A Treatise On Shelling Beans

- An unforgettable voice. The tone of the narrator is highly amusing, human, and perceptive.
- Package. All Archipelago Books are printed on high quality, acid-free paper, feature signature sewn binding, and each is uniquely designed with eye-catching art.
More praise for "Stone Upon Stone"
"A seamless epic . . . Fresh and surprising . . . Polish poet Czeslaw Milosz said that the poem that praises beauty must swallow all of death, and "Stone Upon Stone" does just that: illuminating the balance of beauty and brutality that defines our existence. . . . When Szymek says, 'The whole world is one big language, ' we believe it. We cup our ears to listen. . . . That "Stone Upon Stone" reads like the grand novel it is, not a novel in translation, is a testament to Johnston's work and Mysliwski's singular vision." --"Orion"
"Exhilarating . . . In long, streaming paragraphs, Szymek recounts a life that is full of sorrow and happiness. He talks about everything a life can contain: lovers, drinking, war, death, accidents, experience . . . A dizzying array of memories and stories." --"The Minneapolis Star Tribune"
"Joyously anchored in the physical world, steeped in storytelling, a delight from start to finish." --"Kirkus Reviews," starred
"A marvelous, garrulous book ... The grandest example of a genre ... Szymek's rustic voice narrates with a naivete and an eloquence that are equally endearing, reaching into every corner of the Polish countryside like a great shining sun." --"The National"