As a book from 25 years ago, WHEN PEOPLE PUBLISH remains remarkably fresh, due mostly to Busch's putting himself so completely into what he writes here. Although the book could easily be considered a work of literary criticism, it is more of a labor of love on the part of Fred Busch. Here's a guy who obviously loves books, loves GOOD writing (and those capitals mean something here), and is perhaps more than a bit frustrated at how the world has and continues to ignore much of that GOOD writing. He writes of his favorite authors - Melville, Dickens, Hemingway and Hawkes, as well as others he likes, dislikes, or has mixed feelings about. Philip Roth might fall into that last category, as Busch says that Roth has made a career of writing primarily about Philip Roth and growing up and growing older Jewish.

There are a few pieces here which show up again later in Busch's other excellent essay collection, A DANGEROUS PROFESSION - meditations on Leslie Epstein and Melville, as well as a gem called "The Floating Christmas Tree," one of my all-time favorite essays about writing and books by a writer I respect tremendously. Epstein has gone onto my list of writers I must one day read. But most of all, as a result of reading these essays, I have renewed my vow to try my best to read all of Fred Busch's books; add it to that "bucket list." His first novel, I WANTED A YEAR WITHOUT FALL, may be the holy grail, as it was only published in England. But next I think I'd like to read SOMETIMES I LIVE IN THE COUNTRY, which he says in one of these essays, continues the story of Lizzie Bean, a character from ROUNDS, which I very much enjoyed.

How I wish I could have met Fred Busch. I would have loved to sit and talk books and writers with this guy, even though I know he knew so much more than I. Somehow I don't think he'd flaunt it though. I like to think he would recognize a fellow booklover. ( )