{"product_id":"when-books-go-bad-tales-of-literary-feuds-publishing-errors-and-withering-reviews-9780712355834","title":"When Books Go Bad: Tales of Literary Feuds, Publishing Errors and Withering Reviews [Johnson, Alex]","description":"\u003cb\u003eAuthor: \u003c\/b\u003eAlex Johnson\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe literary life is not just about curling up with a good book and a cup of tea. It is also a world where Lord Byron dismisses John Keats's poetry as \"piss-a-bed,\" spaniels devour the first drafts of masterpieces, and the combative Ben Jonson proves he is quite prepared to show that the sword can be mightier than the pen.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eWhen Books Go Bad: The Book of Literary Scandals\u003c\/i\u003e lifts the lid on the darker side of the literary world. Beneath jaunty covers and uplifting memoirs lies a history of personal feuds, sharp insults, physical altercations, publishing blunders, and books that met unfortunate ends. Libraries impose bizarre penalties, writers clash spectacularly, and friendships disintegrate in public view.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom Sophocles and Euripides trading barbs in ancient Greece to authors defacing books, abandoning spouses, or regretting asking Dylan Thomas to be best man at their wedding, this is a tale of writers behaving badly across the centuries. Along the way, it explores scathing reviews, sniffy dedications, brutal rejection letters, literary alliances gone sour, and the curious warning never to lick a book with a green cover.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDrawing on original documents, rare volumes, and vivid historical anecdotes, the book offers an entertaining and irreverent alternative history of the literary canon.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Independent Publishers Group\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/27\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 176\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780712355834\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlex Johnson\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of numerous books on art, music, sheds, and books about books. His titles for the British Library include \u003ci\u003eA Book of Book Lists\u003c\/i\u003e (2017), \u003ci\u003eShelf Life\u003c\/i\u003e (2018), \u003ci\u003eEdward Lear and the Pussycat: Famous Writers and their Pets\u003c\/i\u003e (2019), \u003ci\u003eHow to Give Your Child a Lifelong Love of Reading\u003c\/i\u003e (2020), and \u003ci\u003eThe Book Lover's Joke Book\u003c\/i\u003e (2022).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Independent Publishers Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45533318643888,"sku":"9780712355834b","price":24.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/pandemoniumbooks.com\/products\/when-books-go-bad-tales-of-literary-feuds-publishing-errors-and-withering-reviews-9780712355834","provider":"Pandemonium Books and Games","version":"1.0","type":"link"}