BookFinder.com Report Fall 2011

Out-of-print and in demand

BookFinder.com tracks the most sought-after out-of-print titles in America.  This ninth annual edition is based on BookFinder.com searches from the past 12 months.  On this year's list there are a fair share of out-of-print mainstays such as Madonna's nearly perennial number one Sex, but also a host of interesting newcomers; here are a few examples.

New to the BookFinder Report

Tudor Roses by Alice Starmore
Alice Starmore is a superstar in the knitting world but publishers have only just begun to take notice.  Last year her immensely popular book Aran Knitting was brought back into print (after perpetually being listed on the BookFinder.com Report) and now her fans are looking for more.  In this book Starmore creates a number of sweater designs inspired by the Tudor royals (eg. Henry VIII and Elizabeth I) and their over-the-top gold embroidery, velvet, jewels and lace.  The book goes through the history of Tudor fashion and includes reproductions of artwork from the era.

The Reluctant King by Sarah Bradford
This biography of King George VI was published in 1989-1990 by St. Martin’s Press and suddenly shot into steady demand after the mammoth success of the movie The King’s Speech.  Colin Firth’s amazing performance portraying George VI piqued the interest in The Reluctant King and made readers eager to learn more.

The House Without Windows by Barbara Newhall Follet
Barbara Newhall Follet was a child prodigy novelist who published this first novel in 1927.  At the time she was destined to become the next great American writer but in 1939 she became depressed about her marriage and walked out of her apartment with just $30 in her pocket.  The 25-year-old was never seen again.  In December 2010 Follet's life story was broadcast on NPR and featured in Lapham’s Quarterly, reigniting interest in her work.

Other interesting out-of-print books

A Payroll to Meet: A Story of Greed, Corruption, and Football at SMU by David Whitford
In A Payroll to Meet, David Whitford discusses the incidents surrounding Southern Methodist University's (SMU) receiving the "death penalty" from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); which involves banning the school from competing in a sport for a year or more (two in SMU's case).  This book has been out-of-print since 1989 but scandal in college football has never been more in vogue.  The recent rash of cheating, bribing and recruitment scandals to hit Ohio State, Southern Cal, Auburn, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, LSU, and the Hurricanes in Miami have renewed the interest in the grandfather of college football scandal.

The Magic Talisman by John Blaine
This was the final novel in the 24-title Rick Brant series of self-described science-adventure stories.  This series was written by Harold (Hal) Goodwin and Peter J. Harkins who collectively worked under the pseudonym John Blaine.  The series was published by Grosset & Dunlap in the 1940s-1960s but The Magic Talisman was rejected owing to the inclusion of extra sensory perception elements in the story (the publishers wanted a science-based series).  The Magic Talisman was finally published independently (by Manuscript Press) in 1990 as a limited edition run of 500 copies.

William Burges and the High Victorian Dream by J. Mordaunt Crook
Today Burges is considered a genius and one of the greatest architects to come out of the Victorian era; however this was not always so.  Most of his life and for decades after, his work was unappreciated and precious little was written about his incredibly short career (which did not begin until he was 35 and endedwith his death at 53).  Crook's study of Burges' work (which included St. Finbarre's Cathedral in Cork, the renovation of Cardiff Castle in 1868, and the reconstruction of Castle Coch) was published in 1981 and is generally considered to be the best biographical work on Burges to date.

Gather Yourselves Together by Philip K. Dick
Gather Yourselves Together was one of PKD's early works but the novel was not released until after his death (The first and only printing being printed in 1994).  Unlike much of Dick’s later work, Gather Yourselves Together is not science fiction but rather straight literary fiction.  The plot is set in China shortly after Mao Zedong’s revolution and centers around the affairs of three employees from an American company which is shutting its Chinese operations.  Gather Yourselves Together is set to be reprinted by Houghton Mifflin in July 2012.

Top 100 most sought after out-of-print books in 2011