“…we try as often as possible to commission important fiction writers to review important fiction… Often, however, fiction writers are disinclined to review their fellow practitioners for fear they won’t like the book as much as they might wish.” –Sam Tanenhouse, New York Times Book Review Editor

“In his copy of Tom Wolfe’s ”A Man in Full”… [John] Updike wrote comments like ‘adjectival monotony’ and ‘semi cliché in every sentence.’ A comparison with Updike’s eventual New Yorker review suggests that authors will write things in their books that they won’t say in public.” –Craig Fehrman, “Lost Libraries,” Boston Globe

“Blurb, (n.) 1. A flamboyant advertisement; an inspired testimonial. 2. A fulsome praise; a sound like a publisher. Blurb, (v.) To flatter from interested motives; to compliment oneself.” –F. Gelett Burgess, Burgess Unabridged: A Classic Dictionary of Words You Have Always Needed, 1914.