Books and Writers

Surname : All | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

G

GALSWORTHY, JOHN
Novelist and playwright. Nobel Prize for Literature 1932. Married Ada Cooper, the divorced wife of his cousin in 1905, after they had had an affair. Refused a knighthood in 1918

GALT, JOHN
Novelist, Biographer & Poet. Became an unsuccessful merchant in London before travelling (for his health) in the Levant. Went to Canada 1826-9

GARDNER, ERLE STANLEY
Novelist. The most published American mystery author of his time (over 100 million books sold in his lifetime). Creator of Miss Bertha Cool & Perry Mason. Married Natalie Talbert in 1912, and when she died, Agnes Bethell in 1968

GASKELL, ELIZABETH CLEGHORN
Novelist. Unitarian. Home Educated. Brought up by an aunt in Knutsford, Cheshire. Married Manchester clergyman, William Gaskell, 1832. Met Charlotte Bronte in 1850 and began a firm friendship

GAY, JOHN
Poet and author. Bad with money he made and lost a fortune in the South Sea Bubble stock. On his death he was probably worth £3000. Buried in Westminster Abbey

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF GREAT BRITAIN

GIBBINGS, ROBERT JOHN
Writer, illustrator and wood engraver. Bought the Golden Cockerel Press from Harold Taylor in 1924, but was forced to sell it (to Christopher Sandford et al) during the depressed 1930's, in 1933. Shot in the throat at Gallipoli he was inavlided out as a Captain

GIBBS, SIR PHILIP ARMAND HAMILTON
Novelist, journalist and war-correspondent. Brother of A Hamilton Gibbs and Cosmo Hamilton. Married Agnes Rowland in 1898.

GIBRAN, KAHLIL
Poet, philosopher & artist. His family emigrated to USA in 1895. Single. Alcoholic, who died of cirrhosis of the liver

GILBERT, SIR WILLIAM SCHWENK
Dramatist & Artist. Collaborated with Arthur Sullivan (composer) on many comic operas

GILL, ARTHUR ERIC ROWTON
Sculptor, Engraver, Typographer, Writer and book illustrator. Married Ethel "Mary" Moore in 1904. They formed the nucleus of an artistic community at Ditchling in Sussex. Became a Catholic 1913, joining the Third Order of St Dominic. Gill kept a continuous diary from the age of 15 in which he recorded what he made, earned and spent, as well as all his sexual conquests. The diaries ran to 40 volumes

GINSBERG, ALLEN
Most famous of the Beat Poets. Homosexual. Moved to Paris

GISSING, GEORGE ROBERT
Novelist whose work deals with the degrading effects of poverty. Convicted and imprisoned for petty theft. friends sent him to America where he enedd up destitute in Chicago. Married Marianne Harrison in 1879 and then Alice Underwood in 1891. He separated from them both. Moved to France with Gabrielle Fleury in 1898 and he died of pneumonia in the south of France

GODDEN, MARGARET RUMER
Novelist, Playwright & Poet. Childhood in India. Catholic. Married Lawrence Sinclair Foster, a stockbroker, in 1934. When he became bankrupt in 1941 he left her. Married James Lesley Haynes Dixon in 1949 and returned to live in Rye.

GODWIN, WILLIAM
Political thinker, Biographer, Journalist & Novelist. Married Mary Wollstencraft who died giving birth to Mary (Shelley's 2nd wife). With his second wife Mary Jane Clairmont (1766-1841) they published childrens books (from 1805), esp by the Lambs. Became bankrupt 1822

GOETHE, JOHANN WOLFGANG VON
Poet, thinker, novelist, dramatist, scientist, etc. Married in 1806

GOLDEN COCKEREL PRESS
In 1950 it was owned by Christopher Sandford & based at 1-5 Poland Street, Oxford St, W1. By 1994 it was based at 25 Sicilian Avenue, London WC1 and its two imprints were Associated Universities Presses & Cornwall Books

GOLDSMITH, OLIVER
Poet, dramatist and novelist. Disfigured aged 8 by smallpox. Travelled on the Continent (1753-6) before settling in London. Joined the circle of Dr Johnson. Lost money at the gaming tables. Died after taking a large dose of James's Powders.

GOLF BOOKS

GORE, CATHERINE GRACE FRANCES
Novelist & Dramatist. Married Capt Charles Arthur Gore of the Life Guards in 1823. Wrote over 70 novels of the "silver fork" variety (ie fashionable life)

GRAHAM, RIGBY
Printmaker, Painter & Book illustrator. Associated with the Orpheus Press, Pandora Press & Brewhouse Press (which he ran with Terry Hickman from 1963-83)

GRAHAM, ROBERT BONTINE CUNNINGHAME
Adventurer, story and travel writer. He travelled extensively in South America, hoping to make his fortune. He failed. In 1879 he married the Chilean poet, Gabriela de la Balmondiere

GRAHAME, KENNETH
Writer of Children's books. Married Elspeth Thomson in 1899. Died of a brain Haemorrhage

GRANT, MAXWELL
Novelist of mystery works. He also wrote books under his own name on games, psychic phenomena, true crime, puzzles and magic

GRAVES, ROBERT VON RANKE
Writer, author and poet. Son of the Irish Writer Alfred Perceval Graves & Amalia von Ranke. Married Nancy Nicholson. In 1929 he settled at Deya in Majorca with the poet Laura Riding. He left Majorca in 1936 and met and married Beryl Pritchard (1915-2003)

GRAY, THOMAS
Poet. Spent most his life in Cambridge colleges. Travelled with Horace Walpole on the Continent 1739-41

GREENAWAY, (CATHERINE) KATE
Artist and book illustrator. Single. Strongly influenced by John Ruskin from the 1880s

GREENAWAY, KATE MEDAL WINNERS
Awarded annually by the Library Association for book illustration published initially in the UK

GREENE, HENRY GRAHAM
Novelist, journalist and playwright. Converted to Catholicism 1926. Married Vivienne Dayrell-Browning 1927, but during their 67 years of marriage he had many affairs (with Catherine Walston, Dorothy Glover, Anita Bjork & Yvonne Cloetta). His papers are in Georgetown University

GREGYNOG PRESS

GRIGSON, GEOFFREY EDWARD HARVEY
Poet, Man of Letters and Critic. Married Frances Galt 1929 (died of TB 1937). Remarried 1937. Married Jane Grigson in 1950's

GRIMM, JACOB LUDWIG KARL
Philologist & Collector of Fairy Tales

GRUBER, FRANK
Novelist of westerns, thrillers and pulp stories. Married Lois Mahood in 1931

GRUELLE, JOHNNY (JOHN BARTON)
Children's writer & illustrator

GYPSY BOOKS