Guest post, by Ben McNally
What a brilliant stroke to have guest dignitaries write about neglected books in the new Books section of the paper. Thanks to Jane Urquhart for a spirited and welcome defence of Penelope Fitzgerald.
Most of us on the independent side have always taken the approach that any book is a new book to someone who hasn't read it (and I suppose with economic pressures reducing the number of new books published, there is room for a renaissance for any number of authors who have fallen, from no fault of their own, onto the margins of the collective literary consciousness), and we keep a light in the window for our own favourites, pressing them cautiously on customers whenever we can.
I'm practically certain that at least some of the future choices will prove to have been neglected to the point of unavailability, but I'm pleased to report that we sold both of our copies of The Blue Flower and will re-order today with gusto, and appreciation.