Hannah Kate

poet, short story writer and editor based in Manchester

The Library at the End of Days

Apocalypse Books is a regular feature on my radio show, Hannah’s Bookshelf, on North Manchester FM. Each week, I ask my guests the question: in the event of the apocalypse, when society has broken down into a dystopian wilderness and bands of mutants roam the land, which three books would you save? I’ve gathered up the books that have been rescued and placed them here for safety. Welcome to the Library at the End of Days…

The Count of Eleven by Ramsey Campbell

saved by Colin Robertson

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murukami

saved by Colin Robertson

The Silmarillion by JRR Tolkien

saved by Colin Robertson

A Man in Full by Tom Woolfe

saved by Lewis Charlesworth

Catch 22 by Joseph Heller

saved by Lewis Charlesworth

The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt

saved by Lewis Charlesworth

George Orwell Shooting an Elephant

saved by Rosa Wright

Diana Wynne Jones Howl's Moving Castle

saved by Rosa Wright

Augusten Burroughs This is How

saved by Rosa Wright

Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

saved by Paul Robert Mullen

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

saved by Paul Robert Mullen

Ham on Rye by Charles Bukowski

saved by Paul Robert Mullen

Lolita

saved by Emily Oldfield

On the Beach by Nevil Schute

saved by Emily Oldfield

The Gallows Pole by Benjamin Myers

saved by Emily Oldfield

Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban

saved by Helen Darby

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

saved by Helen Darby

The Book of Dave by Will Self

saved by Helen Darby

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

saved by Hilary Walker

Therese Raquin by Emile Zola

saved by Hilary Walker

Wild Geese by Mary Oliver

saved by Hilary Walker

angels-and-demons-by-dan-brown

saved by N.J. Cartner

wonderland-avenue-by-danny-sugerman

saved by N.J. Cartner

sideways-by-rex-pickett

saved by N.J. Cartner

First and Last Men by Olaf Stapleden

saved by Marc Nash

This is Not a Novel and Other Novels by David Markson

saved by Marc Nash

Endgame by Samuel Beckett

saved by Marc Nash

saved by Melvin Burgess

saved by Melvin Burgess

saved by Melvin Burgess

saved by And I Thought Ladies

saved by And I Thought Ladies

saved by And I Thought Ladies

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

saved by Catherine Burns

Ghost Stories of an Antiquary by MR James

saved by Catherine Burns

The Overcoat by Nikolai Gogol

saved by Catherine Burns

A Brief History Of Art by Camilla de la Bédoyère

saved by Ruth Estevez

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

saved by Ruth Estevez

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

saved by Ruth Estevez

The Magician's Way by William Whitecloud

saved by Barbara Angela Kealy

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

saved by Barbara Angela Kealy

Murder Most Royal by Jean Plaidy

saved by Barbara Angela Kealy

holy-quran

saved by Sharena Lee Satti

world-atlas

saved by Sharena Lee Satti

first-aid-manual

saved by Sharena Lee Satti

the-prophet-kahlil-gibran

saved by Gordon Zola

shepherds-crown-terry-pratchett

saved by Gordon Zola

oxford-english-dictionary

saved by Gordon Zola

tao-te-ching-lao-tzu

saved by Randall Horton

sermons-of-buddha

saved by Randall Horton

middlemarch-george-eliot

saved by Randall Horton

The Hobbit

saved by John Wilmington

tractatus-logico-philosophicus-ludwig-wittgenstein

saved by John Wilmington

youre-thinking-about-doughnuts-michael-rosen

saved by John Wilmington

dissolution-c-j-sansom

saved by Tracey Norman

