Richard Ford says that Frank Bascombe was not intended to be Everyman. . . . Wyatt Mason reacts to the reaction to an alleged portrait of Shakespeare, and the New Republic offers a slide show of images of The Bard. . . . The second round of the Tournament of Books begins with Maud Newton having her say about 2666. And those judging the judges continue their gleeful undermining of the official results: “After 900 pages the revelation at the end is barely worth the calories required to shrug.” . . . I recommend you visit the site Odd Books for gems like this. And this one, which has to be in the running for Best Book Title of All Time.