Logan Smalley - The Call Me Ishmael Phone Book: An Interactive Guide to Life-Changing Books

A VID R EADER P RESS

An Imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

1230 Avenue of the Americas

New York, NY 10020

www.SimonandSchuster.com

Copyright 2020 by Call Me Ishmael LLC

While certain real places are mentioned throughout, these references are editorial in nature, and do not suggest sponsorship, endorsement, or affiliation on the part of these entities with this book.

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, address Avid Reader Press Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

First Avid Reader Press trade paperback edition October 2020

AVID READER PRESS and colophon are trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or .

The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event, contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com.

Cover design by Jonathan Bush

Telephone and decorative lines by CSA Images/Getty Images and Aanav/Shutterstock; person reading by CSA Images/Getty Images; pointing hand by Alex74/Shutterstock; whale hunters by Whitemay/Getty Images

Author photograph Stephanie Kent

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for.

ISBN 978-1-9821-4058-8

ISBN 978-1-9821-4059-5 (ebook)

To Terrie and Barbara, for making readers of us

One summer evening in Greenwich Village, we found ourselves at a pub debating the best opening lines in literature. One of us argued for Orwells It was a bright day in April and the clocks were striking thirteen while the other championed Voneguts All this happened more or less. Unable to agree, we struck a truce over our shared appreciation for Melvilles renowned opener: Call Me Ishmael. We also, for the first time, spotted the pun. What would happen if booklovers could actually call Moby-Dicks narrator and leave a voice message? Hours later, wed created a working phone number and issued this challenge to readers everywhere: Tell us a story about a book you love. The messages started pouring in. We shared our favorites online, word continued to spread, and weve since amassed thousands of anonymous voicemail messages from bibliophiles all over the world. Receiving and listening to those messages has become an enduring source of joy in our lives. Were grateful and delighted to share that collection with you here, in the form of this Phone Book.

If youve seen a telephone directory before, The Call Me Ishmael Phone Book might feel familiar. Nostalgic, even. It may remind you of a slower time. You might once have dog-eared the pages of a book like this, circled your favorite local restaurants, underlined the phone number of a crosstown crush, or leveraged its thickness to sit a little taller at family dinner.

Maybe youve never seen a phone book, and youve always been able to reach your loved ones with the touch of a screen. For you, this book will help you discover stories from strangers in a way you never knew was possible. By the time you reach the end of their stories the wide and wired world might feel a little cozier, and a little more human.

Whether you miss your local Yellow Pages or you appreciate innovative ways to connect with peoples stories, the book youre holding is an entirely new (and totally quirky) way to discover, explore, and celebrate life-changing books.

Step 1 Call 774-325-0503 from any phone.

Step 2 Enter any four-digit extension that you find in this book.

Step 3 Listen to an anonymous reader share a story about a book they love.

Thousands of readers from around the world have left us voice messages about their most beloved books. Each message offers an answer to that age-old readers conundrum: What should I read next? Follow the steps above to hear the calls for yourself, or read the transcripts of a few of our favorites (marked by the symbol ). You can browse the messages on the yellow pages by topic, or head to the white pages to view the listings in alphabetical order by author or book title.

Step 1 Browse the yellow pages of this Phone Book and keep an eye out for this symbol , which demarks a real-life literary location that you can explore.

Step 2 Call 774-325-0503 and enter the associated four-digit extension to learn about the location.

Step 3 Visit the bookish destination in person or online. Be sure to tag us in your travels on Twitter and Instagram: @callingishmael.

Like the phone books of old, the Call Me Ishmael Phone Book can help you discover incredible, real-life locations. We have an affinity for bookstores, libraries, and literary tourism, which is why youll find the real addresses of some of our favorite literary establishments throughout this book. Dial any locations four-digit extension to learn more about the adventure that awaits. Also, youll find many independent bookstores tucked into various categories within the yellow pages of this book. Indie bookshops are some of our favorite places on earth, and while we couldnt possibly list every shop, we do hope youll find and visit your local indie, and, if youre able, buy lots of books while youre there.

Step 1 Read the Phone Book for listings, transcripts, and bookish places.

Step 2 Look for mysterious advertisements or puzzling pages.

Step 3 Try to figure out the literary reference.

Everything in this book has been included to celebrate and delight bibliophiles. If you see a page you dont quite understand, its there to bring you a moment of bookish joy if you can figure out what it means. While most of our four-digit extension codes lead to stories about books, some of them will reveal the voices behind literary projects that we love. Check back often, as well continuously update many extensions in this Phone Book as time goes by.

This book is full of invitations to get involved with Call Me Ishmael. If one of our prompts or another readers story inspires you, call 774-325-0503 and leave us a message of your own.