Based on the author's long-running column in London's Sunday Telegraph, this diverting book offers literary history in bite-size pieces, presenting surprising details on the genesis and composition of each of 50 classic works.
Emphasizing books that are literally inexplicable without this background knowlidge, the book covers iconic works from Thomas Moore's "Utopia" to Joyce's "Ulysses".
Along the way, readers learn what Wordsworth’s “Prelude” was a prelude to, the identity of the original Jeeves, why “A Clockwork Orange” wasn’t “A Robotic Banana”, and much more.
"Why Not Catch-21?'', a collection of essays on the origins of some of the world's most famous book titles, was published by Frances Lincoln in 2007 with serial rights sold 5 times. The sequel, "Title Deeds", was published by Old Street in October 2010.
Dexter is a multi-talented newspaper columnist whose examinations into the lives and work of the literati have appeared in the Spectator, the Times, The Guardian and The Sunday Telegraph.
He is the author of numerous books, including "Poisoned Pens", an epistolary exploration of literary feuds, which was published by Frances Lincoln in October 2009.
Dexter has had three works of fintion- "The Oxford Despoiler", "All the Materials for a Midnight Feast" and "Natural Desire in Healthy Women" - all published by Old Street.
Source:Tehran Times