The Waterstone's Guide to Irish Books is an accessible digest of Irish books in print. Guides like this are dangerous projects to undertake, with authors waiting to pounce on editors to remind them of who has been omitted, but Mr Cormac Kinsella, events co-ordinator at the Dawson Street branch of Waterstone's in Dublin, has grasped the nettle undaunted.
Mr Kinsella (28) closeted himself last November to digest piles of Irish books (including the complete works of novelist Brian Moore, now one of Mr Kinsella's favourites authors) and continued working on the guide until well into August. "I loved it. It was a big education for me," he enthused at last night's launch in Dublin.
The finished work is one of a series of Waterstone's guides; categories include history, poetry and Scottish books. Divided into themed chapters, including fiction, poetry, politics, travel and cookery, the Irish books guide includes essays by Irish writers including Colm Toibin on Joyce, Nuala O'Faolain on Frank McCourt and Anne Enright on Flann O'Brien.
"I gave them carte blanche," says Mr Kinsella. "They could choose their own book." (Controversially, Paul Durcan chose Francis Stuart's Black List, Section H.) There are extracts, too, reflecting Mr Kinsella's particular favourites, such as Edna O'Brien's The Country Girls: "Of all the books I read for this, I most enjoyed The Country Girls. It blew me away."
The guide also includes helpful overviews and explanatory sections on certain subjects by different Waterstone's employees (in the history and archaeology chapter, for example, Marie-Louise Donnelly has written a page on Revisionism).
No guide can get away without omissions, and this one has its share. This reporter is especially alert to the contents of the poetry section (as I appear in it myself) and am not impressed with the glaring omission of the Connemara poet Mary O'Malley, who has published three fine collections of poetry. Other names sought for in vain in this section include Siobhan Campbell, Sean Lysaght, Vona Groarke, Paddy Bushe, Ted McNulty, Sheila O'Hagan and Jean O'Brien.
In addition to some biographical and spelling inaccuracies in the Irish-language section, there are many names missing, most notably that of novelist and critic Alan Titley (who is on the judging panel of this year's Irish Times Irish-language literary award). Also absent are poets Biddy Jenkinson and Louis de Paor, and novelists Seamus MacAnnaidh and Padraig Standun.
Mr Kinsella (who did not compile all the sections in the book himself) cites pressures of space and the fact that some books are no longer in print as the reason certain writers do not appear. This argument does not wash in relation to the Irish-language writers mentioned above, as a quick phone call to the Irish-language section of Waterstone's ascertains that books by these writers are indeed in print, and some can even be purchased in the shop.
The inevitable carping aside, however, Mr Kinsella has put together a user-friendly guide that is sometimes opinionated but always celebratory and will no doubt be invaluable to anyone looking for more information on Irish writing. "We aren't out to `diss' anyone," said Mr Kinsella. "The idea is to sell books."