Awards

• Long-listed for Barry Award 2014.
• Long-listed for Barry Award, Best First Novel 2014 (United States)
• Long-listed for Barry Awards: Best First Novel 2014.
• Long-listed for International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award 2015 (Ireland)
• Long-listed for International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award 2015.

Overview

A mysterious portrait ignites an antiquarian bookseller's search-through time andthe works of Shakespeare-for his lost love. Guaranteed to capture the hearts of everyone who truly loves books, The Bookman's Tale is aformer bookseller's sparkling novel and a delightful exploration of one of literature's mosttantalising mysteries with echoes of Shadow of the Wind and A.S. Byatt's Possession. Hay-on-Wye, 1995. Peter Byerly isn't sure what drew him into this particular bookshop. Ninemonths earlier, the death of his beloved wife, Amanda, had left him shattered. The youngantiquarian bookseller relocated from North Carolina to the English countryside, hoping torediscover the joy he once took in collecting and restoring rare books. But upon opening aneighteenth-century study of Shakespeare forgeries, Peter is shocked when a portrait of Amandatumbles out of its pages. Of course, it isn't really her. The watercolour is clearly Victorian. Yetthe resemblance is uncanny, and Peter becomes obsessed with learning the picture's origins. As he follows the trail back first to the Victorian era and then to Shakespeare's time, Petercommunes with Amanda's spirit, learns the truth about his own past, and discovers a book thatmight definitively prove Shakespeare was, indeed, the author of all his plays.

Full Product Details

9781922079336

Table of Contents

Reviews

'A marvellous new Shakespearean mystery: an intelligent thriller that is also a love song for books and the people who relish them. Lovett knows his stuff about Shakespeare, rare books, and the passions that both inspire, and he weaves from these a delicious tale of love, loss, and the thrill of discovery... The only disappointment was that it came to an end.' Jennifer Lee Carrell, author of Interred with Their Bones 'With The Bookman's Tale, Charlie Lovett tells us a terrific story - there's mystery and suspense, murder and seduction - but more importantly, he shows us how it's all connected, all of this: the reading and the keeping and the sharing of books. It forms a chain long and strange enough to tie a heartbroken young scholar from North Carolina back to the Bard himself, who might or might not have been William Shakespeare. Every link along the way is a bookman's tale all its own, and Lovett tells them all, except the very last, of course: because that's you, about to read this book right now.' Robin Sloan, author of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore 'a gripping literary mystery that is compulsively readable until the thrilling end.' Library Journal 'Fans of mysteries, of love stories, and of rare books will all find moments in Lovett's novel to treasure.' Booklist 'For bibliophiles everywhere, this is a joyous mystery from the present day to Victorian England and back to Shakespearean England. Charlie Lovett's The Bookman's Tale is about the thrill of the chase, obsession, love, passion and the joy of discovery.' -- The Hoopla 'Lovett's obvious love of books and deep understanding of the world of antiquarian bookselling and restoration is something that not only enriches Peter's character but provides a point of strong interest for anyone interested in how books are constructed and repaired...The Bookman's Tale is rooted in literary scholarship, full of fun gossip and historical play that makes the short chapters read very quickly and easily. Peter's healing develops naturally through the chapters, and ultimately makes The Bookman's Tale an immensely satisfying and pleasurable read that combines a range of genres and above all else, celebrates the beauty and wonder of the literary word.' -- The Compulsive Reader

'A marvellous new Shakespearean mystery: an intelligent thriller that is also a love song for books and the people who relish them. Lovett knows his stuff about Shakespeare, rare books, and the passions that both inspire, and he weaves from these a delicious tale of love, loss, and the thrill of discovery... The only disappointment was that it came to an end.' Jennifer Lee Carrell, author of Interred with Their Bones 'With The Bookman's Tale, Charlie Lovett tells us a terrific story - there's mystery and suspense, murder and seduction - but more importantly, he shows us how it's all connected, all of this: the reading and the keeping and the sharing of books. It forms a chain long and strange enough to tie a heartbroken young scholar from North Carolina back to the Bard himself, who might or might not have been William Shakespeare. Every link along the way is a bookman's tale all its own, and Lovett tells them all, except the very last, of course: because that's you, about to read this book right now.' Robin Sloan, author of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore 'This book has it all: antiquarian books, deceit, love, murder, passion, Shakespeare, death...and (spoiler alert) a secret passage. What more could you ask for?' Herald Sun 'For bibliophiles everywhere, this is a joyous mystery from the present day to Victorian England and back to Shakespearean England. Charlie Lovett's The Bookman's Tale is about the thrill of the chase, obsession, love, passion and the joy of discovery.' -- The Hoopla 'One has to admire the author's audacity in how he fits in dastardly Victorians, Dickensian maidens, present-day outspoken American women, stereotypical British gents and families of vast fortune...It tells a great mystery and is hard to put down.' Otago Daily Times 'a gripping literary mystery that is compulsively readable until the thrilling end.' Library Journal 'Fans of mysteries, of love stories, and of rare books will all find moments in Lovett's novel to treasure.' Booklist 'Lovett's obvious love of books and deep understanding of the world of antiquarian bookselling and restoration is something that not only enriches Peter's character but provides a point of strong interest for anyone interested in how books are constructed and repaired...The Bookman's Tale is rooted in literary scholarship, full of fun gossip and historical play that makes the short chapters read very quickly and easily. Peter's healing develops naturally through the chapters, and ultimately makes The Bookman's Tale an immensely satisfying and pleasurable read that combines a range of genres and above all else, celebrates the beauty and wonder of the literary word.' -- The Compulsive Reader

