‘JOYOUS . . . READERS WILL LOVE THIS FASCINATING BOOK’ CATHY RENTZENBRINK
‘A GODSEND WITH THE PRESENT SEASON APPROACHING’ IRISH INDEPENDENT
‘THE PERFECT GIFT FOR A BOOK-OBSESSED FRIEND’ STYLIST, 50 UNMISSABLE BOOKS FOR AUTUMN 2017
‘EXCELLENT . . . SHOULD BE READ BY ANYONE WHO LOVES BOOKS’ EVENING STANDARD
Absence doesn’t make the heart grow fonder. It makes people think you’re dead.
So begins Christopher Fowler’s foray into the back catalogues and backstories of 99 authors who, once hugely popular, have all but disappeared from our shelves.
Whether male or female, domestic or international, flash-in-the-pan or prolific, mega-seller or prize-winner – no author, it seems, can ever be fully immune from the fate of being forgotten. And Fowler, as well as remembering their careers, lifts the lid on their lives, and why they often stopped writing or disappeared from the public eye.
These 99 journeys are punctuated by 12 short essays about faded once-favourites: including the now-vanished novels Walt Disney brought to the screen, the contemporary rivals of Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie who did not stand the test of time, and the women who introduced us to psychological suspense many decades before it conquered the world.
This is a book about books and their authors. It is for book lovers, and is written by one who could not be a more enthusiastic, enlightening and entertaining guide.
‘A BIBLIOPHILE’S DREAM’ FINANCIAL TIMES
‘WILL HAVE READERS SCURRYING INTO SECONDHAND BOOKSHOPS’ GUARDIAN
‘A GODSEND WITH THE PRESENT SEASON APPROACHING’ IRISH INDEPENDENT
‘THE PERFECT GIFT FOR A BOOK-OBSESSED FRIEND’ STYLIST, 50 UNMISSABLE BOOKS FOR AUTUMN 2017
‘EXCELLENT . . . SHOULD BE READ BY ANYONE WHO LOVES BOOKS’ EVENING STANDARD
Absence doesn’t make the heart grow fonder. It makes people think you’re dead.
So begins Christopher Fowler’s foray into the back catalogues and backstories of 99 authors who, once hugely popular, have all but disappeared from our shelves.
Whether male or female, domestic or international, flash-in-the-pan or prolific, mega-seller or prize-winner – no author, it seems, can ever be fully immune from the fate of being forgotten. And Fowler, as well as remembering their careers, lifts the lid on their lives, and why they often stopped writing or disappeared from the public eye.
These 99 journeys are punctuated by 12 short essays about faded once-favourites: including the now-vanished novels Walt Disney brought to the screen, the contemporary rivals of Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie who did not stand the test of time, and the women who introduced us to psychological suspense many decades before it conquered the world.
This is a book about books and their authors. It is for book lovers, and is written by one who could not be a more enthusiastic, enlightening and entertaining guide.
‘A BIBLIOPHILE’S DREAM’ FINANCIAL TIMES
‘WILL HAVE READERS SCURRYING INTO SECONDHAND BOOKSHOPS’ GUARDIAN
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Reviews
Well researched and wide-ranging . . . The Book of Forgotten Authors is a bibliophile's treat written with verve and passion. It will have readers scurrying into secondhand bookshops in search of yellowing paperbacks.
Full of humour and pathos, Christopher Fowler's survey of authors who have fallen into obscurity is a bibliophile's dream.
A real gem, filled with old favourites and new discoveries, and written in a light, snappy, erudite tone, as satisfying as a full English breakfast at your local art-house cafe.
A joyous saunter through the lives and words of yesterday's big names. Readers will love this fascinating book.
A sure-fire Christmas gift . . . charged with an irresistible passion for the world of the book.
A treasure trove of trivia . . . Excellent . . . This colourful compendium of literary lives should be read by anyone who loves books.