Review: Secrets From The Agatha Christie Archives by Jared Cole

Synopsis: Dame Agatha Christie reigns supreme as the ‘Queen of Crime.’ Numerous books have been written about the legendary crime writer, focusing on nearly every aspect of her craft. But until now no one has carried out an in-depth investigation into how she conquered the serial market with her thrilling tales of murder and intrigue.

In the UK and US, Agatha Christie’s work was serialized in the most prestigious magazines and newspapers of the day, often under an array of different titles, prior to being published by Collins and Dodd, Mead and Company. Second serial rights could result in a single title being syndicated to over 40 newspapers. Over the decades, numerous records have been lost or destroyed and keeping track of her literary legacy has proved a major challenge for her publishers, literary agents and others until now.

Jared Cade, author of the ground-breaking biography Agatha Christie and the Eleven Missing Days, has unearthed a huge plethora of hitherto unknown facts about the timeline of her publishing history that will delight her devotees and enable future generations to write about her work with far greater authority and accuracy than ever before, especially when correlating her publications to the parallels in her life.

Illustrated with rare pictures, Secrets from the Agatha Christie Archives is destined to become an essential reference tool for fans, librarians, scholars, antiquarian booksellers, broadcasters and others interested in the making of one of the 20th century's most beloved writers.

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Whilst some may have come to this with their own thoughts on what this book was actually about, the author is quite up-front by letting the reader know that this is "an in-depth investigation into how she conquered the serial market" - ergo, it is a study or a chronology of her books vis a vis their publication history.

This is a discourse on each title - publication, inspiration, historical background - and a history of each tome's serialisation. It is about the book (novel, short story, other volumes) and it's journey from the creative mind of Agatha Christie to the printed page and the book held by the reader.

The author finishes this bibliography of Christie's works with a chapter on the parodies and tributes by other authors (1936 - 2017), and also on the novels in which Christie features as a character (1978 - 2025). There is also a list of non-fiction books on Agatha herself.

This is definitely one for the fans of the great Agatha Christie, of which I count myself as one among the many!

Sticky Fingers describes Rolling Stone founder's dirty deeds

From Financial Review:

Sticky Fingers is an exhaustively researched, remarkably candid biography of Jann Wenner, who 50 years ago started the world's first newspaper to take rock'n'roll seriously, and last month sold most of his family's remaining stake for $US50 million.

This could also be the most honest business book published in 2017, for Wenner succeeded despite doing many of the things an MBA teaches you not to.

A long-form journalist whose list of credits includes Rolling Stone, Hagan was Wenner's choice as biographer and thus gained access to his archives and his peerless network – Dylan, Jagger, McCartney, Midler, Richards, Springsteen, Townshend and Wenner himself all go on record.

However, Hagan made sure Wenner did not play the old Rolling Stone game, refusing him final copy approval and allowing the multiple character assassinations and sordid 1970s stories contained herein to see the light of day.

Hagan and Wenner have fallen out since Sticky Fingers was published in November. An authorised biography needs no greater recommendation.

The fabulous women writers of Indian SF

From FactorDaily:

One does not really need a reason to celebrate the fabulous and fantastic women writers of India who’ve enriched science fiction – taking it in new directions with each tale they tell. Their stories are reason enough. The past few years have truly seen a global renaissance of fresh and original SF, and leading from the front have been the women writers, and the same holds true for India as well. Not surprising, when you consider the fact that it was an Indian lady who, over a century ago, wrote what is amongst the first pieces of feminist science fiction: Begum Rokeya Shakawat Hossain who in 1905 wrote Sultana’s Dream, with its portrayal of the feminist utopia of Ladyland, a full decade before Charlotte Gilman’s Herland.

And just as it was then, so it is now, with Indian women writers pushing the possibilities of the genre with their stories, which – while being rooted in our culture – have transcended borders, winning the hearts and minds of readers across the world with their universal appeal. There are so many writers one could list, not least given the fact that the markers of what constitutes speculative fiction is ever-expanding. So here then, are just some works from Indian women writers whose SF you should definitely be reading – if you haven’t already that is!

read more here @ FactorDaily

Story Behind Umberto Eco's First Novel

According to a post in the Vintage News, Umberto Eco wrote his first novel, “The Name of the Rose” at the age of 48, after he had been invited to write a short detective story.

Several years before writing “The Name of the Rose,” Eco was approached by one of his friends who worked for a major Italian publisher. She invited Eco to write a short detective story which would be published in her magazine, but Eco declined the offer and jokingly told her that his detective story would be 500 pages long and it would take place in a medieval monastery.

read more here @ The Vintage News

What's Planned For 2018 In The Library

Best wishes for the start of a new year!

So, what is planned for the Library in 2018.  

For a start, catching up on some long overdue book reviews - and there are quite a few.  And taking those that I have posted on Goodreads and my blog, Women of History, and collating them over to the Library.

I will also be on the lookout for interesting items, articles, news stories pertaining to books, authors, reading, writing, and sprinkling them in between my reviews, as well as adding in some reviews or posts from external sources and highlighting some books that have taken my interest.

I have also undertaken the Goodreads reading challenge again - my aim, 100 books over the course of a year.

And try and post at least once a day!

Happy reading!

A Corresponding Renaissance

Author Lisa Kaborycha talks about her book "A Corresponding Renaissance: Letters Written by Italian Women, 1375-1650" at Oxford University Press Blog.

Writing letters was a quintessential part of everyday life in the Renaissance. The ability to write elegant, expressive, persuasive letters was a highly-prized skill. Beyond a practical necessity, letter writing was considered a high art. The Renaissance art of epistolarity, specifically the humanist penchant for modeling personal letters after those of Cicero, has been well documented. Less examined is what it meant for Renaissance individuals to publish their personal letters for all to read.  Renaissance women participated in this publishing phenomenon, demonstrating a willingness to share their innermost thoughts and to expose intimate details of their lives to the broader reading public. 

read rest of article her @ OUP Blog - Italian Women & 16th Century Social Media

The Daily Routines of 12 Famous Writers | James Clear

The Daily Routines of 12 Famous Writers (And How They Can Help You Succeed) | James Clear

We often assume that great things are done by those who were blessed with natural talent, genius, and skill. But how many great things could have been done by people who never fully realized their potential? I think many of us, myself included, are capable of much more than we typically produce -- our best work is often still hiding inside of us.

How can you pull that potential out of yourself and share it with the world?

Perhaps the best way to develop better daily routines. When you look at the top performers in any field, you see something that goes much deeper than intelligence or skill. They possess an incredible willingness to do the work that needs to be done. They are masters of their daily routines.

As an example of what separates successful people from the rest of the pack, take a look at some of the daily routines of famous writers from past and present.