As readers of this publication will know, there are more good books
all the time, but the book as a physical object - something to
handle and enjoy - has sadly declined over the last 100 years. This
book is against the tide of the times. Distinguished Scottish
novelist Gray reprints a usual-suspect round up of some 200
prefaces (fruit of a lifetime's cultivated reading), from Beowulf's
opening lines, through Shakespeare, Johnson, Scott, to Wilfred
Owen's pathetically incomplete preface to his poems - cut off by
one of the last bullets of World War One. Alongside the prefaces,
Gray uses shoulder-notes as engaging literary commentary donated by
33 of his literary friends. He also includes his own illustrations,
which lend idiosyncratic charm to the anthology. Gray cheerfully
suggests that the best place for his book of prefaces is the
lavatory, as something to dip into in one's contemplative moments.
Wherever you deposit it, do buy this book. It's very good. Review
by JOHN SUTHERLAND (Kirkus UK)
A short history of literate thought by great writers of four nations from the seventh to the twentieth century. This monumental work of scholarship and wit is a history of English Literature seen through the prefaces of great writers from Caedmon onwards. Alasdair Gray, who has chosen and edited all of the prefaces and written most of the commentary, wishes it to be known that the book is not a monster by a literary Frankenstein, but rather an entertaining and erudite account of how Celts, Saxons and Norman French invented a language used by England, Scotland, Ireland, the United States and many other modern nations. He has been assisted in the commentaries by some thirty authors including James Kelman, A.L. Kennedy, Bernard MacLaverty and, indeed, Virginia Woolf.
Alasdair Gray has spent over thirteen years on this project although he has written a number of other books in the meantime, not least, the Whitbread and Guardian prizewinning novel Poor Things and the story collection Ten Tall Tales and True. He lives in Glasgow.
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