A Forgotten Book Returns
Friends, I’m so happy to share this beautiful revival of No Such Thing as a Free Lunch — a long-lost short story collection by Rosalind Brackenbury, originally published in the 1970s with whimsical illustrations by her then-husband, Michael Brackenbury.
Thanks to the small press magic of Michael Walmer and a glowing new introduction by Scottish novelist A.L. Kennedy, this vibrant, fearless little book has come back to life — and even made its way into Waterstones’ summer promotion list!
In the early 1970’s when my children were young and I was relatively young too and in between publishers, I decided to try and publish a collection of short stories. My then husband, Michael Brackenbury, drew the pictures. We did it for fun, and it was fun. A small press in Leicester, England, picked it up. The printer made a fuss about working on it as one of the pictures was what is now called “graphic” – well, of course it was graphic, it was a drawing. It was not any more shocking than anything Aubrey Beardsley might have drawn at the turn of the century. And hey, this was the 70’s.
So this comes with a warning – explicit content, beware!
The energetic and resourceful publisher of forgotten books, Michael Walmer, has re-published this little book, and the Scottish novelist A.L. Kennedy, whose most recent novel, Alive in the Merciful Country, was published last year, wrote an introduction which makes me grateful to her forever. The quotes below are from her:
“In a way, a reissue of No Such Thing As A Free Lunch is entirely apposite. The booklet appeared in 1975. In the UK economic disparity between rich and poor was hovering around its lowest point in our history. And here we may pause to consider the 70’s as a culturally vibrant decade for Britain – not just when it came to music, fashion, film and visual art – and reaching out to Europe. This was a decade of easy booklet publications, underground editions and a diverse publishing landscape stretching from indy magazines, to established literary houses making their way, if not making millions.”
“…Brackenbury’s prose and imagination are generous. They constantly beckon – come and see, come and taste, come and say, come and feel, come and be. The sheer livingness of life is everywhere – in plants, objects, landscapes and animals, in the wild futures people run towards, or amputate before they become too overwhelming.”
“Brackenbury understands that light that prose can give in dismal times, she writes of the comfort in having a hand to hold in the dark. This little collection is a light to follow and hand to hold. I’m so glad it’s back in circulation, here for all of us.” A. L. Kennedy 2024
Now, Waterstones in the UK has included our book in its list of summer “promotions” and the links to buy it are below. The original copies of this rare book have mostly disappeared – I do not even have a copy – so it’s an opportunity to seize. The offer for this promotion begins on July 28 and runs for just a few days. Of course, you can buy it after that but it will cost you more!
With my heartfelt thanks to Michael Walmer for his beautiful recreation of a lost work, and to A.L. Kennedy for her glowing introduction of it to the world of 2025, that I simply could not have imagined back in the 1970’s. My stories, and Mike’s illustrations are, as she says, from a more innocent and optimistic time. But I don’t have to blow my own trumpet here, as she has done it for me.
Thanks for reading.
