In the old days of Faber (1969 – 1984), publication day was always marked by a telegram from my editor (the late Charles Monteith, a great man), and sometimes by a celebratory lunch with Charles. Jonathan Cape (1984) sent me a leather-bound copy of the new book (The Glamour). Bloomsbury (1990) marked the day with what I felt was an embarrassed silence, and began the current trend of damp squibs.
Christopher Priest
