The Mammoth Book of Literary Anecdotes: Over Five Centuries of Recollections, Essays and Quotes (Mammoth Books) - Softcover

Philip Gooden is the author of Sleep of Death and Death of Kings, the first two novels in the Nick Revill series. A contributor to various short story anthologies, he also works as an editor, most recently on a new edition of Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World. He lives in Bath.

As Gooden (Death of Kings) notes, this work is not a reference book because the 250-plus selections were chosen for their entertainment value rather than their factual accuracy. The entries are arranged chronologically under alphabetical headings e.g., "Addiction," "Forgeries and Frauds," "Last Words," "Obsessions and Eccentricities," "Shakespeariana," and "Wars and Fights." The subjects, mostly British but in some cases Irish and American, all lived between the 16th and 20th centuries. Notes accompanying the entries and an index of writers provide background on the individuals discussed and the circumstances behind each selection. The anecdotes include Agatha Christie's disappearance after her first husband's infidelity, the publication of fraudulent Hitler diaries, and James Boswell's meeting with Samuel Johnson. Because the truth of the anecdotes included has not been verified, this work should be read primarily for amusement. Of some interest to public libraries. Denise J. Stankovics, Rockville P.L., Vernon, CT
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.