{"title":"Eley Williams Books","description":"\u003cp\u003eBrowse the books by Eley Williams we have in stock, second-hand, in paperback. Mostly fiction and short stories. Every book ships from our own UK warehouse. Free UK delivery on orders of £10 or more.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"moderate-to-poor-occasionally-good-shortlisted-for-the-2025-dylan-thomas-prize","title":"Moderate to Poor, Occasionally Good: Shortlisted for the 2025 Dylan Thomas Prize","description":"\u003cp\u003eSHORTLISTED FOR THE 2025 DYLAN THOMAS PRIZE\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA Granta Best Young British Novelist\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e'A thrilling love for the stuff of language ... Magical' JON McGREGOR\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e'Poignant and playful' DAILY MAIL\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e'A writer with few real rivals' IRISH TIMES\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e'A visionary writer' JAN CARSON\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe stunning new collection of stories from the award-winning author of The Liar's Dictionary and Attrib. and Other Stories.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGranta Best Young British novelist and acclaimed author of Attrib. and other stories, Eley Williams returns with a thrilling collection of short stories exploring the nature of relationships both intimate and transient - from the easy gamesmanship of contagious yawns to the horror of a smile fixed for just a second too long.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA courtroom sketch artist delights in committing portraits of their lover to paper but their need to capture likenesses forever is revealed to have darker, more complex intentions. A child's schoolyard crush on a saint marks a confrontation with the reality of a teenage body in flux. Elsewhere, an editor of canned laughter loses their confidence and seeks divine intervention, and an essayist annotates their thoughts on Keats by way of internet-gleaned sex tips.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eModerate to Poor, Occasionally Good hums with fossicking language and ingenious experiments in form and considers notions of playfulness, authenticity and care as it holds relationships to account: their sweet misunderstandings, soured reflections, queer wish fulfilments and shared, held breaths.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e'Undeniably a skilful book' TELEGRAPH\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e'Stories that work from the inside out... glancing, intriguing' GUARDIAN\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e'Erudite and audacious' KEIRAN GODDARD\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e'Frequently brilliant and deeply pleasurable' CAOILINN HUGHES\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e'I don't know anyone else who can write like this ... What a joy!' BEN PESTER\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e'A joy for the head and the heart' RUBY COWLING\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"sb-details\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/eley-williams-books\"\u003eEley Williams\u003c\/a\u003e (all their books in stock)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGenre:\u003c\/strong\u003e Fiction, Humorous\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublished:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2024\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 199\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e 4th Estate\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9780008618933\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"4th Estate","offers":[{"title":"Very Good — £9.09","offer_id":47908594122929,"sku":"SB-0008618933-C2","price":9.09,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0618\/2669\/5345\/files\/0008618933.jpg?v=1789442885"},{"product_id":"the-liars-dictionary","title":"The Liar's Dictionary","description":"\u003cp\u003eNATIONAL BESTSELLER • \u003cb\u003e“You wouldn’t expect a comic novel about a dictionary to be a thriller too, but this one is. In fact, [it] is also a mystery, love story (two of them) and cliffhanging melodrama.” —\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eaward-winning\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003enovel that chronicles the\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003echarming\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003emisadventures of a lovelorn Victorian lexicographer and the young woman put on his trail a century later to root out his misdeeds while confronting questions of her own sexuality and place in the world.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMountweazel\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e n. the phenomenon of false entries within dictionaries and works of reference. Often used as a safeguard against copyright infringement.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the final year of the nineteenth century, Peter Winceworth is toiling away at the letter S for Swansby’s multivolume \u003ci\u003eEncyclopaedic Dictionary\u003c\/i\u003e. But his disaffection with his colleagues compels him to assert some individual purpose and artistic freedom, and he begins inserting unauthorized, fictitious entries. In the present day, Mallory, the publisher’s young intern, starts to uncover these mountweazels in the process of digitization and through them senses their creator’s motivations, hopes, and desires. More pressingly, she’s also been contending with a threatening, anonymous caller who wants Swansby’s staff to “burn in hell.” As these two narratives coalesce, Winceworth and Mallory, separated by one hundred years, must discover how to negotiate the complexities of life’s often untrustworthy, hoax-strewn, and undefinable path. An exhilarating, laugh-out-loud debut, \u003ci\u003eThe Liar’s Dictionary\u003c\/i\u003e celebrates the rigidity, fragility, absurdity, and joy of language while peering into questions of identity and finding one’s place in the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"sb-details\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/eley-williams-books\"\u003eEley Williams\u003c\/a\u003e (all their books in stock)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGenre:\u003c\/strong\u003e Fiction, LGBTQ+\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublished:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 288\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e National Geographic Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9780593311868\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"National Geographic Books","offers":[{"title":"Standard Secondhand — £6.92","offer_id":47912396685489,"sku":"SB-0593311868-C3","price":6.92,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0618\/2669\/5345\/files\/0593311868_725f3a7d-faa5-45cb-ab20-7aa0c4477c64.jpg?v=1794467197"},{"product_id":"the-liars-dictionary-a-winner-of-the-2021-betty-trask-awards","title":"The Liar's Dictionary: A winner of the 2021 Betty Trask Awards","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA WINNER OF THE 2021 BETTY TRASK AWARDS\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eSHORTLISTED FOR THE DESMOND ELLIOTT PRIZE 2021\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e_\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e_________________________\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Joyous' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eSPECTATOR\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Remarkable' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eSUNDAY TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A playful delight... A glorious novel' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eOBSERVER\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eSwansby's New Encyclopaedic Dictionary\u003c\/i\u003e is riddled with fictitious entries known as \u003ci\u003emountweazels\u003c\/i\u003e penned by Peter Winceworth, a man wishing to make his lasting mark back in 1899. It's up to young intern Mallory to uncover these mountweazels before the dictionary can be digitised for modern readers. