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Since we're thankful for our favorite authors, this Thanksgiving we decided to skip the food and dine on books, instead. John Hodgman sat at the head of the table and carved up a juicy signed copy of More Information Than You Require. Signed first editions of Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers made the perfect gravy. We passed around some delicious sides, from essays by Jon Meacham (American Lion), Lin Jensen (Together under One Roof), and Matt Bondurant (The Wettest County in the World), to INK Q&As from Wally Lamb (The Hour I First Believed) and Alex Perry (Falling off the Edge). For dessert, guest bloggers Dame Darcy (Gasoline) and Kerry Miller (Passive Aggressive Notes) brought enough delicious sweets for everyone.
SIGNED EDITIONS
More Information Than You Require, Signed 1st Edition "Hodgman is funny, clever, and has the face of a giant baby," says Ricky Gervais, a man who would know. More Information Than You Require is this year's surefire, laugh-out-loud gift. "Easily the best almanac of fake facts ever published with a brown and maize cover," raves our own Dave Weich. (Dave somehow even weaseled his way into the book!) Order yours while they last.
add to cart More Information Than You Require Signed New $25.00 | Hardcover
Outliers, Signed 1st Edition by Malcolm Gladwell
Outliers, Signed 1st EditionBlink author Malcolm Gladwell returns with a dazzling study of what factors make one person more successful than another. "Gladwell's writing is always engaging, especially when he illuminates the mysterious elements that allow one person to succeed beyond all others," hails Powells.com's Chris Bolton.
add to cart Outliers Signed New $27.99 | Hardcover

more signed editions

FEATURED INTERVIEW
John Hodgman The PC in those Mac ads, the Daily Show's "resident expert" — yes, him. After a star turn in our recent State by State film, John Hodgman returns to Powell's with More Information Than You Require, his second volume of complete(ly made-up) world knowledge. At our Burnside store one recent Saturday, he talked about mole-men and hobos, of course, but also Battlestar Galactica, Mall of America food stands, and life as a famous minor television personality.

more author interviews

Buy two mysteries,
get one free.
Indiespensable Vol. 7:
The Lit-Journal Collection
Browse our souvenir selection.
HARDCOVER
CreatureCreature by Andrew Zuckerman

Photographer Andrew Zuckerman's strikingly detailed images of animals from around the world are as delightful as they are inspiring. "My copy is wrecked from being pawed by houseguests young and old," says Dave of Powells.com. "But that's okay, because it's fun to watch them turning the pages, deciding on a favorite creature."

add to cart Creature Sale $42.00 | Hardcover
List Price: $60.00 (You Save: $18.00)
Ballistics: PoemsBallistics: Poems by Billy Collins

In his stunning new collection, the former U.S. Poet Laureate touches on a greater array of subjects — love, death, solitude, youth, and aging — and delves deeper than ever before. "In poem after poem, Collins's trademark honesty, insight, and playfulness shine through," cheers Tessa of Powells.com.

add to cart Ballistics Sale $16.80 | Hardcover
List Price: $24.00 (You Save: $7.20)
Standard Operating ProcedureStandard Operating Procedure

Through captivating interviews and dramatic reenactments, Academy Award-winner Errol Morris examines the incidents of abuse and torture of suspected terrorists at the hands of U.S. forces at the Abu Ghraib prison. "This is not a 'political' film," praises Roger Ebert. "It is driven simply, powerfully, by the desire to understand those photographs." All DVDs ship free from Powells.com.

add to cart Standard Operating Procedure Sale $26.16 | DVD
List Price: $28.96 (You Save: $2.80)
PAPERBACK
26662666 (3-Volume Boxed Set) by Roberto Bolaño

"The finest novel of our young century, 2666 is an epic masterpiece that solidifies Bolaño's reputation as a literary genius. It's an entire world unto itself, one — not unlike our own — filled with horror, neglect, depravity, brilliance, and beauty." —Recommended by Jeremy, Powells.com

add to cart 2666 Sale $21.00 | Trade Paper
List Price: $30.00 (You Save: $9.00)

I Like YouI Like You: Hospitality under the Influence by Amy Sedaris

"A tongue-in-cheek pastiche of recipes and advice for host and guest alike, I Like You will embolden readers to take on any entertaining challenge, be it hosting children, a rich uncle, or a crew of lumberjacks." —Recommended by Sheila, Powells.com

add to cart I Like You Sale $11.19 | Trade Paper
List Price: $15.99 (You Save: $4.80)

