{"product_id":"9781939140463","title":"Knock or Ring","description":"'A promising debut. Here is rollicking, yet far from vacuous, entertainment.' - \u003ci\u003eBirmingham Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cp\u003e'An amusing and capable first novel.' - \u003ci\u003eThe Observer\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'Amusing and racy. The tricks of the trade are woven into a well-constructed plot.' - \u003ci\u003eThe Star\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'A rattling good novel . . . pleasant hours in the company of men who love books, angling and wine - what better ingredients can one ask from a novel?' - \u003ci\u003eThe Publisher\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBusiness is slow at the provincial bookshop owned by young Michael Ransome, which suits him fine, since he'd rather be asleep or drunk than at work anyway. Unfortunately, there's the small problem of earning a living, but Ransome thinks he's found a solution. Sir Jeremy Etchingham's library is set to be auctioned off, and there is a legend that a unique and priceless bibliographical rarity is among its books, a legend which Ransome thinks he alone knows. He is determined to get his hands on this treasure through fair means or foul, but he hasn't reckoned on 'the Ring', an illegal conspiracy of powerful London book dealers, who have their own designs on the book. . . .\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eKnock or Ring\u003c\/i\u003e (1957) was the first novel by Michael Nelson (1921-1990), who was more famous for his second book, the gay classic \u003ci\u003eA Room in Chelsea Square\u003c\/i\u003e (1958). A very funny and entertaining story of the unexpectedly shady world of antiquarian bookselling, \u003ci\u003eKnock or Ring\u003c\/i\u003e was well received on its initial release but has never been reprinted until now. This edition includes the original cover art by Sir John Verney and an introduction by London bookseller John Saumarez Smith.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Valancourt Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47049967730928,"sku":"9781939140463","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781939140463_p0.jpg?v=1763663973","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781939140463","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}