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Bestsellers: A Very Short Introduction
John Sutherland
144 pages
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10 halftones
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174x111mm
978-0-19-921489-1
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Paperback
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25 October 2007
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- John Sutherland argues that bestseller lists monitor one of the strongest pulses in modern literature and are therefore worthy of serious study.
- Asks what separates bestsellers from canonical fiction, why some critically-acclaimed novels never make it, and examines what bestsellers reveal about both literary culture and society.
- Lifts the lid on the 'bestseller industry', and examines what makes a book into a bestseller.
- Includes lively summaries of bestsellers over the years - including both classic and contemporary novels, alongside some surprising titles and long-forgotten names.
- Gone with the Wind, Lady Chatterley's Lover, The Blue Lagoon, Portnoy's Complaint and The Da Vinci Code - these are just some of the bestselling titles that Sutherland discusses.
'I rejoice', said Doctor Johnson, 'to concur with the Common Reader.' For the last century, the tastes and preferences of the common reader have been reflected in the American and British bestseller lists, and this Very Short Introduction takes an engaging look through the lists to reveal what we have been reading - and why.
John Sutherland shows that bestseller lists monitor one of the strongest pulses in modern literature and are therefore worthy of serious study. Along the way, he lifts the lid on the bestseller industry, examines what makes a book into a bestseller, and asks what separates bestsellers from canonical fiction.
Exploring the relationship between bestsellers and the fashions, ideologies,
and cultural concerns of the day, the book includes short case-studies and lively summaries of bestsellers through the years: from In His Steps - now almost totally forgotten, but the biggest all-time bestseller between 1895 and 1945, to Gone with the Wind and The Andromeda Strain, and The Da Vinci Code. Readership: Lovers of fiction. English literature students (and their lecturers), also cultural historians.
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John Sutherland, Emeritus Lord Northcliffe Professor of Modern English Literature, University College, London
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"His amiable trawl through the history of popular books is frequently entertaining" - Scott Pack, The Times "breezily entertaining" - Kevin Power, Irish Times (Dublin) "Sutherland effectively challenges the assumption that a book's commercial success somehow invalidates either its author's integrity or the critical acumen of its readers. Instead we are offered a plausible vision of the blockbuster or the bodice-ripper as narrative in its purest form." - Jonathan Keates, TLS
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The specification in this catalogue, including without limitation price, format, extent, number of illustrations, and month of publication, was as accurate as possible at the time the catalogue was compiled. Occasionally, due to the nature of some contractual restrictions, we are unable to ship a specific product to a particular territory. Jacket images are provisional and liable to change before publication.
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