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLost in Winceworth's imagination - a world full of meaningless words - will Mallory finally discover the secret to living a meaningful life?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e_\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e_________________________\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cb\u003eMade me almost tearful with gratitude that a book as clever as this could give such uncomplicated pleasure\u003c\/b\u003e ... \u003cb\u003eAnd when you find a book like this, you grab it, and you hold it close\u003c\/b\u003e.' JOHN SELF \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'\u003cb\u003eA delight \u003c\/b\u003e... \u003cb\u003eAs funny and vivid as Dickens, as moving and memorable as Nabokov ... An extraordinarily large-hearted work\u003c\/b\u003e.' \u003ci\u003eTHE CRITIC\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'\u003cb\u003eDeft and clever, refreshing and rewarding\u003c\/b\u003e ... \u003cb\u003eAn assured and satisfying writer, her language rich and intricate and her characters rounded enough to be sympathetic and lampoonist enough to be terribly funny\u003c\/b\u003e.' \u003ci\u003eLITERARY REVIEW\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'[The] most exciting of young British writers ... Williams luxuriates in words and wordplay, in definition and precision and invention ...\u003ci\u003eThe Liar's Dictionary\u003c\/i\u003e is a public joy, and Eley Williams a free-spirited literary kook with bags of potential\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e.'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eBIG ISSUE\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A singular, hilarious, word-drunk novel, which I suspect will be seen in the future as a classic\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e comic novel.'\u003c\/b\u003e DAVID HAYDEN, \u003ci\u003eIRISH TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'\u003ci\u003eThe Liar's Dictionary\u003c\/i\u003e is the book I was longing for ... Positively intoxicated with the joy and wonder of language ... Eley Williams brings erudition and playfulness - and lovely sweetness - to every page\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e.'\u003c\/b\u003e BENJAMIN DREYER, \u003ci\u003e New York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author of\u003ci\u003e DREYER'S ENGLISH\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'This tale of lexical intrigues is an absolute joy to read! It's gloriously inventive and playful, \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003ebut with just the right amount of heart.' \u003c\/b\u003eLUCY SCHOLES\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"sb-details\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/eley-williams-books\"\u003eEley Williams\u003c\/a\u003e (all their books in stock)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGenre:\u003c\/strong\u003e Fiction, Historical\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublished:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 288\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e Penguin Random House\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9781786090591\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House","offers":[{"title":"Standard Secondhand — £1.00","offer_id":47917101449393,"sku":"SB-1786090597-C3","price":1.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0618\/2669\/5345\/files\/1786090597.jpg?v=1789676695"},{"product_id":"attrib-and-other-stories","title":"Attrib: and other stories","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis debut collection from Eley Williams centres upon the difficulties of communication and the way one's thoughts may never be fully communicable and yet can overwhelm you. 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A bold new collection from one of Britain's most original new writers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"sb-details\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/eley-williams-books\"\u003eEley Williams\u003c\/a\u003e (all their books in stock)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGenre:\u003c\/strong\u003e Fiction, Short Stories (single author)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublished:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2017\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 169\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e Influx Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9781910312162\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Influx Press","offers":[{"title":"Very Good — £1.50","offer_id":47919075262641,"sku":"SB-1910312169-C2","price":1.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"Poor Condition — £1.00","offer_id":47919075295409,"sku":"SB-1910312169-C4","price":1.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0618\/2669\/5345\/files\/1910312169.jpg?v=1789528884"},{"product_id":"the-bbc-national-short-story-award-2020","title":"The BBC National Short Story Award 2020","description":"\u003cp\u003eA young woman's birthday party is disturbed by the vision of a homeless man sleeping under an arrangement of mocking fruit... A late-night text conversation goes awry when a forwarded link to a live feed of gathering walruses doesn't have its intended effect... A woman hopes a pending announcement to her in-laws will finally give her husband the attention he craves... The stories shortlisted for the 2020 BBC National Short Story Award with Cambridge University demonstrate how a single moment might become momentous; how a small encounter or exchange can irreversibly change the way others see you, or the way you see yourself. From the struggles of two women trapped by joblessness and addiction, to the hopes of two teenage brothers embarking on a new life without the protection of their parents, these stories show us what happens when we fail to relate to each other as well as the refuge that belonging affords.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"sb-details\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/eley-williams-books\"\u003eEley Williams\u003c\/a\u003e (all their books in stock)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGenre:\u003c\/strong\u003e Fiction, Anthologies (multiple authors)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublished:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2020\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 160\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e Comma Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9781912697359\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Comma Press","offers":[{"title":"Poor Condition — £1.00","offer_id":47919128248497,"sku":"SB-1912697351-C4","price":1.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0618\/2669\/5345\/files\/1912697351.jpg?v=1789183092"}],"url":"https:\/\/sellbooks.co.uk\/collections\/eley-williams-books.oembed","provider":"Sell Books .co.uk","version":"1.0","type":"link"}