The Babel guide has 150 original reviews of books by over 100 authors from France, Quebec, North and West Africa, Belgium and Switzerland. Each review provides a kind of trailer for the work and is followed by an excerpt as a taster. It introduces big names of French literature such as Sartre, Camus, Colette and Duras, and a collection of less familiar writers, such as Driss Chraibi and Madeline Bourdouxhe. It includes a database of French fiction translated in the UK since 1950, with original titles and current prices. This is the third in a series of accessible and illustrated guides to world fiction available in English translation, aimed at journalists, academics, teachers and the ordinary reader. The reviews let potential readers have a idea as to whether a work might suit them.
Wine Fiction: A Bibliography 4th Edition will appeal to you who like to read fiction books with a wine, winery or vineyard theme. This 98-page book lists 2500 eBooks in 13 categories including Mystery, Novel, Romance, Story, Fantasy, Horror, to name six of the generas. These may be new, old, or hard-to-find books. New to this edition is a list of movies based on a wine fiction book. Click on a category in the Table of Contents to move to your genera of choice. Happy reading.
Fredric Warburg, partner in the London firm of Secker & Warburg from 1936 until 1971, considered publishing an attractive occupation and a way of life. In this personal, often humorous memoir of his life until his retirement, Warburg picks up where he left off in 1939 in An Occupation for Gentlemen. Warburg’s discussion of George Orwell’s Animal Farm and 1984 is an important contribution to literary history. Other chapters include Warburg’s landmark 1954 trial for publishing an “obscene” book, his edition of Kafka, the translation of Robert Musil’sThe Man Without Qualities, his visit to the aged Colette, a sketch of Thomas Mann, the strange tale of The Bridge on the River Kwai, the rise of Angus Wilson to stardom. In perhaps the funniest chapter, Warburg describes how he was duped by a plumber from Devonshire who pretended to be a Tibetan lama. A 1952 business deal by Secker & Warburg with Heinemann anticipates more recent consolidations in the publishing industry. Throughout Warburg’s memoir of literary and publishing history, the passionate personality of his wife, Pamela de Bayou, stands out, commenting on, criticizing and sometimes transforming a situation or a policy. All Authors Are Equal is for anyone who enjoys good books and the making of good books, and for all students of publishing. In the author’s own words: “The book as a whole may be seen as the story of my publishing life, the chapters and sections of chapters are in the main stories within the story. So it is that the book is a hybrid not an autobiography, not a history of a publishing house, not a philosophy of publishing, not a series of critical studies, but a bit of all these. [...] The deeper feelings of publishers are not often revealed to their authors while the publishing relationship exists. The publisher tends to be wary, diplomatic, reserved, rather hopeful, slightly pessimistic, laudatory, jolly, critical, or so diverse a mixture of all these as to end up more or less blank. Praise is dangerous — it might give an author ideas. Blame is perilous — the author may stop writing or even seek another publisher. To tell an author the unvarnished truth, as the publisher sees it, is no doubt hazardous, but it is a policy I have always tried to follow as far as possible, and with that policy I have had more successes than failures.” Praise for An Occupation for Gentlemen: “An engaging autobiography... Mr. Warburg writes with a nice light touch and with considerable charm and humor. His remarks about publishing are interesting and pointed.” — Orville Prescott, The New York Times “An entertaining and instructive book about two deep and ancient mysteries, human character and the trade of publishing.” — Jacques Barzun “Fredric Warburg’s autobiography is... wonderfully engaging. Mr. Warburg is that rarity among publishers. He writes extremely well.” — Moss Hart
Select Wine Bibliographies includes published works from the 1600s through 2023 All listings are works published in the English language. Each book includes an ISBN (when available), the format (hardcover, softcover, digital, or manuscript), as well as any notes that may list subsequent editions or other pertinent information. Thirteen major subjects are included with over 2300 listings. The goal is to first list first editions in hardcover when possible; otherwise, if later editions are more relevant, they become the primary source. Many of these works may have been published in additional formats. Thirteen major subjects are included with over 2300 listings.
Vols. for 1871-76, 1913-14 include an extra number, The Christmas bookseller, separately paged and not included in the consecutive numbering of the regular series.
