The Lost Man Booker Prize

Earlier this week, a one-off prize was announced, to honor books published in 1970.  Known as the Lost Man Booker Prize, it seeks to recognize books that missed out when the prize rules were changed in 1971.

The Booker Prize was initially awarded retrospectively.  In 1971 it became a prize for the best novel in the year of publication.  Three judges born in or around 1970 have chosen 22 books that would have been eligible in 1970, and are still in print and available today:

• Brian Aldiss, The Hand Reared Boy
• HE Bates, A Little Of What You Fancy?
• Nina Bawden, The Birds On The Trees
• Melvyn Bragg, A Place In England
• Christy Brown, Down All The Days
• Len Deighton, Bomber
• JG Farrell, Troubles
• Elaine Feinstein, The Circle
• Shirley Hazzard, The Bay Of Noon
• Reginald Hill, A Clubbable Woman
• Susan Hill, I'm The King Of The Castle
• Francis King, A Domestic Animal
• Margaret Laurence, The Fire Dwellers
• David Lodge, Out Of The Shelter
• Iris Murdoch, A Fairly Honourable Defeat
• Shiva Naipaul, Fireflies
• Patrick O'Brian, Master and Commander
• Joe Orton, Head To Toe
• Mary Renault, Fire From Heaven
• Ruth Rendell, A Guilty Thing Surprised
• Muriel Spark, The Driver's Seat
• Patrick White, The Vivisector

The shortlist will be announced in March, and the winner will be decided by public vote via the Man Booker Prize website.  The winner of the Lost Man Booker Prize will be announced in May.

Have you read any of these books?  Do you have a favorite?