Book of the week and Bibliography - Joe Abercrombie, Last Argument of Kings

Joe Abercrombie is a UK fantasy writer who has just published the final volume of the First Law Trilogy, Last Argument of Kings, published in the UK by Gollancz. The book has been issued simultaneously in paperback and hardcover, meaning that the hardcover print run is likely to be relatively small. Fantasy fiction is a specialist area, and I would not claim to be an expert, but these books are well written and enjoyable, and the series has attracted a considerable following. The first two volumes in the triology, The Blade Itself and Before they were Hanged, are now relatively uncommon and expensive (currently around £125 for volume 1 and £90 for volume 2). However, when the first volume was released it was recommended by several Modern First Edition dealers, and I purchased and read it at that stage. I now have the complete trilogy, all signed and dated and purchased at list price, and they look like a good investment. Whether the first two volumes are worth purchasing at current prices is a matter of judgement, and will depend on how the author develops in the future. The second volume in the trilogy has just been released in the US to very positive reviews, so the omens look good.

The Blade Itself, Gollancz 2006 - (February 2011 - only one online copy, signed lined and dated £400)
Before they were Hanged, Gollancz 2007 (February 2011 - only one online copy, signed and lined £250.  The seller says that this is the rarest of the books)
Last Argument of Kings, Gollancz 2008 (February 2011 - £80-100)
Best Served Cold, Gollancz, 2009 (February 2011, £10-15)
The Heroes, Gollancz, 2011

John Banville - a further update and a brief encounter

A correspondent (Jer) has kindly written to let me know about a special limited edition of 'Ghosts' (1993) produced by Kenny's of Galway. It was limited to 50 copies - signed, numbered, slipcased quarter bound leather over marbled boards, with gilded raised bands, twin gilded leather title labels, and top edge gilt. I have updated the Banville bibliography accordingly.

I am writing this message from Chicago, where I am currently attending a conference for a few days. In years gone by I would often have spent my free time trawling the second hand bookshops to see what I could find. However, nowadays, like many collectors, I find myself trawling the internet instead. This rarely replicates the feeling that I used to get when I came across a book I had been searching for on some dusty shelves, but the internet also has its advantages, and has made it possible to find books which in the past a collector might never have encountered.

Nonetheless, I think it is important to support bookshops and get to know the owners, particularly if you hope to obtain rarer items. And you never know who you might encounter in the process. Last week I called into Goldsboro books, as I often do when in London, for a brief chat with the owners. They were chatting to a gentleman who looked familiarwhen I went in, and I was introduced to him as a fellow Irishman. It was Brian McGilloway, who I had vaguely recognised from his picture, and who had been over to sign copies of Gallows Lane. A coincidence indeed, but he went on to say that he was also familiar with my name, and it turned out that his wife had encountered me at University in Belfast. We chatted briefly about his plans for future novels and overseas publication, and hopefully he will get the success which the series richly deserves.

Book of the week and bibliography - Brian McGilloway, Gallows Lane

Brian McGilloway was born in Derry, Northern Ireland in 1974, and teaches English at St Columb’s College, Derry. Gallows Lane is his second novel featuring Inspector Benedict Devlin. The novel takes its title from the name of the road down which condemned Donegal criminals were once led, and follows Devlin as he investigates a series of gruesome murders in and around the Irish borderlands. When a young woman is found beaten to death on a building site, in what appears to be a sexually-motivated killing, Devlin's enquiries soon point to a local body-builder and steroid addict. But days later, born-again ex-con James Kerr is found nailed to a tree - crucified - having been released from prison and returned to his hometown to spread the word of God. Increasingly torn between his young family and his job, Devlin is determined to apprehend those responsible for the murders be-ore they strike again, even as the carnage begins to jeopardise those he cares about most.

The previous book in the series and McGilloway's first novel (Borderlands) was shortlisted for the CWA New Blood Dagger. Both books have absorbing plots, strong characterisation and capture the atmosphere of the hinterland between North and South of Ireland. Several more books are planned and the series has strong potential to build with time.

Borderlands Macmillan, 2007
Gallows Lane Macmillan, 2008
Bleed a Deep River, Macmillan, 2009
The Rising, Macmillan, 2010

Little Girl Lost, Macmillan, 2011.   Paperback release, but signed numbered hardcover (300 copies) published in association with Goldsboro Books.

