This guide and reference work of all of the bestselling books, authors and genres since the beginning of the 20th century, provides an insight into over 100 years of publishing and reading as well as taking us on a journey into the heart of the British imagination.

Clive Bloom is Emeritus Professor of English and American Studies at Middlesex University, UK. Widely published and Series Editor of Palgrave Macmillan's Crime Files series, he is the author of Violent London and Riot City , amongst many other titles.

Preface Acknowledgements Permissions Origins, Problems and Philosophy of the Bestseller How the British Read Genre: History and Form Bestselling Authors of the Twentieth Century Appendices Notes Bibliography Index