A Brit Hit Soon to Alite
by Daisy Maryles -- Publishers Weekly, 7/21/1997
Birdsong: A Novel of Love and War by Sebastian Faulks was chosen as "one of the best books of the century" by the British public. It topped the English charts for more than a year and Vintage is hoping it will begin climbing the U.S. lists. While it got stellar reviews, the hardcover Random House edition didn't hit the lists. Vintage produced a reader's edition that was distributed to hundreds of booksellers across the country, and the paperback has made it onto some local bestseller lists so far. Handselling seems to be working, since the book has gone back to press four times, taking the first printing of 45,000 to 70,500. Faulks is coming to this shore in September for a nine-city tour.