'A marvellous new Shakespearean mystery: an intelligent thriller that is also a love song for books and the people who relish them. Lovett knows his stuff about Shakespeare, rare books, and the passions that both inspire, and he weaves from these a delicious tale of love, loss, and the thrill of discovery... The only disappointment was that it came to an end.' Jennifer Lee Carrell, author of Interred with Their Bones 'With The Bookman's Tale, Charlie Lovett tells us a terrific story - there's mystery and suspense, murder and seduction - but more importantly, he shows us how it's all connected, all of this: the reading and the keeping and the sharing of books. It forms a chain long and strange enough to tie a heartbroken young scholar from North Carolina back to the Bard himself, who might or might not have been William Shakespeare. Every link along the way is a bookman's tale all its own, and Lovett tells them all, except the very last, of course: because that's you, about to read this book right now.' Robin Sloan, author of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

'A marvellous new Shakespearean mystery: an intelligent thriller that is also a love song for books and the people who relish them. Lovett knows his stuff about Shakespeare, rare books, and the passions that both inspire, and he weaves from these a delicious tale of love, loss, and the thrill of discovery... The only disappointment was that it came to an end.' Jennifer Lee Carrell, author of Interred with Their Bones 'With The Bookman's Tale, Charlie Lovett tells us a terrific story - there's mystery and suspense, murder and seduction - but more importantly, he shows us how it's all connected, all of this: the reading and the keeping and the sharing of books. It forms a chain long and strange enough to tie a heartbroken young scholar from North Carolina back to the Bard himself, who might or might not have been William Shakespeare. Every link along the way is a bookman's tale all its own, and Lovett tells them all, except the very last, of course: because that's you, about to read this book right now.' Robin Sloan, author of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore 'a gripping literary mystery that is compulsively readable until the thrilling end.' Library Journal 'Fans of mysteries, of love stories, and of rare books will all find moments in Lovett's novel to treasure.' Booklist

'The world of the antiquarian bookseller is rife with passions and obsessions, and Charlie Lovett, himself a former antiquarian book dealer, is well placed to put together a detailed plot that stretches all the way back through an elaborate tale of 19th-century forgery to the 16th century and life of Shakespeare...an intriguing tale.' * Sydney Morning Herald/Age * 'Author Charlie Lovett, a former antiquarian bookseller himself, dives effortlessly between centuries and characters as he tells the story of the portrait, and though this novel has a love story at its heart, it develops into an extremely well-plotted thriller. Highly recommended.' * Weekend Herald * `One has to admire the author's audacity in how he fits in dastardly Victorians, Dickensian maidens, present--day outspoken American women, stereotypical British gents and families of vast fortune...It tells a great mystery and is hard to put down.' * Otago Daily Times * 'The Bookman's Tale is a homage to antiquarian book collectors, a journey in grief, a whodunnit and more rolled into one.' * Courier Mail * 'This book has it all: antiquarian books, deceit, love, murder, passion, Shakespeare, death...and (spoiler alert) a secret passage. What more could you ask for?' * Herald Sun * 'Author Charlie Lovett meticulously merges love, despair and mystery in this enchanting ode to literature.' * Limelight * `Lovett's obvious love of books and deep understanding of the world of antiquarian bookselling and restoration is something that not only enriches Peter's character but provides a point of strong interest for anyone interested in how books are constructed and repaired...The Bookman's Tale is rooted in literary scholarship, full of fun gossip and historical play that makes the short chapters read very quickly and easily. Peter's healing develops naturally through the chapters, and ultimately makes The Bookman's Tale an immensely satisfying and pleasurable read that combines a range of genres and above all else, celebrates the beauty and wonder of the literary word.' -- The Compulsive Reader 'Fans of mysteries, of love stories, and of rare books will all find moments in Lovett's novel to treasure.' * Booklist * 'For bibliophiles everywhere, this is a joyous mystery from the present day to Victorian England and back to Shakespearean England. Charlie Lovett's The Bookman's Tale is about the thrill of the chase, obsession, love, passion and the joy of discovery.' -- The Hoopla 'a gripping literary mystery that is compulsively readable until the thrilling end.' * Library Journal * 'With The Bookman's Tale, Charlie Lovett tells us a terrific story - there's mystery and suspense, murder and seduction - but more importantly, he shows us how it's all connected, all of this: the reading and the keeping and the sharing of books. It forms a chain long and strange enough to tie a heartbroken young scholar from North Carolina back to the Bard himself, who might or might not have been William Shakespeare. Every link along the way is a bookman's tale all its own, and Lovett tells them all, except the very last, of course: because that's you, about to read this book right now.' * Robin Sloan, author of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore * 'A marvellous new Shakespearean mystery: an intelligent thriller that is also a love song for books and the people who relish them. Lovett knows his stuff about Shakespeare, rare books, and the passions that both inspire, and he weaves from these a delicious tale of love, loss, and the thrill of discovery... The only disappointment was that it came to an end.' * Jennifer Lee Carrell, author of Interred with Their Bones *

Author Information

Charlie Lovett is a writer, teacher, and playwright whose plays for children have been seen in over 3000 productions worldwide. He served for more than a decade as writer-in-residence at Summit School in Winston-Salem, NC. He is a former antiquarian bookseller, and he has collected rare books and other materials related to Lewis Carroll for more than 25 years. He and his wife, Janice, split their time between Winston-Salem and Kingham, Oxfordshire.

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