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Floating Off the Page: The Best Stories from The Wall Street Journal's "Middle Column"
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
• 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.
• 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.
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
3 people are currently reading
149 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 18, 2020
I don't know why this book has such a low rating. These are stories told in about 1,000 words by people working full time gigs. All are well written and most are pretty interesting. I gave it four stars because I can't remember most of the stories. But, if you're writing, you should be able to write stories of different lengths. I'm glad this book was recommended by 50 Writing Tools.
June 18, 2019
For those who enjoy good journalistic writing, these stories are like eating a box of chocolates. Reading one or two a day can be a real treat. Reading a half dozen at a time may leave a saccharine aftertaste. Editorial arrangement of the stories in topical groups is reasonable enough, but the editor plays coy with the date of composition, putting it at the end of the essay. It’s as if the topics are so airy, it makes little difference whether they're true in the recent past or forty years ago. Enjoy the writing, chuckle over the odd characters profiled, don't take the book too seriously.
June 26, 2012
Back when I had convenient access to the WSJ, I used to read the middle column quite often. These short, engaging, human interest stories were a refreshing complement to the rest of the front page.
Reading this compilation is a mixed bag. Some pieces feel nostalgic, others stale. I was struck by how male-targeted most pieces were. I know, not surprising. Hope you like to read about hunting!
The most affecting pieces were the couple that were from right after 9/11 (this book was published in 2002). Some others are definitely interesting, like the one about the dingo fence. But, overall, I didn't look forward to opening this book every evening.
My biggest complaint is that the date of each column was printed at the end of the piece. I found myself flipping to the end of each one to get the context of when it was printed.
Reading this compilation is a mixed bag. Some pieces feel nostalgic, others stale. I was struck by how male-targeted most pieces were. I know, not surprising. Hope you like to read about hunting!
The most affecting pieces were the couple that were from right after 9/11 (this book was published in 2002). Some others are definitely interesting, like the one about the dingo fence. But, overall, I didn't look forward to opening this book every evening.
My biggest complaint is that the date of each column was printed at the end of the piece. I found myself flipping to the end of each one to get the context of when it was printed.
December 29, 2013
I enjoyed this book very much, but it isn't one meant to be read in one sitting. it is made up of human interest stories that appeared regularly in the middle column of the Wall Street Journal. The subjects were extremely varied and the writing quality was high.
The best way to read it is one story a day or so (like the columns were published). I read this for one of my book groups so the members tried to push the reading into the time allotted to finish it by meeting time. Pushing it distracted from the intent. These columns were themselves written to be a distraction from the usual business workday grindstone.
The format they used actually added to my enjoyment. They didn't put the date the story ran and the author information until the end of each article, so I had fun trying to guess the year the column was published while I was reading it.
The best way to read it is one story a day or so (like the columns were published). I read this for one of my book groups so the members tried to push the reading into the time allotted to finish it by meeting time. Pushing it distracted from the intent. These columns were themselves written to be a distraction from the usual business workday grindstone.
The format they used actually added to my enjoyment. They didn't put the date the story ran and the author information until the end of each article, so I had fun trying to guess the year the column was published while I was reading it.
November 4, 2019
I subscribed to the WSJ for awhile, and have no memory of these columns.
This book is copywrited 2002, and most of the stories are very dated.
Two of the best columns are at the start: They are about people who should have been at their jobs at the World Trade Center at 9am on 9/11/2001, but were not - for various reasons or twists of fate.
Facts are always so much more interesting than fiction and here are a number of examples.
There are a few more stories that are compelling, but too many are just boring.
When I started losing interest about 20% of the way through, I began reading the last tales and continued backwards towards the front. While there were some I just skipped after a few lines, I did get through this tome. Mostly looking for the rare story that caught my interest.
Do not really recommend this, unless you have nothing else to read :)
This book is copywrited 2002, and most of the stories are very dated.
Two of the best columns are at the start: They are about people who should have been at their jobs at the World Trade Center at 9am on 9/11/2001, but were not - for various reasons or twists of fate.
Facts are always so much more interesting than fiction and here are a number of examples.
There are a few more stories that are compelling, but too many are just boring.
When I started losing interest about 20% of the way through, I began reading the last tales and continued backwards towards the front. While there were some I just skipped after a few lines, I did get through this tome. Mostly looking for the rare story that caught my interest.
Do not really recommend this, unless you have nothing else to read :)
July 31, 2008
For 67 years, one of the distinguishing features of the Wall Street Journal has been the "A-hed," a special column where journalists treated unusual stories with excellent writing and humor. Among those who worry about Rupert Murdoch's purchase of the paper, the a-hed or "middle column" is one of the most frequent concerns.
Surely this argues for a long series of collections like this one. The odd, the offbeat, the beautiful, they are all here, subtly expanding and lightening one's view of the world.
Surely this argues for a long series of collections like this one. The odd, the offbeat, the beautiful, they are all here, subtly expanding and lightening one's view of the world.
September 4, 2009
These are the fabulous stories on the front page of the WSJ that make you say, 'Huh? Why is that here?' As a purveyor of useless bits of trivia, I found this book tremendously enjoyable. The writing is superb and the stories are amazing. Truth is stranger than fiction. A quick read, great for a weekend, vacation or plane ride.
September 11, 2012
A collection of the best feature stories from the Wall Street Journal. I especially liked the feature about the Club for One-Pulse Words, in which the reporter used only words of one syllable. And Geraldine Brooks is a Pulitzer-winning novelist now, but back in 1989 she was a Journal reporter who wrote a feature on her experiences with belly-dancing.
January 12, 2022
The stories in this book seen to be about men and drinking. This is not my cup of tea so I never finished the book. I thought it would be more intellectually stimulating. Also the date for each column is at the end of the article making it difficult to understand the frame of reference if you forget to look ahead.
May 12, 2010
Read this when I was in South Dakota & reread it May, 2010. Still good, still true, and fa-funny!
Want to read
November 19, 2010I happened upon this book yesterday and decided to buy it. I hope I'll enjoy reading it as much as I think I will.
October 28, 2020
One of those great books in which you can read a chapter, put it down and a year later read another. Quirky stories.
September 10, 2008
Short articles from the Journal's midde column. The topics vary widely, but all are interesting!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews