Neglected Books
@neglectedbooks.com
Brad Bigelow, Missoula, MT
bradbigelow.com
Author, Virginia Faulkner: A Life in Two Acts
Editor, Recovered Books series @ Boiler House Press:
www.boilerhouse.press/recovered-books
Editor, neglectedbooks.com. Champion of reading off the beaten path.
bradbigelow.com
Author, Virginia Faulkner: A Life in Two Acts
Editor, Recovered Books series @ Boiler House Press:
www.boilerhouse.press/recovered-books
Editor, neglectedbooks.com. Champion of reading off the beaten path.
A glimpse of what's coming this year in the Recovered Books series from Boiler House Press. Four very different books, four important books in terms of subject and literary history, four gripping reads. Ask your bookstore and library to stock them.
2026 is already giving us plenty to talk about. Here’s a preview of what’s coming from our Recovered Books list this year, rediscovered by Neglected Books:
- Vengeance Is Mine (March 2026)
- An American Journey (May 2026)
- We Too Are Drifting (August 2026)
- Season's Greetings (November 2026)
- Vengeance Is Mine (March 2026)
- An American Journey (May 2026)
- We Too Are Drifting (August 2026)
- Season's Greetings (November 2026)
January 21, 2026 at 3:53 PM
A glimpse of what's coming this year in the Recovered Books series from Boiler House Press. Four very different books, four important books in terms of subject and literary history, four gripping reads. Ask your bookstore and library to stock them.
Henri de Montherlant's The Bachelors (1934) may be the most Balzacian novel written since Balzac's death. Full of despicable characters, bickering over inheritances, money-grubbing, degradation, and humiliation.
In other words, the stuff of great fiction
neglectedbooks.com/?...
In other words, the stuff of great fiction
neglectedbooks.com/?...
January 21, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Henri de Montherlant's The Bachelors (1934) may be the most Balzacian novel written since Balzac's death. Full of despicable characters, bickering over inheritances, money-grubbing, degradation, and humiliation.
In other words, the stuff of great fiction
neglectedbooks.com/?...
In other words, the stuff of great fiction
neglectedbooks.com/?...
A thread about Florence Meyer Homolka. In the course of researching a biography, you come across fascinating people you can't afford to deal on. Here's one from my research on Virginia Faulkner.
Florence Meyer was the eldest daughter of Eugene Meyer, who bought the Washington Post in 1933.
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Florence Meyer was the eldest daughter of Eugene Meyer, who bought the Washington Post in 1933.
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January 20, 2026 at 9:00 PM
A thread about Florence Meyer Homolka. In the course of researching a biography, you come across fascinating people you can't afford to deal on. Here's one from my research on Virginia Faulkner.
Florence Meyer was the eldest daughter of Eugene Meyer, who bought the Washington Post in 1933.
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Florence Meyer was the eldest daughter of Eugene Meyer, who bought the Washington Post in 1933.
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I received a notice that I've been posting Pre-Code film clips here for over a year and have yet to post the one with Toby Wing dancing on a tabletop in a negligee. So, rather than pay the fine, here it is, with a bonus of Ida Lupino doing the rhumba. From Search for Beauty (1934).
January 20, 2026 at 7:01 PM
I received a notice that I've been posting Pre-Code film clips here for over a year and have yet to post the one with Toby Wing dancing on a tabletop in a negligee. So, rather than pay the fine, here it is, with a bonus of Ida Lupino doing the rhumba. From Search for Beauty (1934).
To my friends in Lincoln, Nebraska, Virginia Faulkner's hometown. I'll be speaking and signing books at Francie and Finch Books in downtown Lincoln on Saturday, January 24th. Please join us!
Visiting Author - Brad Bigelow - Virginia Faulkner: A Life in Two Acts - Francie & Finch Bookshop
Join us on Saturday, January 24th as we welcome writer Brad Bigelow to Lincoln! He will be presenting his upcoming book Virginia Faulkner: A Life in Two Acts. Published by the […]
francieandfinch.com
January 20, 2026 at 3:27 PM
To my friends in Lincoln, Nebraska, Virginia Faulkner's hometown. I'll be speaking and signing books at Francie and Finch Books in downtown Lincoln on Saturday, January 24th. Please join us!
