Floating Off the Page

Book excerpt: On any given day, millions of Wall Street Journal readers put aside the serious business and economic news of the day to focus first on the paper's middle column (a.k.a. the A-hed), a virtual sound-bubble for light literary fare -- a short story, a tall tale, an old yarn, a series of vignettes, and other unexpected delights that seem to "float off the page." In this first-ever compendium of middle-column pieces, you'll find an eclectic selection of writings, from the outlandish to the oddly enlightening. Read about: • one man's attempt to translate the Bible into Klingon • sheep orthodontics, pet-freezing, and toad-smoking • being hip in Cairo, modeling at auto shows, piano-throwing • the fate of mail destined for the World Trade Center after 9/11 • the plight of oiled otters in Prince William Sound ...and much, much more. Edited by 20-year Journal veteran Ken Wells, and with a foreword by Liar's Poker author Michael Lewis, Floating Off the Page is the perfect elixir for fans of innovative prose in all its forms and function.