Canning in 1938 with his dogs Polycarp and Abigail |
These pages celebrate the work of Victor Canning (1911 - 1986), a writer of sixty-one books altogether, including one travel book, eighteen novels both comic and serious, four historical novels set in Roman and Arthurian Britain, three children's books, two short story collections (plus an abundance of other stories) and thirty-three thrillers, the best of which are some of the finest ever written in this genre. Under Life is an introduction for new readers, a short biography, a list of the places where he lived, and a set of portraits. Under Works you will find a full bibliography including his work for stage, film, TV and radio, with prefaces to all of the books and summaries of all the surviving short stories. Under Background you will find a collection of brief quotations from Canning's books on a range of subjects and a list of the settings of the novels and stories. I have also created a page about citations from Canning's books in the Oxford English Dictionary, lists of the books he enjoyed himself and recommended to his sister, and a list of articles about Victor Canning, mostly from neswpapers.. Please click News, links and publications to see what is being discovered about the background to the books, where to find the books (updated May 2011), and plans for events to mark Canning's centenary in June 2011. Please click on this link to find the Victor Canning page at Curtis Brown, the agency who look after the rights to his work. |
Newly published by Ostara Press in November 2010, Canning's masterpiece The Rainbird Pattern. |
New edition by Arcturus Publishing of the first of the Rex Carver series The Whip Hand, July 2011. |
New edition of Canning's travel pieces Everyman's England, July 2011. |
A new collection of Victor Canning short stories including the superb Minerva Club group. |
Site created by John Higgins, in June 2000, last updated 1 February 2012.