Our first Recovered Book from @bhousepress.bsky.social to be mentioned in Kirkus Reviews gets a starred review! Vengeance is Mine by Friedrich Torberg was written in exile in 1943. One of the earliest examples of Holocaust fiction, it's never before been translated.
VENGEANCE IS MINE | Kirkus Reviews
This 1943 novella by the Austrian Jewish writer Torberg—published before the horrors of the Nazi death camps were widely known—describes a brutal showdown between a Jewish prisoner and the German SS officer who calmly tells him he is about to die.
www.kirkusreviews.com
January 20, 2026 at 3:00 PM
Our first Recovered Book from @bhousepress.bsky.social to be mentioned in Kirkus Reviews gets a starred review! Vengeance is Mine by Friedrich Torberg was written in exile in 1943. One of the earliest examples of Holocaust fiction, it's never before been translated.
In early 1977, William Saroyan took the “Necrology” list in the January 5, 1977 issue of Variety and proceeded to write 135 essays, each about 2-3 pages long, running through the list from Alessandro (Victor) to Zukor (Adolph). Obituaries is the result.
neglectedbooks.com/?...
neglectedbooks.com/?...
January 20, 2026 at 2:00 PM
In early 1977, William Saroyan took the “Necrology” list in the January 5, 1977 issue of Variety and proceeded to write 135 essays, each about 2-3 pages long, running through the list from Alessandro (Victor) to Zukor (Adolph). Obituaries is the result.
neglectedbooks.com/?...
neglectedbooks.com/?...
Random cover from the TBR pile:
Before the Storm by Theodor Fontane (tr. 1985)
Subtitled A Novel of the Winter 1812-13, this was Fontane's first novel and has been compared, for obvious reasons, to War and Peace. 700+ pages.
Before the Storm by Theodor Fontane (tr. 1985)
Subtitled A Novel of the Winter 1812-13, this was Fontane's first novel and has been compared, for obvious reasons, to War and Peace. 700+ pages.
January 19, 2026 at 9:00 PM
Random cover from the TBR pile:
Before the Storm by Theodor Fontane (tr. 1985)
Subtitled A Novel of the Winter 1812-13, this was Fontane's first novel and has been compared, for obvious reasons, to War and Peace. 700+ pages.
Before the Storm by Theodor Fontane (tr. 1985)
Subtitled A Novel of the Winter 1812-13, this was Fontane's first novel and has been compared, for obvious reasons, to War and Peace. 700+ pages.
Lillian Roth was among the relatively few early talkie performers who had charisma that leaps off the screen. I'm always happy to see her name in the credits. Here she is--probably told to stay within an 18" box on the floor--giving her all to the Fleischer singalong "Ain't She Sweet" (1933).
January 19, 2026 at 7:01 PM
Lillian Roth was among the relatively few early talkie performers who had charisma that leaps off the screen. I'm always happy to see her name in the credits. Here she is--probably told to stay within an 18" box on the floor--giving her all to the Fleischer singalong "Ain't She Sweet" (1933).
16 years ago, I posted an article on a long-forgotten memoir by Paul Cohen-Portheim called Time Stood Still: My Internment in England 1914-1918. In 2023, I helped get it back in print from @bhousepress.bsky.social. Sadly, its tale of detention life is even more relevant now.
neglectedbooks.com/?...
neglectedbooks.com/?...
January 19, 2026 at 2:00 PM
16 years ago, I posted an article on a long-forgotten memoir by Paul Cohen-Portheim called Time Stood Still: My Internment in England 1914-1918. In 2023, I helped get it back in print from @bhousepress.bsky.social. Sadly, its tale of detention life is even more relevant now.
neglectedbooks.com/?...
neglectedbooks.com/?...
