A New Universal History of Infamy

Tallahassee: Ministry of Whimsy Press, 2004. First edition, Hardcover, Fine in Fine dust jacket,. John Coulthart. Tallahassee: Ministry of Whimsy Press:, 2004. First edition, Hardcover, Fine in Fine dust jacket, 181 pp. Cover artwork by: John Coulthart The rather illusive hardcover edition. Hughes elicits strong feelings. No one I know feels ambivalent about this guy. Personally, I find him very entertaining. This may be his most accessible book to date. If the title sounds familiar it may well be because of Borges A UNIVERSAL HISTORY OF INFAMY, a series of "falsifications and distortions" originally published back in the 1930s. "Now Rhys Hughes, a Welshman of considerable infamy himself, has continued in the tradition of Borges to create A NEW UNIVERSAL HISTORY OF INFAMY with all new historical characters. Entertaining and erudite at the same time, Hughes' book also includes some of the literary parodies Borges himself delighted in creating." I think you'll enjoy Hughes' forays into this collection of historical falsifications and, even if you don't, you will have exposed yourself to one of the most unique voices in contemporary fiction to be found anywhere.