Every so often, a book comes along that not only follows a great premise, it fulfills that premise completely.
Legends of Literature is a collection of essays written by contributors to Writer’s Digest. Famous contributors, like Stephen King, H.G. Wells, Jack Kerouac, and Ray Bradbury. There are good interviews with Kurt Vonnegut, Carl Sandburg, and George Bernard Shaw.
Much of it is writing advice, yes, but it’s also a window into the minds of these great writers. We get to see their approaches to fiction, and their opinions on the writing business. Bradbury, for example, is breezy but pragmatic about the need to just sit down in front of the page and write, good or bad.
It’s certainly an excellent book for writers, but it’s also worth a look for bibliophiles who just want to know how writers think.