An author really committed to his book's success should be willing to change his name to suit his book.
January 18, 2026 at 9:00 PM
An author really committed to his book's success should be willing to change his name to suit his book.
The Boswell Sisters, from The Big Broadcast (1932). I've probably been vaguely aware of the Boswell Sisters for most of my life, but never focused on their actual work. Wowser. These ladies were fierce. Their singles from the 1930s are some of the best jazz tracks of the era.
January 18, 2026 at 7:01 PM
The Boswell Sisters, from The Big Broadcast (1932). I've probably been vaguely aware of the Boswell Sisters for most of my life, but never focused on their actual work. Wowser. These ladies were fierce. Their singles from the 1930s are some of the best jazz tracks of the era.
What makes a book neglected? Back in 2009, I tried to answer that question. The bitter truth is that most books are destined to be forgotten. That doesn't mean, though, that it's not worth looking for the ones that are *unjustly* forgotten.
neglectedbooks.com/?...
neglectedbooks.com/?...
January 18, 2026 at 2:00 PM
What makes a book neglected? Back in 2009, I tried to answer that question. The bitter truth is that most books are destined to be forgotten. That doesn't mean, though, that it's not worth looking for the ones that are *unjustly* forgotten.
neglectedbooks.com/?...
neglectedbooks.com/?...
"Those rich dykes": a rabbit hole I had to omit from my Virginia Faulkner biography (thread)
In 1974, the composer Dana Suesse wrote Virginia, her former partner, raising money for a Carnegie Hall concert of her own compositions. "Try a few of those rich dykes that used to abound," she replied.
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In 1974, the composer Dana Suesse wrote Virginia, her former partner, raising money for a Carnegie Hall concert of her own compositions. "Try a few of those rich dykes that used to abound," she replied.
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January 17, 2026 at 10:04 PM
"Those rich dykes": a rabbit hole I had to omit from my Virginia Faulkner biography (thread)
In 1974, the composer Dana Suesse wrote Virginia, her former partner, raising money for a Carnegie Hall concert of her own compositions. "Try a few of those rich dykes that used to abound," she replied.
1/15
In 1974, the composer Dana Suesse wrote Virginia, her former partner, raising money for a Carnegie Hall concert of her own compositions. "Try a few of those rich dykes that used to abound," she replied.
1/15
I've heard Cab Calloway do "Minnie the Moocher" plenty of times, but until I watched The Big Broadcast (1932), I never knew just how MUCH the song has to do with cocaine addiction.
January 17, 2026 at 7:00 PM
I've heard Cab Calloway do "Minnie the Moocher" plenty of times, but until I watched The Big Broadcast (1932), I never knew just how MUCH the song has to do with cocaine addiction.
“Samuel Smith was the best part of thirty before anyone told him he was a wage-slave.” Gertrude Trevelyan's Theme with Variations (1937) is her angriest, most experimental novel, three disconnected tales of people trapped by family, economics, social constraints.
neglectedbooks.com/?...
neglectedbooks.com/?...
January 17, 2026 at 2:00 PM
“Samuel Smith was the best part of thirty before anyone told him he was a wage-slave.” Gertrude Trevelyan's Theme with Variations (1937) is her angriest, most experimental novel, three disconnected tales of people trapped by family, economics, social constraints.
neglectedbooks.com/?...
neglectedbooks.com/?...
Courtesy of Peter Mintun, a brilliant take on Warner Brother's opening cast credits that features just about every performer who crossed a WB soundstage in the Pre-Code days.
THREE ON A SNATCH (2007)
YouTube video by Peter Mintun
youtu.be
January 16, 2026 at 10:37 PM
Courtesy of Peter Mintun, a brilliant take on Warner Brother's opening cast credits that features just about every performer who crossed a WB soundstage in the Pre-Code days.
Billie Burke and Robert Montgomery encounter the geographic and linguistic wonders of Switzerland. From Bridal Suite (1939), also starring Annabella: the only film Virginia Faulkner got a credit (story) on. And yes, little Toto is the young Robert Blake.
