Books to Bragg about

Bookshops and television screens are currently plagued by Melvyn Bragg’s vanity project ’12 Books That Changed The Wolrd’. There are only so many ways in which Bragg could fail on this project; not being able to count to twelve would be one of them, not understanding what a book is the other. It is the latter which has proved a stumbling block for Bragg who has chosen speeches and declarations. There’s not a novel in sight, nor anything non-British. Read the whole sorry mess here.

So in the hope of providing a more thoughtful list, I contacted any vaguely intellectual type I could think of. Out of 93 pleas to actors, playwrights, journalists etc I got 12 positive replies. Looking in my inbox became a new source of rejection; Internet daters have it hard.
“Ms Fielding thanks you for your interest but is declining”, came the reply from Helen Fielding’s agent. Funny that, considering the debt Bridget Jones owes to Jane Austen I thought ripping off a successful book would be of great interest to her.

I even contacted Richard and Judy, overcoming my heart-stopping hatred of Richard Madeley. It seemed impossible to contact just Judy; like her vodkas, they only come as a double.

So here are the kind souls who replied, along with those that we didn't have room for. Any glaring omissions? Leave your own comments.