In Search of Lost Books: The forgotten stories of eight mythical volumes

This book could have been so much better. The tales woven around the missing books and their stories have a feeling of incompleteness and of having been rushed to print. More time, more research, more space and better editing could have made this so much better.

In Search of Lost Books: The forgotten stories of eight mythical volumes, by Giorgio van Straten (translated by Simon Carnell and Erica Segre), documents the author’s research into and thoughts on how allegedly missing manuscripts from renowned writers came to disappear. Some are assumed lost due to accidental fire or theft, others destroyed by their creator or at the wish of surviving family. Reasons are myriad and it is the musings on these that form the basis of this work.How important, really, is any piece of writing? The author states this view:“The right to protect individuals is sacrosanct, but so is the need to preserve works of literature”Poignantly, the daughter of one of the writers featured, Sylvia Plath, wrote in a 1997 poem of the appropriation of her mother’s memory by literary commentators who speak as if they had known Plath despite never having met her. Such is the interest and affinity generated by certain literary works.There are thoughts on ownership and control of written words, of censorship due to the culture of the time along with protection of life and legacy. A memoir written by Byron is suspected destroyed due to its reveal of his homosexuality at a time when this was regarded as more shameful than incest. It would not only have been his reputation that was affected but also those of the men he had had affairs with.Scholars grow excited at the idea of the rediscovery of writing assumed lost forever. When pages do emerge there are concerns over authenticity.The book sets down known facts alongside rumour and conjecture. One writer featured, Malcolm Lowry, is reported as having destroyed the manuscript of his second book when he could not achieve the desired perfection. He wished to write an incomparable masterpiece. Such was his conceit that he preferred not to publish rather than submit a lesser work. Of his first book it is stated:“It was praised superlatively and attacked; vilified by reactionary critics and admired in the most progressive literary circles.”How familiar this sounds. There are certain books one is supposed to revere to be considered discerning. Opinion may be subjective but will be judged by the self professed experts and their acolytes.As a lover of literature but one without qualification I found this book fascinating yet its supposition a little frustrating. There are so many fabulous books in existence, is the loss of a few such a calamity? From an academic perspective there may be unanswered questions. Completists may mourn a possible gap in their collection. A reader can always find some other book to read.An interesting exploration of the reasons manuscripts disappear alongside aspects of writers’ lives and their proclivities. It is succinct and engaging. The importance of the missing works is perhaps a different conversation.

This really was a most unexpected and pleasurable treat and once started I could not put the book down until I had finished it. It takes only around three hours to complete but I was so captivated by the often heart breaking stories of loss that the time simply flew by. Giorgio van Straten is an Italian novelist, editor of texts, translator and manager of various arts organisations. The first of these eight tales concerning the lost to posterity of literary works that once existed and are no longer here concerns one that he actually read before the only copies were destroyed many years later. In all the cases explored here despite valiant attempts the books remain lost to posterity but in some cases there remains the possibility of them mysteriously turning up somewhere. Could Sylvia’s Plath’s unpublished novel, Double Exposure be among the papers deposited by her husband Ted Hughes at the Emory University in Georgia with instructions ‘that may not be consulted until 2022"?The reasons of their loss and disappearance are explored which include theft, burnt to avoid a scandal, loss in a fire or at the request of the author but each has created a void and leaves to the imagination if the perception or standing of the writer would have been markedly different if these works were published.At times this reads like a detective novel as the author tries to track them down. There were certain stories that I were familiar with such as the Hemingway novel that vanished in a suitcase at the Gare du Lyon when being transported by his wife and the burnt memoirs of Lord Byron but others such as the lost work of Bruno Schulz were entirely new to me.An enthralling accessible read that I believe will appeal to all book loversA review copy was provided by the publisher.

I enjoyed this book it was an engaging and eye-opening book about other books, a collection of classics works that can no longer be read, for they no longer exist.The mythical books that Giorgio van Straten is trying to find by turning detective, traveller and researcher, as he examines clues, leads and interviews experts to discover the stories of these eight-lost works, and their authors. His pursuit takes him around the world, and across decades, to discover unforeseen and unexpected connections.The history of these eight books is informative and entertaining, giving a moving insight into the daily pressures and irresponsibility’s of writing, concerns for the reputation of the deceased author, bad luck, the failure to protect work in times of war.Let’s be honest and really think, there must be thousands if not millions, of books that have been written and then never made it to print or that have ended up getting lost completely, including both fiction and nonfiction books that could be the greatest works of recent history.Thank you NetGalley for this book

Source Netgalley in the hope of an honest review Anyone who reads books will be interested in those works that got away. Anyone who loves the writing of a dead author has always dreamt of finding that lost manuscript. ‘in search of lost book', Giorgio Van Straten, looks at those manuscripts, that primary sources tell us once existed, but have been either lost or destroyed. It is a highly informative, and enjoyable read.

A delightful short volume, beautifully written, about lost books, books that once existed but have been either deliberately destroyed or just maybe are in hiding somewhere waiting to be rediscovered. Informative, intriguing and a must for any book lover.