The Booker Prize 2003

The long-list of chosen from 117 nominations for The Booker Prize 2003 is set out below. The short list of these will be announced in mid September and the winner will be announced in October.

Reading for Pleasure
from Orangeberry Books

There is now so much hype about the value of rare books that book collecting has once again made it as a recommended alternative investment in the Financial Times. This has been boosted by publicity about the record prices paid for Harry Potter first editions. When this happens, as it does every so often, it is good to remember that books are for reading as well as buying, selling or hoarding. I have a personal list of authors who I can read at any time for sheer enjoyment.

Some of the authors on my list are both well known and highly regarded by the literati.

George Orwell is my favourite in this group. He wrote some of the finest prose of all 20th century authors. A superb example is the essay ‘Shooting An Elephant’ which exemplifies the clarity and simplicity of his style. If I had to nominate the best essay ever written I would choose ‘Shooting an Elephant‘ - a choice which Charles Lamb’s aficionados will probably dispute. However read it and compare with one of Lamb’s celebrated essays like ‘The South Sea House’ or ‘A Dissertation on Roast Pig’; for me Orwell wins hands down.

Another favourite of mine is J.B Priestley. I do not remember reading any of Priestley’s many novels and essays without being delighted by the ease of his prose. For satire that still hits the spot with unerring accuracy he cannot be beaten. Try ‘The Image Men’ (published in two volumes : ‘Out of Town’ and ‘London End’). This is a tale of two Academic chancers who, with immense style, invent and corner the market in image creation and manipulation. I wonder if some of their recent disciples are Mr. Campbell and his fellow spin doctors - if so the style went missing. J.B. Priestley seems to be unfashionable these days and is little read apart from The Good Companions and possibly Angel Pavement. For the collector this is a real bonus as prices are moderate and the supply plentiful.

Two other authors on my list who are also unfashionable are Galsworthy and Kipling. Galsworthy may have been serialised on TV but I wonder how many people have actually read ‘The Forsyte Saga’ and the ensuing novels and interludes. I am sure the way Soames Forsyte is depicted would be a surprise to many people who have seen the TV series. The simplistic, politically correct portrayal of Soames on TV is a travesty of Galsworthy’s much more complex character. Political correctness brings me inevitably to Kipling. Rudyard Kipling is one of the giants of 20th century literature but for many years was shunned because of his alleged imperialism. I cannot believe many of his critics had actually read his books - unless of course they were authors jealous of his prolific talent. Kipling is a joy to read, although some of his most famous works are not his best. For instance I far prefer his ironic look at our attitude to soldiers in ‘Tommy’ to the ultra-famous ‘If’. The book collector as always benefits from the vagaries of fashion and can acquire nice first editions of Galsworthy and Kipling at relatively modest prices (excluding The Jungle Books and Just-So Stories) and in Kipling’s case there are a very large number of books to collect.

Small volumes of essays are a particular pleasure of mine and the 1920’s to 1930’s was the golden age of light essay writing. There is a wealth of material here for the reader and collector. I have two favourites - Robert Lynd [1879-1948] and E.V. Lucas [1868-1938]. Robert Lynd wrote on many subjects but is best remembered for his many volumes of essays on all subjects under the sun.

However for sheer quantity E.V. Lucas reigns supreme. For many years he produced a volume of essays every year, some of them finely illustrated with engraved plates. He was an admirer of the great essayist Charles Lamb, editing The Letters of Charles and Mary Lamb which was published in three volumes in 1935. Both Lynd and Lucas give me immense pleasure to read and for the collector provide a large volume of titles to collect - mostly at reasonable prices

You may not share my enthusiasm for these writers but there will be authors who appeal to you as much as these do to me. They may not be fashionable or particularly intellectual but you can return to them again and again. For the reader and collector there is no greater pleasure than finding the authors you enjoy and collecting their books - and if they are unregarded or unfashionable you will be able to assemble your library at a very modest cost.

Hewlett Packard - and the end of books?

An electronic book is in development by the computer giant Hewlett Packard which has drawn the suggestion that if it can be perfected, it will spell the end of books as we know them.

Designed to help promote the market for the e-book, the device is hand held with a high resolution 100 dpi screen and displays the double-page spread of an open book. Touch sensitive strips at the sides and upper and lower edges allow the user to navigate through the book and the appearance on the screen as they do so is that of a turning page.

To give a daylight-like appearance to the backlit screen there are power consumption problems which have still to be overcome and resolution may need to wait for new technology. Bi-stable displays which retain their state even when power is removed would be an answer but that technology is not yet ready for use.