Author(s): ed. Dave Eggers

Fiction

"McSweeney's Issue 16" is as unlike a regular book as you can imagine. It takes the form of a fold-out cover (not just the jacket, but the actual board), with a drawing silkscreened onto the cloth on one side, and the other divided into four quadrants, each with a pocket. And in these pockets you'll find: a booklet with stories by Denis Johnson, Roddy Doyle and a bunch of newcomers; a novella (in its own notebook) by Ann Beattie, with a guest appearance by Harry Mathews; a story by Robert Coover, written on the thirteen hearts from a deck of cards that can be shuffled and read in any order; and an ordinary comb. So, in short, "McSweeney's Issue 16" is an elaborate concoction brought to you by the very people responsible for the gorgeous "McSweeney's Comics Issue" and the enlightening "Future Dictionary of America". This is a real treat, to be sure.