<<•>>  edited by Ken Parille <<•>>  
This handsomely designed 360 page flexi-cover volume is billed as being "a critical edition of Ghost World and other stories, with essays, interviews and annotations."  Prefaced by an appetizer consisting of a brief yet wide-ranging sampling of epigrammatic excerpts of concnise Clowes commentary, the main course of this volume is the complete Ghost World accompanied by a generous serving of side dishes consisiting of many if not most of Clowes's best short stories from the late teen issues of Eightball, including "Blue Italian Shit", "Black Nylon", "Like a Weed, Joe", "The Party" and "Art School Confidential", garnished with a siginificant selection of obscurities and rarities, the most substantial of which is the twenty page "manifesto" Modern Cartoonist, which originally appeared as an insert in Eightball #18 (17?).  All are well reproduced in black and white, duo-tone and/or full color on high grade white stock.  Accompanying these are a dozen or so essays by a bevy of Clowes scholars, which provide a wide range of perspectives on Clowes's work and career.  The volume closes with a Clowes chronology and recommendations for further reading.  Teachers and professors (and reading group organizers, too, what the heck) with an interest in Clowes, take note:  this is the book for you.