rebecca-daphne-du-maurier

saved by Tracey Norman

lucy-beginnings-humankind-donald-johanson-maitland-edey

saved by Tracey Norman

saved by Debz Butler

saved by Debz Butler

saved by Debz Butler

poems-rumi-coleman-barks

saved by Cat Rambo

riverside-chaucer

saved by Cat Rambo

unreal-real-ursula-k-leguin

saved by Cat Rambo

complete-sherlock-holmes-arthur-conan-doyle

saved by Mark Norman

carnacki-ghost-finder-william-hope-hodgson

saved by Mark Norman

gef-strange-tale-extra-special-talking-mongoose

saved by Mark Norman

the-sparrow-mary-doria-russell

saved by Emma Newman

tales-from-outer-suburbia-shaun-tan

saved by Emma Newman

the-vagrant-peter-newman

saved by Emma Newman

conversations-with-god-neale-donald-walsch

saved by Ruta Skudraite

big-magic-elizabeth-gilbert

saved by Ruta Skudraite

earth-is-hiring-peta-kelly

saved by Ruta Skudraite

the_encyclopedia_of_country_living_by_carla_emery_

saved by Catherine Lundoff

persuasion_by_jane_austen

saved by Catherine Lundoff

the_language_of_the_night_ursula_le_guin

saved by Catherine Lundoff

road-mccarthy

saved by Chris Neilan

number-9-dream-mitchell

saved by Chris Neilan

the-lord-of-the-rings

saved by Chris Neilan

the-odyssey-homer

saved by Dr Ceri Houlbrook

daughter-forest-marillier

saved by Dr Ceri Houlbrook

boggarts-boggart-hole-clough

saved by Dr Ceri Houlbrook

war-music-logue

saved by Harriet Goodchild

under-the-skin-faber

saved by Harriet Goodchild

wolf-hall-mantel

saved by Harriet Goodchild

sputnik-sweetheart-murakami

saved by Inés G. Labarta

argonuats-maggie-nelson

saved by Inés G. Labarta

from-hell-alan-moore

saved by Inés G. Labarta

princess-saves-herself

saved by Emily Graham

potter

saved by Emily Graham

whiskey-words-shovel

saved by Emily Graham

it-stephen-king

saved by Shona Kinsella

magician-raymond-e-feist

saved by Shona Kinsella

blindsighted-karin-slaughter

saved by Shona Kinsella

the-handmaids-tale-atwood

saved by Caroline England

birthday-letters-hughes

saved by Caroline England

rattle-bag-hughes

saved by Caroline England

weirdstone-brisingamen-alan-garner

saved by Adrian Farrel

walk-love-death-hans-koning

saved by Adrian Farrel

tatterdemalion-sylvia-linsteadt

saved by Adrian Farrel

greenlanders-jane-smiley

saved by Tony Williams

my-brilliant-friend-elena-ferrante

saved by Tony Williams

growth-soil-knut-hamsun

saved by Tony Williams

modal-logic

saved by Sara L. Uckelman

sauron-defeated-tolkien

saved by Sara L. Uckelman

Oxford Dictionary English Names

saved by Sara L. Uckelman

complete-works-of-xenophon

saved by Irene Soldatos

julian-gore-vidal

saved by Irene Soldatos

chinese-poetry

saved by Irene Soldatos

power-of-three-diana-wynne-jones

saved by Dara Downey

moby-dick-herman-melville

saved by Dara Downey

titus-groan-mervyn-peake

saved by Dara Downey

the-lord-of-the-rings

saved by Lucy Hounsom

harry-potter-philosophers-stone-j-k-rowling

saved by Lucy Hounsom

middlemarch-george-eliot

saved by Lucy Hounsom

consider-phlebas-iain-banks

saved by RJ Barker

look-to-windward-iain-banks

saved by RJ Barker

watership-down-richard-adams

saved by RJ Barker

one-day-david-nicholls

saved by Karen Woods

the-secret-rhonda-byrne

saved by Karen Woods

ps-i-love-you-cecelia-ahern

saved by Karen Woods

where-the-wild-things-are

saved by A.K. McAllister

shakespeare-complete-works

saved by A.K. McAllister

strangeland

saved by A.K. McAllister

pawn-of-prophecy

saved by Dr Jennifer Evans

the-lies-of-locke-lamora

saved by Dr Jennifer Evans

the-diary-of-john-evelyn

saved by Dr Jennifer Evans

those-about-to-die

saved by Keith Hoare

cruise-of-the-condor

saved by Keith Hoare

casino-royale

saved by Keith Hoare

