{"product_id":"9781429970853","title":"The Pickup Artist","description":"\u003cbr\u003eFrom the award-winning author of \u003ci\u003ePirates of the Universe\u003c\/i\u003e, a \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e Notable Book of the Year, comes \u003ci\u003eThe Pickup Artist\u003c\/i\u003e--a sharp, witty, and subversive exploration of the future of art, culture, and society. In the tradition of Ray Bradbury's fireman who burns books in Fahrenheit 451, our hero, Hank Shapiro, is a pickup artist, a government agent who gathers for retirement creative works whose time has come and gone. You see, there's simply not enough room in the world for all the art, so anything past a certain age must be cataloged, archived in the records, and destroyed, paving the way for new art. It's a job that comes with risk and the pay's lousy, but it covers the bills. And, after all, this year's art is better than last year's, isn't it?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut what happens is not nearly as important as the telling. Terry Bisson is an American writer in the satirical tradition of Twain and Vonnegut and perhaps Richard Brautigan. He can make you laugh and touch your heart in the same sentence. This is a book about love, death, and America.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt the publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management software (DRM) applied.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Tom Doherty Associates","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47122441928944,"sku":"9781429970853","price":7.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781429970853_p0.jpg?v=1763748203","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781429970853","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}