January 16, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Billie Burke and Robert Montgomery encounter the geographic and linguistic wonders of Switzerland. From Bridal Suite (1939), also starring Annabella: the only film Virginia Faulkner got a credit (story) on. And yes, little Toto is the young Robert Blake.
I was pleased to see recently that novelist/critic David Madden is still active on social media at age 92. The two collections of essays by novelists on their favorite neglected works of fiction—Rediscoveries (1971) and Rediscoveries II (1988)—are what led me to become obsessed with neglected books.
January 16, 2026 at 2:00 PM
I was pleased to see recently that novelist/critic David Madden is still active on social media at age 92. The two collections of essays by novelists on their favorite neglected works of fiction—Rediscoveries (1971) and Rediscoveries II (1988)—are what led me to become obsessed with neglected books.
The video of today's virtual launch of my book, Virginia Faulkner: A Life in Two Acts, with special guests Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Debby Applegate and author Will Fellows, is now available on YouTube.
Virginia Faulkner: A Life in Two Acts, by Brad Bigelow - Virtual Launch
The virtual launch of Virginia Faulkner: A Life in Two Acts, by Brad Bigelow, a biography of Virginia Faulkner, the writer renowned for her wise-cracking wit who restarted her life at the age of 42 and became one of the most respected editors in publishing, helping build the University of Nebraska P
www.youtube.com
January 15, 2026 at 11:54 PM
The video of today's virtual launch of my book, Virginia Faulkner: A Life in Two Acts, with special guests Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Debby Applegate and author Will Fellows, is now available on YouTube.
Q: Who did Ford Madox Ford consider the greatest living French writer in 1938?
Read on if you were stumped like me.
Read on if you were stumped like me.
January 15, 2026 at 9:00 PM
Q: Who did Ford Madox Ford consider the greatest living French writer in 1938?
Read on if you were stumped like me.
Read on if you were stumped like me.
A nice review of Makeshift by Sarah Campion, the latest Recovered Book from @bhousepress.bsky.social. "Having read a lot about German Jews in the 1920s and 30s I found Makeshift thoroughly compelling and plausible, including its first-person voice."
Also—a plug for Miklos Banffy's trilogy (Yay!)
Also—a plug for Miklos Banffy's trilogy (Yay!)
January 15, 2026 at 8:34 PM
A nice review of Makeshift by Sarah Campion, the latest Recovered Book from @bhousepress.bsky.social. "Having read a lot about German Jews in the 1920s and 30s I found Makeshift thoroughly compelling and plausible, including its first-person voice."
Also—a plug for Miklos Banffy's trilogy (Yay!)
Also—a plug for Miklos Banffy's trilogy (Yay!)
Maurice Chevalier offers Frank Lyon a lesson in the French art of making love. From The Big Pond (1930), in which Chevalier plays his oddest role ever: chewing gum executive.
January 15, 2026 at 7:01 PM
Maurice Chevalier offers Frank Lyon a lesson in the French art of making love. From The Big Pond (1930), in which Chevalier plays his oddest role ever: chewing gum executive.
Back in 2023, I wrote about The Woman's Harvest by Anna Floyd (1916), an early anti-WWI novel most notable for its jaw-dropping plot twists, including bodies hanging from lampposts in Whitehall and ... polyamory?
neglectedbooks.com/?...
neglectedbooks.com/?...
January 15, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Back in 2023, I wrote about The Woman's Harvest by Anna Floyd (1916), an early anti-WWI novel most notable for its jaw-dropping plot twists, including bodies hanging from lampposts in Whitehall and ... polyamory?
neglectedbooks.com/?...
neglectedbooks.com/?...
The dedication from Hodgepodge: a Commonplace Book, by J. Bryan III (1986)
January 14, 2026 at 9:00 PM
The dedication from Hodgepodge: a Commonplace Book, by J. Bryan III (1986)