What is actually a classic? Classics are books that seem newer, more unexpected, and groundbreaking every time you read them again. Italo Calvino, who said this, invites you to accompany him on a journey of discovery in his essays about Manzoni and Montale, the Odyssey and the furious Roland, Stendhal and Raymond Queneau. And who could be a better travel companion than this equally learned and entertaining reader?.