Floating Off the Page: The Best Stories from The Wall Street Journal's "Middle Column"

Straight from the most popular feature in The Wall Street Journal, stories that open a window on the odd, bizarre, and amusing side of the human condition. Every day, millions of Wall Street Journal readers are treated to a story that floats off the page--a lighthearted look at people or events that serves as an antidote to the more serious articles in the paper. The renowned "middle column" on page one has evolved into an icon of feature writing, and this anthology brings together the best of several decades' worth of these delightfully entertaining pieces. Deftly collected by Page One editor Ken Wells, here are reports on how to throw your grand piano 125 yards, why more people than you might imagine get a kick out of smoking toads, and the very latest in sheep orthodontia. The sixty-seven stories in Floating off the Page reflect a remarkable range of styles and topics; what unites them is the excellence of the writing and the witty, offbeat, and sometimes touching insights of top-notch reporters and social observers.