Deadly HarvestDeadly Harvest by Heather Graham

When a young woman is found dead in a field, dressed up as a scarecrow with a slashed grin and a broken neck, the residents of Salem, Massachusetts, begin to fear that the infamous Harvest Man is more than just a rumor. Cop Jeremy Flynn is in town for another investigation, but is recruited by local occult expert Rowena Cavanaugh to find a killer.

add to cart Deadly Harvest $6.39 | Microsoft eBook

Intermission.

Jeff Martin Last week on our blog, Jeff Martin, author of The Customer Is Always Wrong: The Retail Chronicles, wrote about the holiday shopping insanity that is Black Friday.

November 13, 2008:
Freaky Friday

No matter where you work, there are certain words and phrases that strike terror into the hearts of all employees. For instance, the words "labor strike" are not taken lightly in auto plants and textile mills.

Other words, like "financial crisis," have taken on a new level of gravitas with bankers and brokers. But for retail people there are two words that are unlike all others. In the same way that Harry Potter's nemesis is often referred to as "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," these words contain a powerful darkness.

Black Friday.

What is Black Friday? No, it's not a reference to a medieval pandemic or stock market crash. For the 26 people in America who've never shopped or worked in a retail store, please allow me to explain.... (read more)

Read the rest of Jeff Martin's blog posts, plus daily guest bloggers, Book News, Read It Before They Screen It, and more!
From the Authors SAVE 30%
JON MEACHAM: ORIGINAL ESSAY
Jon Meacham In American Lion, the New York Times-bestselling author of Franklin and Winston and American Gospel offers a magnificent portrait of Andrew Jackson, the man who shaped the modern presidency. "[T]he most readable single-volume biography ever written of our seventh president," hails the Washington Post. Read Meacham's original essay for Powells.com and save 30% on American Lion.
American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House
American Lion Sale $21.00
Hardcover
List Price: $30.00
You Save: $9.00
add to cart American Lion
LIN JENSEN: ORIGINAL ESSAY
Lin Jensen In Together under One Roof, Lin Jensen turns his keen eye and powerful prose explicitly to the teachings of the Buddha, traditional Zen stories, and the practices of meditation and compassion. "These simply spoken reflections feel like arrows of truth. Illuminating the mind so swiftly and convincingly that the point of them is unforgettable," cheers Sylvia Boorstein, author of Happiness Is an Inside Job. Read Jensen's original essay for Powells.com and save 30% on Together under One Roof.
Together under One Roof: Making a Home of the Buddha's Household
Together under One Roof Sale $11.86
Trade Paper
List Price: $16.95
You Save: $5.09
add to cart Together under One Roof
MATT BONDURANT: ORIGINAL ESSAY
Matt Bondurant Based on the true story of Matt Bondurant's grandfather and two granduncles, The Wettest County in the World is a gripping tale of brotherhood, greed, and murder. "Bondurant endows his gritty story with all the puzzle-solving satisfactions of a mystery," raves Publishers Weekly (starred review). "It's a gripping, relentless tale, delivered in no-nonsense prose." Read Bondurant's original essay for Powells.com and save 30% on The Wettest County in the World.
The Wettest County in the World: A Novel Based on a True Story
The Wettest County in the World Sale $17.50
Hardcover
List Price: $25.00
You Save: $7.50
add to cart The Wettest County in the World
WALLY LAMB: INK Q&A
Wally Lamb Number-one New York Times-bestselling author and two-time Oprah's Book Club pick Wally Lamb delivers his first novel in over a decade — an extraordinary work of prodigious scope and ambition that explores the consequences of violent events, and the chaos that ensues. "[A] tour de force," proclaims Entertainment Weekly. "The Hour I First Believed is his best yet (Grade: A)." Read our INK Q&A with Lamb and save 30% on The Hour I First Believed.
The Hour I First Believed
The Hour I First Believed Sale $20.96
Hardcover
List Price: $29.95
You Save: $8.99
add to cart The Hour I First Believed
ALEX PERRY: INK Q&A
Alex Perry If the world is flat, as the prophets of globalization proclaim, then what happens on the underside? Alex Perry answers with Falling off the Edge, his eye-opening journey through the planet's most dangerous hotspots. "Perry, to his great credit, is on the beat, scratching under surfaces and helping to clear away the obfuscation around this important issue," says Kirkus Reviews. Read Perry's INK Q&A and save 30% on Falling off the Edge.
Falling off the Edge: Travels through the Dark Heart of Globalization
Falling off the Edge Sale $18.20
Hardcover
List Price: $26.00
You Save: $7.80
add to cart Falling off the Edge
DAME DARCY: GUEST BLOGGER
Dame Darcy Written and illustrated by the cult artist Dame Darcy (Meatcake), Gasoline is a rollicking, eco-conscious, gothic fairy tale of danger and suspense, heartbreak and redemption, and above all the perseverance of magic and love. This week we're honored to welcome Dame Darcy as our guest blogger. Check out her daily posts and save 30% on Gasoline.
Gasoline: A Graphic Novel
Gasoline Sale $17.46
Hardcover
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add to cart Gasoline
KERRY MILLER: GUEST BLOGGER
Kerry Miller Based on the Webby Award-winning blog of the same name, Passive Aggressive Notes offers a fascinating look at the all-too-familiar frustrations of embattled office drones, apartment dwellers, parents, and pet owners everywhere. Next week we're pleased to have Kerry Miller as our guest blogger. Check out Kerry's daily posts and save 30% on Passive Aggressive Notes.
Passive Aggressive Notes: Painfully Polite and Hilariously Hostile Writings
Passive Aggressive Notes Sale $9.76
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in our stores
1.  The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff
The Monsters of Templeton Mystery, academic comedy, ghost story, literary romance... Monsters of Templeton is a rich, rewarding debut whose pieces stitch together seamlessly. A smart pleasure, it is one of my favorite (and most frequently recommended) books of the year. Recommended by Dave, Powells.com (read more)
2. Christmas Alphabet Cards by Robert Sabuda (Holiday)
3. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (Literature)
4. The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño (Literature)
5.  The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz (Literature)
6. The Night before Christmas by Robert Sabuda (Children's)
7. Indiespensable Subscription by Powells.com (Special)
8. A Mercy by Toni Morrison (Literature)
9. Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama (Biography)
10. Ballistics by Billy Collins (Poetry)
NOVEMBER 20: Portland City Walks
Portland City Walks From the inspired creator of the beloved Portland Hill Walks comes Portland City Walks, a rich collection of 20 eye-opening walks exploring the backstreets and back stories of the neighborhoods of Portland and five nearby towns. Laura Foster's new walking routes are easy to follow, self-guided, accessible by public transportation, and include plenty of snacks and offbeat treasures along the way.

