I’m over at Shiny New Books with a review of A Bite of the Apple – the new memoir by Lennie Goodings about Virago Books. It’s a fascinating and personal book – here’s the full review, and below is the opening of what I wrote.
There’s a certain variety of person who can always spot a bottle-green spine at a hundred paces, and has faced the agonising decision about whether to shelve their Virago Modern Classics together or in with the rest of their books. I, reader, am one such person (and they’re shelved together, for what it’s worth) – Virago Modern Classics has introduced me to any number of wonderful writers, and I have plenty left to read. And it’s chiefly the idea of finding out more about the VMCs that made me delighted when I heard that Lennie Goodings had written A Bite of the Apple.
I’m very sorry they aren’t doing the bottle green books anymore. I always look for them but seldom see them. I remember on my first trip over to London, I stopped at Foyle’s, and the first thing I saw was this display of dark green books, in the entryway. I ended up buying so many that I had a large bag to carry onto the plane.
It was such a bizarre decision! Maybe at the time they’d started looking old fashioned, but surely now is time to bring them back.
I love the green spines and the beautiful artwork on the classic Viragos, and like you, I’m always on the lookout in secondhand bookstores. I will nearly always buy them even. On a trip to London a few years ago I think I bought five or six!
I’m sure some of the publishing details would go over my head but this does sound like a great read!