Title
Critical Mass: Four Decades Of Essays, Reviews, Hand Grenades, And Hurrahs
Sold by Ergodebooks, an authorized reseller.
Returns accepted within 30 days | support@ergodebooks.com
Shipping Information
- Free Standard Shipping — United States only
- Processing Time: 1–3 business days
- Estimated Delivery: 3–5 business days after dispatch
- Double-boxed, fully insured & discreetly packaged
- Tracking number sent via email once dispatched
- Orders over $250 require signature upon delivery. Taxes calculated at checkout.
Returns & Refund
Returns accepted within 30 days of delivery.
Damaged or Defective Item
Free return shipping + replacement or full refund
Wrong Item Received
Free return shipping + replacement or full refund
Change of Mind
Return shipping at customer's expense · 25% restocking fee applies
Payment Option
A Careerspanning Collection Of Critical Essays And Cultural Journalism From One Of The Most Acute, Entertaining, And Sometimes Acerbic (But In A Good Way) Critics Of Our Timefrom His Earlyseventies Dispatches As A Fledgling Critic For The Village Voice On Rock N Roll, Comedy, Movies, And Television To The Literary Criticism Of The Eighties And Nineties That Made Him Both Feared And Famous To His Mustread Reports On The Cultural Weather For Vanity Fair, James Wolcott Has Had A Career As A Freelance Critic And A Literary Intellectual Nearly Unique In Our Time. This Collection Features The Best Of Wolcott In Whatever Guiseconnoisseur, Intrepid Reporter, Memoirist, And Necessary Naysayerhe Has Chosen To Take On.Included In This Collection Is O.K. Corral Revisited, A Fresh Take On The Famed Norman Mailergore Vidal Dustup On The Dick Cavett Show That Launched Wolcott From His Maryland College To New York City (Via Bus) To Begin His Brilliant Career. His Prescient Review Of Patti Smiths Legendary First Gig At Cbgb Leads Off A Suite Of Eyewitness And Insider Accounts Of The Rise Of Punk Rock, While Another Set Of Pieces Considers The Vast Cultural Influence Of The Enigmatic Johnny Carson And The Scramble Of His Latenight Successors To Inherit The Swivel Throne. There Are Warm Tributes To Such Diverse Figures As Michael Mann, Sam Peckinpah, Lester Bangs, And Philip Larkin And Masterly Summingsup Of The Departed Giants Of American Literaturejohn Updike, William Styron, John Cheever, And Mailer And Vidal. Included As Well Are Some Legendary Takedowns That Have Entered Into The Literary Lore Of Our Time.Critical Mass Is A Treasure Trove Of Sparkling, Spiky Prose And A Fascinating Portrait Of Our Lives And Cultural Times Over The Past Decades. In An Age Where A Great Deal Of Back Scratching And Softball Pitching Pass For Criticism, James Wolcotts Fearless Essays And Reviews Offer A Bracing Taste Of The Real Critical Thing.
⚠️ WARNING (California Proposition 65):
This product may contain chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm.
For more information, please visit www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.