Students whose attempts at fiction contain gaping plot holes or grammatical errors can take solace from the fact that such issues bedevil even the most famous authors – though they, unlike your Y9s, have copy editors to check such things.

This title charts what we might call the journey of a book, from the earliest shape of a story, through to cover design and blurb writing, and it’s fascinating to read – not least because of numerous interesting details drawn from publishing history. Did you know, for example, that words ending in ‘ize’ aren’t necessarily evidence of creeping Americanisation, if only because such words have been around since the 15th century?

Lee clearly loves her subject, and here furnishes English teachers with a treasure trove of literary examples and anecdotes with which to enthuse their charges.

This review was first published in Teach Secondary magazine. If you wish to comment on this review, please do so here.