When Books Go Bad

Tales of Literary Feuds, Publishing Errors and Withering Reviews

By: Alex Johnson

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Hardcover | 1 February 2026

At a Glance

Hardcover
176 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
20.0 x 13.0 x 2.1

Hardcover

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The literary world isn’t all bestsellers, it is also a world of insults, physical blows, snide acknowledgements and publishing errors. Books are messy, personal things and writers have been grappling with them in the metaphorical mud for centuries.

Some writers have gone at each other in ink, while other bookish brawls are more literal. It usually ends in regret – or death. But books don’t need authors to go bad. They get stolen, misprinted, censored, some are even cursed or bound in questionable materials.

When Books Go Bad is a rousing collection of publishing mishaps, its narrative twists and turns taking a light-hearted look at poor editing, poor judgement, and a whole range of bad behaviour.

About the Author

Alex Johnson is the author of titles about art, music, shed, and books on books including for the British Library, A Book of Book Lists (2017), Edward Lear and the Pussycat: Famous Writers and Their Pets (2019), How to Give Your Child a Lifelong Love of Reading (2020), and The Book Lover’s Almanac (2023).

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