Was just posting about book blurbs in one of my comments here and thought I’d link to this great little essay by Annie Proulx, which I found a few years ago–Blurbs & Pufferies:
I have mixed feelings about the utility of the blurb. On one hand, in the bookstore often read them and sometimes buy a book on the strength of the blurbs, and sometimes, reading between the blurb lines, put the book back on the shelf because I have learned that certain blurb-happy writers cannot be trusted: they will tell you that Joe Stirrup is the Chaucer of our time. The hell he is.
myfanwy collins 