complete-works-shakespeare

saved by Paul Morris

the-iliad

saved by Paul Morris

jack-the-diver

saved by Paul Morris

under-milk-wood

saved by Jo Thomas

rubaiyat-omar-khayyam

saved by Jo Thomas

the-princess-bride

saved by Jo Thomas

ella-enchanted-gail-carson-levine

saved by J.M. Sullivan

bible-new-american-standard

saved by J.M. Sullivan

lord-of-the-flies-william-golding

saved by J.M. Sullivan

one-day-david-nicholls

saved by Gareth L. Powell

cloud-atlas-david-mitchell

saved by Gareth L. Powell

generation-x-douglas-coupland

saved by Gareth L. Powell

james-and-the-giant-peach-roald-dahl

saved by Krystian Kowalczuk and Gareth Sullivan

the-goalkeepers-revenge-and-other-stories-bill-naughton

saved by Krystian Kowalczuk and Gareth Sullivan

the-book-of-five-rings-miyamoto-musashi

saved by Krystian Kowalczuk and Gareth Sullivan

ten-years-in-an-open-necked-shirt-john-cooper-clarke

saved by Alisha Loco

dna-dennis-kelly

saved by Alisha Loco

thinking-in-ink-collection-colourscapes-a-l-magnone

saved by Alisha Loco

a-moveable-feast-ernest-hemingway

saved by Peter May

the-beastly-beatitudes-of-balthazar-b-j-p-donleavy

saved by Peter May

the-adventures-of-tintin-herge

saved by Peter May

permaculture-handbook-peter-bane

saved by Joyce Chng

forager-handbook-miles-irving

saved by Joyce Chng

saved by Joyce Chng

le-morte-darthur-thomas-malory

saved by Grace Timperley

brighton-rock-graham-greene

saved by Grace Timperley

winnie-the-pooh-a-a-milne

saved by Grace Timperley

jitterbug-perfume

saved by Andrew Hook

the-time-travellers-wife

saved by Andrew Hook

blonde-joyce-carol-oates

saved by Andrew Hook

the-once-and-future-king

saved by Jan M. Flynn

the-left-hand-of-darkness

saved by Jan M. Flynn

st-lucys-home-for-girls-raised-by-wolves

saved by Jan M. Flynn

dracula-bram-stoker

saved by Kiri Pritchard-McLean

accidental-death-of-an-anarchist

saved by Kiri Pritchard-McLean

no-one-belongs-here-more-than-you

saved by Kiri Pritchard-McLean

collected-poems-of-john-donne

saved by Andrew Simpson

the-story-of-chorlton-cum-hardy

saved by Andrew Simpson

the-lord-of-the-rings

saved by Andrew Simpson

the-day-of-the-triffids

saved by Peter Topping

one-day-in-the-life-of-ivan-denisovich

saved by Peter Topping

animal-farm

saved by Peter Topping

the-road-cormac-mccarthy

saved by Lee Harrison

life-of-pi-yann-martel

saved by Lee Harrison

birdwatchers-pocket-guide-mitchell-beazley

saved by Lee Harrison

as-she-climbed-across-the-table-jonathan-lethem

saved by Brian C. Baer

sex-drugs-and-cocoa-puffs-chuck-klosterman

saved by Brian C. Baer

he-man-and-she-ra-complete-guide-to-the-classic-animated-adventures

saved by Brian C. Baer

traitors-blade

saved by Jamie Ryder

american-gods

saved by Jamie Ryder

island-dr-moreau

saved by Jamie Ryder

shakespeare-complete-works

saved by Alrene Hughes

Jane Eyre

saved by Alrene Hughes

saved by Alrene Hughes

the-timewaster-letters-robin-cooper

saved by Benjamin Cassidy

king-james-bible

saved by Benjamin Cassidy

fahrenheit-451-ray-bradbury

saved by Benjamin Cassidy

silmarillion-tolkien

saved by Joel Cornah

the-fifth-season-jemisin

saved by Joel Cornah

earthsea-quartet-ursula-le-guin

saved by Joel Cornah

word-freak-stefan-fatsis

saved by Ian Peek

reading-the-oed-ammon-shea

saved by Ian Peek

the-art-of-looking-sideways-alan-fletcher

saved by Ian Peek

Discourses of Epictetus

saved by Jonah Locksley

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

saved by Jonah Locksley

Rupert Gethin Sayings of the Buddha New Translations from the Pali Nikayas

saved by Jonah Locksley

William Dalrymple To the Holy Mountain

saved by Nigel Barlow

Ian Sinclair London Orbital

