29 March 2008

Rosemary Sutcliff Rides Again!

There seems to be a resurgence of interest in reissuing Rosemary Sutcliff's novels - and not before time, either!

Sandra posted advance notice here in January that Sutcliff's consummate Arthurian novel, Sword at Sunset, is to be reissued in May by an American publisher, The Chicago Review Press, with a new cover design and foreword by Jack Whyte. (NB on making the links, I see that it's available now on amazon.co.uk and on amazon.com.)

Meanwhile, another U.S publisher, Front Street, which specialises in young adult fiction, has brought out
The Mark of the Horse Lord (2006)




and Frontier Wolf (2008)


in paperback with very striking covers and high quality print and paper. Sadly the illustrations from the original OUP editions aren't included.

And what about her old publishers, the Oxford University Press, here in Blighty? Well, they're doing their bit too.
The Eagle of the Ninth



has never (I believe) been out of print since it was first published in 1954 and the most recent edition came out in 2004, marking 50 years since it was first published. New editions of the other two novels in the trilogy, The Silver Branch and The Lantern Bearers, were reissued in 2007, so that all three classic novels are now available in a uniform edition.

The OUP will be reissuing Outcast in July 2008


and (according to amazon.co.uk, though it isn't mentioned on the OUP website yet) Warrior Scarlet in August 2008.

I should love to see new editions of Song for a Dark Queen, The Capricorn Bracelet, Dawn Wind, Knight's Fee, Blood Feud, The Shining Company, Sun Horse, Moon Horse...and, oh, all of her other wonderful novels made available for a new generation of readers. But this is a very promising and welcome start to be going on with!

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