For Want of a Nail :The acclaimed debut novel of one of the country's most beloved cultural figures
For Want of a Nail :The acclaimed debut novel of one of the country's most beloved cultural figures
paperback
Published:
4 July, 1991
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Description
'A strikingly taut and intense first novel'
London Review of Books
'A vivid and totally original imagination . . . brilliant'
Scotsman
Growing up in an isolated cottage in the hills of Cumberland, Tom knows the bitter cold of shooting expeditions with his grandfather and long evenings spent with his father and mother. But taken away from the hills to live in the small town of Thornton, Tom experiences a tumult of conflicting emotions, which he must master before he can come to terms with his identity.
More Details
| Type | Book |
|---|---|
| ISBN13 | 9780340431016 |
| ISBN10 | 0340431016 |
| Number Of Pages | 304 |
| Item Weight | 212 g |
| Product Dimensions | 129 x 198 x 21 mm |
| Publisher / Reseller | Hodder & Stoughton |
| Format | paperback |
Media Reviews
A strikingly taut and intense first novel * London Review of Books *
The impression is one of striking individuality - the sort of originality an author achieves when he has really meditated hard about his characters, loved them, watched them, and let them grow * Sunday Telegraph *
A vivid and totally original imagination . . . tableau after tableau is spotlit into brilliant life * Scotsman *
Fine, tense writing derived not from books but from passionate observation of particular landscapes and people * Spectator *
GoodReads Reviews
Author's Bio
Melvyn Bragg was born in Wigton, Cumbria, in 1939. He went to the local Grammar School and then to Wadham College, Oxford. He joined the BBC in 1961, and published his first novel, For Want of a Nail, in 1965. He left the BBC and continued to write novels which include The Soldier's Return (WH Smith Literary Award), Without a City Wall (Mail on Sunday John Llewellyn Rhys Prize) and Now Is the Time (Parliamentary Book Award 2016). A Place in England, Son of War and Crossing the Lines were all nominated for the Booker Prize. His non-fiction includes The Adventure of English and The Book of Books, and his first memoir, Back in the Day, was published in 2022 to critical acclaim. He edited and presented The South Bank Show from 1977 and hosted the BBC Radio 4 programme In Our Time from 1998. He has now retired from both. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society and of The British Academy. He was given a Peerage in 1998 and a Companion of Honour in 2017.