The first printing of The Colour of Magic in 1983 consisted of 506 copies and I missed all of them.
In the Roundworld ARPANET was migrated to TCP/IP and the true internet began and I managed to miss that as well, although I've just used it to find out what books were popular in 1983 and which of those I have read.
The following are from a US list, but I was pleased to be reminded of the following old favourites:
The Name of the Rose: I'd never read anything like this before and Umberto Eco was quickly added to my "must read" list. Subsequently I read and enjoyed his non-fiction as well: his analysis of the opening sequences of Casablanca is a masterpiece.
The Woman In Black: I have read the book, seen the stage play, the TV film and the cinema film. I'd loved the ghost stories of MR James (led to them via the classic BBC adaptations) and TWIB is a worthy successor. Susan Hill's other novels, not just her ghost stories, are excellent too.
The Book of Lost Tales: Unfortunately this is where I gave up on Tolkien, although I have just bought his recently published translation of Beowulf.
The Meaning of Liff: It's by Douglas Adams, it's brilliant and I used to live in Didcot (look it up!).
Waterland: I came to this later on. It was a favourite of my wife: she has a copy but we did not meet until 1985.
Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges: this must have been an early entry in the now flourishing Bletchley industry. I enjoyed the film that used this as source, although it famously misrepresented key elements of Turing's life and depended on anachronistic tippex to move the plot on.
Other mentions:
GlenGarry Glen Ross: I missed this as a play but saw the excellent film version. it started my fascination with David Mamet's plays. Kevin Spacey and Jeff Goldblum in Speed-the-Plow has to be the highlight so far.
First Among Equals: I'd heard a great deal about Jeffrey Archer's novels but had never read any of them. I borrowed a copy of this and managed just about three chapters before I had to give up. the best thing about this book is the title which Jasper Fforde memorably echoed in First Among Sequels.
I see that the Booker Prize went to The Life and Times of Michael K. I've not read it or any of the others on the short list apart from Rates of Exchange by Malcolm Bradbury
I'm sure I must have missed out many other books from 1983, but various house moves plus the Great Book Cull of 2016 mean that these will need to stay missing.
In the Roundworld ARPANET was migrated to TCP/IP and the true internet began and I managed to miss that as well, although I've just used it to find out what books were popular in 1983 and which of those I have read.
The following are from a US list, but I was pleased to be reminded of the following old favourites:
The Name of the Rose: I'd never read anything like this before and Umberto Eco was quickly added to my "must read" list. Subsequently I read and enjoyed his non-fiction as well: his analysis of the opening sequences of Casablanca is a masterpiece.
The Woman In Black: I have read the book, seen the stage play, the TV film and the cinema film. I'd loved the ghost stories of MR James (led to them via the classic BBC adaptations) and TWIB is a worthy successor. Susan Hill's other novels, not just her ghost stories, are excellent too.
The Book of Lost Tales: Unfortunately this is where I gave up on Tolkien, although I have just bought his recently published translation of Beowulf.
The Meaning of Liff: It's by Douglas Adams, it's brilliant and I used to live in Didcot (look it up!).
Waterland: I came to this later on. It was a favourite of my wife: she has a copy but we did not meet until 1985.
Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges: this must have been an early entry in the now flourishing Bletchley industry. I enjoyed the film that used this as source, although it famously misrepresented key elements of Turing's life and depended on anachronistic tippex to move the plot on.
Other mentions:
GlenGarry Glen Ross: I missed this as a play but saw the excellent film version. it started my fascination with David Mamet's plays. Kevin Spacey and Jeff Goldblum in Speed-the-Plow has to be the highlight so far.
First Among Equals: I'd heard a great deal about Jeffrey Archer's novels but had never read any of them. I borrowed a copy of this and managed just about three chapters before I had to give up. the best thing about this book is the title which Jasper Fforde memorably echoed in First Among Sequels.
I see that the Booker Prize went to The Life and Times of Michael K. I've not read it or any of the others on the short list apart from Rates of Exchange by Malcolm Bradbury
I'm sure I must have missed out many other books from 1983, but various house moves plus the Great Book Cull of 2016 mean that these will need to stay missing.
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