An update on various postings

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel was the hot favourite of the shortlisted novels for this year's Booker Prize, and she duly won. When I read Wolf Hall earlier this year, I enjoyed its scope and ambition, but did not rate it as highly as most reviewers. Therefore, it would not have been my choice for this year's prize. If you want a signed copy (first edition) from a dealer at present, you would have to pay £300 plus. Next year it will almost certainly be significantly cheaper. Back in June, when I recommended it, my signed, dated and lined copy cost under £20. Such are the vagaries of the book collector's world!

Two of my other recent recommendations are also currently available as limited editions. Rick Gekoski's Outside of a Dog in a limited edition of only 64 copies from Coombe Hill Books, and Death of Bunny Munro by Nick Cave as a limited slipcased edition of 500 copies directly from Canongate. Canongate have taken the unusual step (in the bookworld, but not the art world) of increasing the price of the books as the edition sells out, so that the book is currently at £120, having started at £80. I will stick with my £16.99 version!

Also just out, The Gates by John Connolly. I happened to meet John in No Alibis bookshop today, and got my signed copy directly from his hand. It was a pleasure to chat to him for a couple of minutes, and he could not have been more friendly. I will provide a bibliography when I get a chance, but I would also recommend The Lineup, a limited edition anthology from The Mysterious Bookshop, in which the "The World's Greatest Crime Writers Tell the Inside Story of Their Greatest Detectives", and which includes the story of how Charlie Parker came about. Twenty one profiles in total, all signed by the respective authors, and likely to be highly sought after in years to come.