Pages & Proofs

George Orwell, real name Eric Blair, occupies a special place in 20th century literature thanks to fiction that forces the reader to think. The author (1903-1950) is best remembered for his six novels but also wrote narrative essays, literary reviews and journalistic articles. Orwell’s writing was so pervasive that phrases he coined are still used, […]

More than 70 titles to his name. A worldwide following. Adored by Hollywood. Admired by fellow authors. It can only be Stephen King and the master of horror is still going strong after all these years. And it began on April 5, 1974 with the publication of Carrie and Stephen has been literary royalty ever […]

The British Library has digitised the sole surviving original copy of the first autobiography written in English – The Book of Margery Kempe, reports The Guardian. It owns the only known copy of the book, describing  Kempe’s life and travels in England and abroad, including her pilgrimages to the Holy Land and Santiago de Compostela […]

I could not resist taking a picture of this scene during a recent family holiday to Oregon. Our two children engrossed in their books while the Pacific Ocean pounds the Oregon beach. A true peaceful moment amid the chaos of modern parenting. Aside from the camera, I’ve got a beer on the go and the […]

There is an endless fascination with fictional crime, criminals, and the dedicated professionals who bring them to justice. Serial killers and FBI profilers, kidnappers and cops, and grifters and gumshoes are welcome visitors to our bookshelves. Society’s dark underbelly and the twisted mind of the criminal are exciting places to visit. Crime fiction has been […]

Textbooks on the art of war have been around for centuries in one form or another. One of the most interesting examples is Armamentarium Principale Oder Kriegsmunition und Artillerey=Buch by Frank Helm. This 16th century book details the manufacture of bombs, canons and other types of artillery involving gunpowder.  Instructions include strapping rockets to the […]

The second Alphabet Library column from Tim Martin at the Daily Telegraph celebrates The Bachelors by Muriel Spark. For a horrible moment as I wrote The Bachelors, I remembered the Dublin pop group The Bachelors, but thankfully Tim’s essay is all about literature’s brightest Spark, as in Muriel. The Bachelors appeared in 1960, and despite […]