Celebrate Bloomsday with the Essential Guide to Ulysses

Bloomsday is celebrated by fans of James Joyce’s book Ulysses every year on June 16, the date on which the novel takes place. Heralded as a transcendent cultural phenomenon, the novel Ulysses continues to provoke lively debates today despite its original publication over a century ago. The novel is famous for its intimidating density, its emotionally resonant story, and its playful use of language. 

Many scholars and professors agree that reading the novel requires some external support to navigate and appreciate Joyce’s story. Look no further than Patrick Hastings’s incredible book The Guide to James Joyce’s 'Ulysses.' In this guide, Hastings provides accessible and insightful guidance so readers can undertake this worthwhile yet demanding reading experience. From the creator of UlyssesGuide.com, this essential guide to James Joyce's masterpiece weaves together plot summaries, interpretive analyses, scholarly perspectives, and historical and biographical context to create an easy-to-read, entertaining, and thorough review of the novel. 

Hastings provides comprehensive support to readers of Joyce's magnum opus by illuminating crucial details and reveling in the mischievous genius of this unparalleled novel. Written in a voice that offers encouragement and good humor, this guidebook maintains a closeness to the original text and supports the first-time reader of Ulysses with the information needed to successfully finish and appreciate the novel. Deftly weaving together spirited plot summaries, helpful interpretive analyses, scholarly criticism, and explanations of historical and biographical context, Hastings makes Joyce's famously intimidating novel—one that challenges the conventions and limits of language—more accessible and enjoyable than ever before. He unpacks each chapter of Ulysses with episode guides, which offer pointed and readable explanations of what occurs in the text. He also deals adroitly with many of the puzzles Joyce hoped would "keep the professors busy for centuries." 

Full of practical resources—including maps, explanations of the old British system of money, photos of places and things mentioned in the text, annotated bibliographies, and a detailed chronology of Bloomsday (June 16, 1904)—this is an invaluable first resource about a work of art that celebrates the strength of spirit required to endure the trials of everyday existence. The Guide to James Joyce's 'Ulysses' is perfect for anyone undertaking a reading of Joyce's novel, whether as a student, a member of a reading group, or a lover of literature finally crossing this novel off the bucket list. 

To celebrate Bloomsday this year, check out The Guide to James Joyce’s 'Ulysses' and discover the magic in what Hastings refers to as this “big, strange, and wonderful book.”