... because I'm sure this, more than obvious, publicity stunt was devised by an American, who wanted to remind the UK that Franzen has a book coming out. Please keep up your "I heart America" stance - I assume it's tongue in cheek but, nevertheless, it's hilarious.

or does this fella have a sense of humour by-pass?

For your information, "Mate", I'll spell it out. Of course I've heard of Franzen - I bought (wait for it) - The Corrections some nine years ago.
That. Was. The. Irony. I. Was. Referring. To, Do. You. See?

The "great white hope" comment was a tongue-in-cheek reference to the relentless chattering media attempts to place him in the grand tradition of Great American Novelists. He probably deserves to be ranked up there with the big hitters. I wasn't denigrating his talents in any way.

I'm now going to shoot myself (sighs)

... I've fallen off my chair!

Mentioning someone's nationality does not automatically imply a slight on their character, or dismiss the nation they come from. I'd be really be grateful if you could bear this in mind, and post accordingly.

Thank you.

The Corrections is a dazzlingly brilliant novel, depicting a family that is dysfunctional in ways that are recognisable, even though their situations are not exactly humdrum. There are some staggering set-pieces, and his erudition stays on the right side of that line, the wrong side of which is "too clever by half." He does show off, but for me he gets away with it. FWIW, I think his previous novel, Strong Motion, is even better. The one before that, 27th City (it may be a different a different ordinal number), I hurled aside after 50 or so pages. I think at that stage he hadn't mastered the art of making characters who are flawed but with enough about them to make the reader care.

When he learns to stop showing off, he might just be as good as Robertson Davies - maybe the new one will show this, I haven't read it yet.

and I'll ditto Mr Boef. Although what he calls showing off I think is just being really clever. And I think there's more of Flannery O'Conner than R. Davies. But it is a grand, sweeping book. And Freedom is better.

was touting their stockpile of signed editions yesterday. It probably depends on how many the publisher can claw back. Worth hanging on to in any event.

I've got a signed copy of the 'dodgy' edition, will it make me my fortune one day?

Not according to yesterday's Guardian it won't, toiras, no:

A spokesman for the Waterstone's chain of bookshops [added]... "We've not been asked to pull it from the shelves by the publisher, so we won't," he said, predicting that interest in the first edition could rocket following the news about its errors.

"I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of people start popping in to pick one up because they want to get the sequel to The Corrections without the corrections," he said. "Maybe it'll make it an interesting collector's item."

But rare book dealer Rick Gekoski said would-be investors would be disappointed. "If it wasn't such a big print run the rare book trade would love this; it's a shame because recalled books are a big thing in rare books but with 80,000 copies out there, there will be zero premium," he said. "I wouldn't give you 50p extra."

Sorry and all that.

games then? :-)