An update - John Banville

Conversation in the Mountains, a play for radio, by John Banville will shortly be published by The Gallery Press, and I have updated the Banville bibliography accordingly. In the summer of 1967 the poet Paul Celan, a Romanian Polish Jew, accepted an invitation from Martin Heidegger, a Nazi Party member, to visit him in the Black Forest, hoping perhaps for a word of apology. What was said that day nobody knows . . .
The book features charcoal drawings and full colour reproductions of watercolours by Donald Teskey specially created in response to this work. 400 copies have been numbered signed by the author. and 350 of these are for sale. The book is printed on Rives Artist paper and hardbound in linen with blind a embossed title and in a Pergamenata wraparound.

Book of the week and Bibliography - Junot Diaz, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

Junot Diaz is a Dominican born, US-based author who has been making the literary headlines with his first novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Things have never been easy for Oscar, a sweet but disastrously overweight, lovesick Dominican ghetto nerd. From his home in New Jersey, where he lives with his old-world mother and rebellious sister, Oscar dreams of becoming the Dominican J. R. R. Tolkien and, most of all, of finding love. But he may never get what he wants, thanks to the Fuk-the curse that has haunted the Oscar's family for generations, dooming them to prison, torture, tragic accidents, and, above all, ill-starred love. Oscar, still waiting for his first kiss, is just its most recent victim.D'az immerses us in the tumultuous life of Oscar and the history of the family at large, rendering with genuine warmth and dazzling energy, humor, and insight the Dominican-American experience, and, ultimately, the endless human capacity to persevere in the face of heartbreak and loss.

While Wao is Diaz's first novel, it is not his first book, since he published a book of short stories (Drown) in 1996. In the UK, both books have been published in wraps only by Faber, whereas the US editions of each were hardbacks published by Riverhead. Diaz may become one of the literary heavyweights, so pick up your signed copies now.

Drown (US - Riverhead, 1996 (included an errata slip); UK - Faber, 1996)

The Brief Wondrous life of Oscar Wao (US - Riverhead, 2007; UK - Faber, 2008)

Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year

Each year the Sunday Times nominates a Young Writer of the year. Previous nominees have included Zadie Smith and Sarah Waters, among others, and the award provides a useful barometer of critical opinion. The award is open to British writers aged under 35, and this year's shortlist of four includes two first time novelists, Adam Foulds for The Truth about these Strange Times, and Nikita Lalwani for Gifted, both worth picking up now. Gifted has already been longlisted for the 2007 Booker prize and was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Prize.

Book of the week and bibliography - Simon Scarrow, Centurion

Centurion is the eighth novel by Simon Scarrow to feature Roman soldiers Macro and Cato. The Roman Empire faces a new threat from its long-standing enemy Parthia, which is vying with Rome for control of Palmyra, an officially neutral kingdom. Palmyra’s royal household is on the brink of open revolt, and so a task force under the command of experienced soldiers Macro and Cato is dispatched to defend its king and guard its borders. When Parthia hears of the Roman army’s presence, it starts amassing its troops for war. Macro's cohort must march against the enemy, deep into treacherous territory. If Palmyra is not to fall into the clutches of Parthia, they will have to defeat superior numbers in a desperate siege.

Like all of the previous books in the series, this one is published by Headline in the UK. The early books in the series have become very valuable and are difficult to find at a reasonable price. The interesting thing about Centurion is that in addition to the standard first edition, Waterstone’s in the UK have a version with an additional short story, which will become the preferred version and is worth seeking out now – the number of copies printed is unclear. I was lucky enough to pick up a signed copy for £6.50 in Cambridge a couple of days ago, so call into your local Waterstones now and have a look.


The Eagle Series (Macro and Cato)


1. Under the Eagle (Headline, 2000)
2. The Eagle's Conquest (Headline, 2001)
3. When the Eagle Hunts (Headline, 2002)
4. The Eagle and the Wolves (Headline, 2003)
5. The Eagle's Prey (Headline, 2004)
6. The Eagle's Prophecy (Headline, 2005)
7. The Eagle in the Sand (Headline, 2006)
8. Centurion (Headline, 2008)
9. The Gladiator (Headline, 2009)
10. The Legion (Headline, 2010)
11. Praetorian (Headline, 2011)


The Revolution Series (Napoleon and Wellington)

1. Young Bloods (Headline, 2006)
2. The Generals (Headline, 2007)
3. Fire and Sword (Headline, 2009)
4. The Field of Death (Headline, 2010)

Young Adults

1. Centurion - Fight for Freedom (Penguin, 2011)