The Canons

The Canons are books without boundaries. Some are classics already, the rest will be soon.

Poetry Unbound by Pádraig Ó Tuama cover

A beautiful book of immersive poetry, based on the much-loved Poetry Unbound podcast downloaded more than 6 million times

Blues People by LeRoi Jones cover

A rousing exploration of the blues and jazz music that formed much of American popular music culture, penned by the iconic Beat writer and critic

Walking Through Clear Water In a Pool Painted Black by Cookie Mueller cover

A new edition of the cult classic, with over two dozen additional stories, from the godmother of autofiction

The Man With the Golden Arm by Nelson Algren cover

This modern American classic is an unflinching look at post-war America; introduced by Irvine Welsh and afterword by Kurt Vonnegut

Pimp: The Story Of My Life by Iceberg Slim cover

The perennial cult classic, introduced by Irvine Welsh

Philadelphia Fire by John Edgar Wideman cover

The lyrical masterpiece from John Edgar Wideman, one of the standout black American writers of the modern age and winner of the 2017 Prix Femina Étranger

The People Of The Sea by David Thomson cover

Introduced by Seamus Heaney, The People of the Sea brings to life the legend of the mythical selchies, in beautiful, poetic prose

The Abundance by Annie Dillard cover

The best writing from the Pulitzer Prize-winning nature writer, with a foreword by Geoff Dyer.

Chronicle In Stone by Ismail Kadare, David Bellos cover

An early masterpiece by the inaugural winner of the Man Booker International Prize with an introduction by James Wood.