Customer Reviews

Tolkien's Gown and Other Stories of Great Authors and Rare

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There are twenty essays (chapters) in this book. Each one focuses on a twentieth century writer and one of his or her key works through a mixture of biography, literary history and Dr Gekoski's personal encounters with either the author or a rare edition of their books. The book is loosely based on a BBC Radio 4 series (Rare Books, Rare People).

I found these stories fascinating. Some of the encounters with authors include: Graham Greene, William Golding, J. D. Salinger, Ted Hughes, Salman Rushdie, Julian Barnes and Harold Pinter. These encounters are not always entirely friendly: J.D. Salinger threatens a law suit and William Golding parodies him in `The Paper Men'.

The authors included are: Vladimir Nabokov; J.R.R Tolkien; William Golding; Oscar Wilde; Jack Kerouac; James Joyce; D.H. Lawrence; J.D. Salinger; T.E. Lawrence; Sylvia Plath; John Kennedy Toole; Evelyn Waugh; Beatrix Potter; Ernest Hemingway; Graham Greene; George Orwell; Salman Rushdie; T.S. Eliot; J.K Rowling and Philip Larkin.

This book is easy to read and very entertaining. Snippets about the authors, glimpses into the workings of the rare book market all make for interesting reading. This book is a delightful collection of essays which serve as a reminder that books have their own stories of creation, as well as both intrinsic and extrinsic value.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Rick Gekoski is a man who knows his stuff, a Cambridge academic who left to pursue his interest in rare books, he has been buying and selling rare inscribed first editions for the last 2 decades or more,and doing very well out of it.

This book is a journey through his time as a rare book dealer, some of the main sales and authors who have stood out for him. Each chapter is about one particular book, revealing its provenance, and his involvement with it. Including Graham Green,Vladimir Nabokov and J R R Tolkein (of whom the book takes it title) - but the encounter with Harold Pinter is one of the best - exquisitely Pinteresque in fact.

As someone who has already written a few books, Gekoski has a neat and succint style which makes this a real pleasure to read. He is able to discuss background to the works and seamlessly weave his own involvement along wtih background to the authors into an amusing narrative. A page turner in fact.

It was a good read second and third time through, and I have also been to see him talk at the recent readers and writers week in Auckland. Amusing, informed and approachable reading - for bibliophiles.

A very nicely done small book about some notable authors and how each of their words came to be first placed within the dust cover of a now famous book.

The author, with an abundant amount of personal knowledge, strings together quick but insightful stories arising from his trade as a rare book dealer in England. The dealer and author, Mr. Gekoski, I think would be a fun person to listen to over a pint of ale.

If you enjoy the world of books, this title would be a good purchase.