Unknown Favorites That Become Famous...

Get this --

Several years ago my business was doing an event at the local children's hospital. I suggested Harry Potter as a theme.

Nobody in the meeting - about 15 people - had ever heard of Harry Potter.

I read The Hobbit in 1948 and Fellowship of the Ring when it was published in 1953.

Not exactly a book that I read, but I saw a play that was being tried out in our little local theatre. We saw it on it's second night.

It did rather well, and moved to the West End, where it ran for quite a while before being made into a film, called "Educating Rita".


I have a pretty good tip for the future though, regarding books.

My wife took part in the interview process at her school, which eventually appointed a young teacher for the English department by the name of Conn Iggulden.

He was extremely popular, and had a knack of bringing lessons to life.

Several years later, he left after getting his first book published, based on the life of Julius Caesar. The first of a trilogy.

It quickly became a Sunday Times bestseller, and the paperback rode high in the book charts for quite a while.
He has since completed the trilogy, has received oodles from sales and royalties, and rumour has it that Hollywood is showing an interest.

Book1. EMPEROR - The Gates of Rome.
Book2. EMPEROR - The Death of Kings.
Book3. EMPEROR - The Field of Swords.

(capitals are how they appear in the title)

I read the first one when I was in hospital, and couldn't put the thing down. The second and third were just as good. A bit like Gladiator, but much more exciting.....and factual (well, almost).

If it all comes off, he could get three films out of this.

Watch this space......

Vanity Fair

The Bell Jar

I'm still waiting for someone else to discover "My Happy Life".......

I can't think of specific books, off the top of my head, but I can think of quite a few authors I was impressed by quite a bit before they became "officially" famous. Possibly I started the trend! :wink:

I'm sure you did, msolga.

It's funny but many of the books I really like are not at all famous -- The Swine's Wedding, The Palm Wine Drinkard, The Roaches Have No King, The History of the World In 10 and 1/2 Chapters, and the one I'm reading now.... Seven Types of Ambiguity.

There are probably a gazillion more.

I can never understand why everyone else doesn't just sit down and die over these books like I do.

Re: Unknown Favorites That Become Famous...

In 1974, I was a high school library aide. (Yeah, I know, that makes me a dork.) The best part of the job was unpacking brand new books and putting the plastic covers on them. That gave me a chance to read the dust jackets and decide if I wanted to read them right away. I was intrigued with one book. It was apparently the first book by a young man, but he captured me immediately with the characters and the situation of a lonely, fat high school girl who is an outcast but finds a way to get back at the people who laughed at her. I couldn't get over how a man could understand teenage girls so well and raved to all my friends about the book. It was Carrie by Stephen King.

Well, not so much.

I do, however, remember reading ZZ Packer in a little rag. She was in a corner; no flair, no interview. Just one little short story and her name.
I liked her a lot. I used to eat up those photocopied 'journals' and magasines, and barely ever recall any names. I remembered her though. I passed on her story to a friend.

Years later I was in one of those gigantic bookstores, drinking some coffee and strolling with a friend. I see one of her books on a large display. I got all excited.

I'm sure many others knew of her before me, but it was exciting to see her go from crappy mag to a prominent display in a chichi bookstore. I felt proud in a way. Like "you go girl. Kick some butt".