Fifty Forgotten Books by Rb Russell

Fifty Forgotten Books by Rb Russell

Fifty Forgotten Books is a very special sort of book about books, by a great bookman and for book-people of all ages and levels of experience. Not quite literary criticism, not quite an autobiography, it is at once a guided tour through the dusty backrooms of long vanished second-hand shops, a love letter to bookshops and bookselling and a browser’s dream wish list of often overlooked and unloved novels, short story collections, poetry collections and works of non-fiction. In these pages, R. B. Russell, publisher of Tartarus Press, doesn’t only discuss the books, but explains what they have meant to him over time, thus forming an oblique, partial memoir of his life as a writer and publisher for over thirty years . . . and a bibliophile for many more. Here is living proof of how literature, books and book collecting can be an intrinsic part of one’s personal, professional and imaginative life, as not only a solitary act, but a social one, resulting in treasured friendships, experiences and loves one might never, otherwise, have enjoyed.

‘A groovy and delicious and intimate jigsaw of memories and passions and books, and schisms and oddities and books – Ray Russell is a bibliomaniac that it is a delight to spend time withFalling in love with books voraciously, whilst growing up ferociously, has never been so beautifully described – a memoir that is as accurate and enthralling as it is dreamlike – just like the books about which he writes with such love!’ David Tibet ---- ‘R. B. Russell’s beautifully told part-memoir gives us the story of a life lived alongside books, and the joyous way in which those dusty first editions often reverberate throughout our lives.’ Ed Parnell ---- ‘A compelling celebration of reading, writing, publishing and the unexpected treasures to be found in second hand bookshops. Ray Russell writes so eloquently about his deep love of books as things in themselves but also his joy of discovering the new, the strange – those books that act as life’s waymarkers.’ Andrew Michael Hurley ---- ‘This is a book to send you scurrying to the dusty mote-filled light of the secondhand book shop, to the chilliness of the jumble sale, to late nights at the blue screen of the laptop, seeking out the books you don’t know and can’t wait to know, and to renew old acquaintances. A memoir and commonplace book as delicate, suggestive and enchanting as the books themselves.’ Stuart Maconie ---- ‘Absolutely wonderful. A unique and enchanting memoir like no other. A book lover’s paean to the volumes that made him, which also opens a window on his soul. Charming, vivid and singularly evocative.’ Jeremy Dyson ---- ‘Decadents, bohemians, cult musicians, the odd (very odd) spy, shady publishers, backstreet booksellers, writers of the weird and wayward, they’re all here. R. B. Russell’s memoir gives us literature on the edge, in all its wonderful strangeness.’ Mark Valentine ---- ‘Whether Russell is remembering his discovery of Arthur Machen, chronicling his sometimes comic negotiations with the crafty bookdealer George Locke, or reflecting on his own personal library of tatty paperbacks, signed firsts and rare association copies, he makes clear that a bookish life can be an enviably rewarding one, replete with the quiet satisfactions of the study, the rowdy pleasures of the literary conference, and warm friendships with the learned, the widely read and, not least, the winningly eccentric.’ Michael Dirda

R. B. Russell is an author, composer and publisher, co-running Tartarus Press with Rosalie Parker. As a writer, he had published four collections of short fiction, three novellas and one novel to date.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781913505509
ISBN 10	1913505502
Title	Fifty Forgotten Books
Author	Rb Russell
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	And Other Stories
Year published	2022-09-13
Number of pages	224
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.