Once popular writers who aren't so popular so more

[kev67]

I have been wondering about authors who were once popular but not any more. For example, C.P. Snow does nor seem very widely read any more. I am not sure that he was ever widely read outside the UK, but he was popular once. Alistair MacClean used to be very popular during the 60s and 70s. Several of his books were turned into films, the most famous of which was The Guns of Navarone. Neville Shute does not seem as popular as he was. Jack London has a who sub-forum dedicated to his works on this website, but his books are not so easy to find in bookshops any more. I have looked for C.P. Snow's books in several bookshops. I found them in The Russian Bookshop near Picadilly Circus in London, which is vast, but not in any others. I could not find any Alistair MacClean books in the Russian Bookshop, but I found two of his books in another very large branch of Waterstones near Charing Cross station. I found a range of Jack London's books in The Russian Bookshop, although not all his books. In the shop near Charing Cross, I only found The Call of the Wild and one other. I could not find either Snow, nor MacClean nor London in any of the big bookshops in Reading.

[Lokasenna]

I've always wondered why William Morris isn't held up as one of our great literary giants. Most people who no anything about literature will know of him, and one or two might even have read News from Nowhere - but beyond that, he's largely ignored. Yet he was a brilliant and prolific writer (not to mention a polymath), and tackled so many different ideas and genres. But for some reason, we remember him (if at all) only for his socialist writings and his textiles.

[kev67]

I didn't realise William Morris wrote literature. I was aware he designed wallpaper prints.

[Emil Miller]

This does pose a problem for those seeking good writing that falls outside of 'classic' status. I can think of quite a few who are now out of print but some authors are still obtainable through print on demand which Foyles in Charing Cross Road will undertake, although it sometimes takes a few weeks before they are able to come up with the goods. Another method is to try Ebay as it's surprising what is obtainable from there. I think that novels are more obtainable than non-fiction works on the print on demand system as I recently had Foyles get a copy of Jennie Gerhardt for me as they have done with a couple of others in the past. They were unable to supply a copy of a book about chess grand masters that was discussed on the forum recently although I haven't yet tried to get it on Ebay where some time ago I managed to get a biography of Jessie Matthews and also The Great Pianists which was last in print in 1963.

Re Jack London: I bought a copy of Martin Eden off the shelf at Foyles not so long ago. It has been reprinted as a Penguin Classic.

[Lokasenna]

I didn't realise William Morris wrote literature. I was aware he designed wallpaper prints.

Oh yes! Huge amounts of literature - he was, amongst other things, the inventor of modern fantasy literature, an entire genre!

[Emil Miller]

Oh yes! Huge amounts of literature - he was, amongst other things, the inventor of modern fantasy literature, an entire genre!

News from Nowhere was a fantasy in its own right.

[Eiseabhal]

A very good poet, Morris. "By the Haystack in the Flood" is one I would recommend .

[PeterL]

Fortunately, libraries seldom throw out books umtil they fall apart. It is still possible to find things by Booth Tarkington and Kennetj Roberts and so on.

[Calidore]

I have been wondering about authors who were once popular but not any more. For example, C.P. Snow does nor seem very widely read any more. I am not sure that he was ever widely read outside the UK, but he was popular once. Alistair MacClean used to be very popular during the 60s and 70s. Several of his books were turned into films, the most famous of which was The Guns of Navarone. Neville Shute does not seem as popular as he was. Jack London has a who sub-forum dedicated to his works on this website, but his books are not so easy to find in bookshops any more. I have looked for C.P. Snow's books in several bookshops. I found them in The Russian Bookshop near Picadilly Circus in London, which is vast, but not in any others. I could not find any Alistair MacClean books in the Russian Bookshop, but I found two of his books in another very large branch of Waterstones near Charing Cross station. I found a range of Jack London's books in The Russian Bookshop, although not all his books. In the shop near Charing Cross, I only found The Call of the Wild and one other. I could not find either Snow, nor MacClean nor London in any of the big bookshops in Reading.

It may depend on what your definition of "popular anymore" is. Alistair MacLean's books may no longer be in print, but he's still a highly regarded writer of adventure thrillers, with several bona fide classics to his name (The Guns of Navarone and Where Eagles Dare come immediately to mind). Sadly, his quality plummeted as his booze intake increased later in life, but Cussler et al wish they could match MacLean's early stuff.

[SleepyWitch]

Oh yes! Huge amounts of literature - he was, amongst other things, the inventor of modern fantasy literature, an entire genre!

That's interesting! I studied News from Nowhere for my graduation exams at uni and none of the sources mentioned this, presumably because Tolkien is usually credited for having invented the fantasy genre.
I loved the ideas in News from Nowhere, although its plot is often criticized as lame.
Will have to make a mental note of his fantasy books and put them on my mile-long to-read list.

[qimissung]

Has anybody here read any A.J. Cronin? He wrote The Citadel and Song of Sixpence. I read the latter as a child and the former after it was made into a miniseries, but I don't think, on the whole, that people read his books much anymore.

[ennison]

Cronin was a good popular writer, creator of Doctor Finlay. He has been accused of plagiarism of Douglas Brown but while that may have been true he was a very prolific writer.

[Lokasenna]

That's interesting! I studied News from Nowhere for my graduation exams at uni and none of the sources mentioned this, presumably because Tolkien is usually credited for having invented the fantasy genre.
I loved the ideas in News from Nowhere, although its plot is often criticized as lame.
Will have to make a mental note of his fantasy books and put them on my mile-long to-read list.

Have a go at The Well at the World's End - it's superb!

[Seasider]

CP Snow's wife Pamela Hansford Johnson was a popular writer. Her best book (inmo) was "the Unspeakable Skipton." Nicholas Montsaratt was also well regarded as an adventure writer. Rosamond Lehmann was once a best seller, especially " Dusty Answer."And Charles Morgan was once thought to be as good as EM Forster. How are the mighty fallen!

[qimissung]

And who is Douglas Brown? There are a lot of them, apparently.