NOVEMBER 24: Builders of the Pacific Coast
Builders of the Pacific Coast A continuation of Lloyd Kahn's journeys into the creative processes of owner-built homes, Builders of the Pacific Coast explores the aesthetics and skills of three master builders in California, Washington state, and the rugged terrain of British Columbia. With stunning photographs and detailed black-and-white drawings of the homes, this collection of unique and progressive designs creates a template for a future filled with forward-thinking architecture.

view all events
preorder signed editions by authors coming to Powell's

IN OUR NEXT EDITION:
An interview with Annie Leibovitz and signed first editions of Annie Leibovitz at Work
An original essay by Tilar Mazzeo (The Widow Clicquot)
An INK Q&A with Mac Montandon (Jetpack Dreams)
Fup.  Store Cat.

"Did you hear anything about a squirrel?" Oreo asked when Zooey and Bear met them back in the Park Blocks after their visit to the bookstore.

No one had mentioned a squirrel.

Apparently, the squirrel was big news. If you believed Oreo and Bagheera, anyway. Chester was too busy treeing crows to participate in the discussion.

"What squirrel? Who?"

They had assumed that Bear and Zooey would know. No one knew. The conversation hit a dead end. The crows flew away. A couple walked by pushing a stroller, and one word jumped out from their talking: squirrel.

The five of them looked around, over the lawn and across adjacent streets, at pedestrians and automobiles and the #15 bus pointed west toward the hills, at two teenagers playing Frisbee and a man napping on a bench and a dog peeing on a tree. But no squirrels.

"Weird," Oreo said.

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