I’m partial to a mystery, especially if it’s a plausible one, but my interest can lead to complete preoccupation if books are part of the story: as happened with Giorgio van Straten’s perplexing collection, in which we learn once existent manuscripts have, through deception, suppression and occasional stupidity, vanished – possibly forever.

In this short but enthralling volume of literary micro-histories, we follow eight unrelated narratives, set in various parts of the world during different time periods, each one concerning a writer thought to have all-but completed their magnum opus – or at the very least, had in their possession scores of scribbled notes – before expiring for reasons including, but not limited to, disease, despair, suicide and liquidation. After which, their precious masterworks were said to have disappeared without trace.

There is, of course, some doubt all these works truly existed, the inference being legends grew from mere wishful thinking, fed by rumour, perhaps initiated by writers suffering creative block. Nevertheless, in one instance, van Straten himself claims to have read in its entirety a now missing bundle of papers, stored for decades in a drawer. Sadly, due to promises given, no copies were ever made and an opportunity was missed to save a friend’s writings from probable destruction. He now regrets his decision.

Some of these stories were familiar to me, for instance, the burning of Lord Byron’s diaries because his friends and ex-wife believed personal reputations were in jeopardy. Also, the loss of Sylvia Plath’s unfinished novel, Double Exposure, which, according to her estranged husband, Ted Hughes, “disappeared somewhere around 1970.” However, I knew nothing of others, such as the works of Polish Jew, Bruno Schulz going missing in the Holocaust. Yet I found this chilling account only too credible.

Giorgio van Straten asks valid questions about the ethics of disposing of unfinished manuscripts once an author is dead, even when determined by a spouse or near relative. Are they the ideal people to make this decision? Is censorship by friends and family any more acceptable than suppression by an authoritarian state? He also raises the question: should writers be trusted when they say their works have disappeared? The answer is probably not.

In Search of Lost Books: The Forgotten Stories of Eight Mythical Volumes is an enthralling literary whodunnit, but for me it was also very much a howcouldyou! The mere suggestion of deliberate libricide was almost more than I could endure. We may never know for sure if some of these manuscripts are still hidden away somewhere or if they were only ever fanciful fictions. It’s a closed book, you might say. Well, maybe.

The description of this book is intriguing. The thought of the hunt for books lost in time is one that every librarian daydreams of. The author has chosen eight titles near and dear to his personal or literary experience. His fleshing out of the reasons for each of the eight is thorough and exact. But as a reader I many times felt as if I were on the outside looking in. I am not familiar with some of his chosen authors but still can understand his passion for their work. The ending was abrupt and lacking, and I found it hard to share some of his reasoning.

An absolute delight of a nonfiction read, singular in its brevity, readability and entertaining value ratios. Perfect for any book lover, this is an account of 8 tales by very famous and somewhat more obscure European authors that never saw the light of publishing press for a variety of reasons. Sometimes the stories behind the stories are wilder than the stories themselves. Sometimes tragic. Sometimes strange. It always puts me in mind of a theory that our civilization would have been much more advanced nowadays if all the knowledge encompassed by the library of Alexandria hadn’t burned. Anyway…not every story is a game changer, but it is still a treasure and the author is quite passionate about his subject. Made for an erudite and enjoyable presentation and the subject (for me, at least) is fascinating, so this was a lovely way to spend a morning. Thanks Netgalley.

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 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 works having been burnt, dismissed, banned, stolen, accidentally or deliberately damaged, in natural or political disasters; and some of the books have even been read by a few people before vanishing into thin air. 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 time 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.

A short collection of essays all of which centre on lost books: books which once existed but which are no longer extant. Van Straten writes beautifully in a tone that is accessible, sometimes intimate, informative and enthusiastic. Mingling aspects of book history, cultural history, biography and a touch of literary criticism, the essays are polished but feel a little too short to offer more than a potted history and thought-piece on the text under consideration.

Wide-ranging enough to consider lost books by Byron, Gogol, Malcolm Lowry, Hemingway and Sylvia Plath amongst others, this is ideal commute reading, or any time you want something intelligent in bite-size pieces.

I absolutely loved this book. It is great for any book lover. It is a quick read and one that keeps you reading. I loved it.

A short, intriguing read. I liked the personal voice (rather than the distant authorial voice usually used in books about books). The perfect read for a rainy Sunday with a cup of coffee in a quiet library.