More Curious

In More Curious , Sean Wilsey travels across the U.S., from the launchpad at Cape Canaveral, to the isolated artists' enclave of Marfa, Texas, to the boardrooms and ballrooms of post–9/11 New York City. Wherever he is, Wilsey captures his surroundings with the precision of a photographer and the raw grace of a skateboarder (he's an amateur practitioner of both arts). And his eye always finds an unrivaled intensity of detail: here, and only here, will a reader be privy to the Dostoyevskian whiff of Marfa's fugitive underbelly, the unsung delights of a skater rag's cooking column, the exact amount of time elapsed since the soundwaves of a long-lost, legendary World Cup broadcast passed out of our solar system. These essays—originally published in Vanity Fair, GQ, McSweeney's , and elsewhere—comprise nearly fifteen years of Wilsey's most vital work on the glory and the misery, the beauty and absurdity of contemporary America. In More Curious, Sean Wilsey Travels Across The U.s., From The Launchpad At Cape Canaveral, To The Isolated Artists' Enclave Of Marfa, Texas, To The Boardrooms And Ballrooms Of Post{u2013}9/11 New York City. Wherever He Is, Wilsey Captures His Surroundings With The Precision Of A Photographer And The Raw Grace Of A Skateboarder (he's An Amateur Practitioner Of Both Arts). And His Eye Always Finds An Unrivaled Intensity Of Detail: Here, And Only Here, Will A Reader Be Privy To The Dostoyevskian Whiff Of Marfa's Fugitive Underbelly, The Unsung Delights Of A Skater Rag's Cooking Column, The Exact Amount Of Time Elapsed Since The Soundwaves Of A Long-lost, Legendary World Cup Broadcast Passed Out Of Our Solar System. The Republic Of Marfa -- Do You Know What Seaweed Is? -- No Work For Me -- Using So Little -- Some Of Them Can Read -- The World I Want To Live In -- Scanning Updike -- Travels With Death -- Nasa Redux -- Aldrin's Watch -- Always Be Cleaning -- Danny Meyer Bit His Tongue -- The Objects Of My Obsession -- Marfa, Revisited -- Outro. Sean Wilsey. Now in paperback, with a bonus essay not included in the hardcover edition, here is Sean Wilsey's celebrated collection of essays on the glory and misery, the beauty and absurdity of contemporary America.