentric Englishman who's built a medieval siege engine, or the doomsday group, or the guy who tests aircraft viability by hurling dead chickens through the air, or the Laotian navy, and the more than 60 other characters presented in this book. While the quirkiness of finding these stories surrounded by the much more serious reporting of financial stories might catch your eye, the content of the material will hold it. This is a great book for people looking for another view of the world and what's important. And journalists take note: there's a goldmine of story possibilities in this book.