saved by Nigel Barlow

W.G. Sebald Rings of Saturn

saved by Nigel Barlow

deep-water-patricia-highsmith

saved by Pete Kalu

nobility-failure-ivan-morris

saved by Pete Kalu

recitatif-toni-morrison

saved by Pete Kalu

Cryptonomicon

saved by Kim Bannerman

Monkey Beach

saved by Kim Bannerman

Pattern Language

saved by Kim Bannerman

Douglas Adams Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

saved by Christopher and Keri-Ann Moriarty

1984

saved by Christopher and Keri-Ann Moriarty

bunbury-anthology

saved by Christopher and Keri-Ann Moriarty

the-moons-a-balloon-david-niven

saved by Pete Slater

the-martian-chronicles-ray-bradbury

saved by Pete Slater

the-collected-poems-of-wilfred-owen

saved by Pete Slater

the-house-of-the-dead-dostoyevsky

saved by Stephen Morris

fairy-tales-of-the-brothers-grimm

saved by Stephen Morris

dracula-bram-stoker

saved by Stephen Morris

wuthering-heights

saved by Tony Earnshaw

the-rats

saved by Tony Earnshaw

the-collector

saved by Tony Earnshaw

the-girl-with-all-the-gifts

saved by Andy N

the-book-of-illusions

saved by Andy N

billys-rain

saved by Andy N

The Name of the Rose Umberto Eco

saved by Catherine Spooner

The Collected Poems of Sylvia Plath

saved by Catherine Spooner

Cold Comfort Farm Stella Gibbons

saved by Catherine Spooner

Ulysses by James Joyce

saved by Joy France

Canterbury Tales by Chaucer

saved by Joy France

Douglas Adams Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

saved by Joy France

my-family-and-other-animals-gerald-durrell

saved by Seamus Kelly

i-explain-a-few-things-pablo-neruda

saved by Seamus Kelly

opened-ground-seamus-heaney

saved by Seamus Kelly

Charles Dickens Christmas Books

saved by George Melling

Billy Hopkins Our Kid

saved by George Melling

Fun-Loving Criminal Dennis Stafford

saved by George Melling

magicians-of-the-gods-graham-hancock

saved by Tom Metcalfe

the-ancient-secret-of-the-flower-of-life

saved by Tom Metcalfe

the-bhagavad-gita

saved by Tom Metcalfe

Jennings Goes to School

saved by Martin Gittins

I, Robot

saved by Martin Gittins

Manchester Streets and Manchester Men

saved by Martin Gittins

The Complete Edgar Allan Poe

saved by Bob Ashworth

King Arthur and His Knights

saved by Bob Ashworth

The Dark Knight Returns

saved by Bob Ashworth

Dickens by Peter Ackroyd

saved by Lee Jackson

Armadale by Wilkie Collins

saved by Lee Jackson

The Birds and Other Stories by Daphne du Maurier

saved by Lee Jackson

Plague Town by Dana Fredsti

saved by Amanda Steel

It by Stephen King

saved by Amanda Steel

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C S Lewis

saved by Amanda Steel

The Works of Thomas Paine

saved by David Hartley

Elidor Alan Garner

saved by David Hartley

City of Saints and Madmen Jeff VanderMeer

saved by David Hartley

Man's Search for Meaning

saved by Dori Ann Dupré

Atlas Shrugged

saved by Dori Ann Dupré

All the Light We Cannot See

saved by Dori Ann Dupré

English MS 1 John Lydgate The Siege of Troy

saved by Dr Kate Ash-Irisarri

Kevin Crossley-Holland Arthur Trilogy

saved by Dr Kate Ash-Irisarri

Giles Tremlett Catherine of Aragon

saved by Dr Kate Ash-Irisarri

The Midwives Book by Jane Sharp

saved by Sara Read

Katherine by Anya Seton

saved by Sara Read

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

saved by Sara Read

A Steampunk's Guide to the Apocalypse by Margaret Killjoy

saved by John Reppion

Jeeves and Wooster Omnibus by PG Wodehouse

saved by John Reppion

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke

saved by John Reppion

complete-novels-of-charlotte-bronte

saved by Gwyneth Jones

the-tale-of-genji

saved by Gwyneth Jones

the-adventures-of-alyx

saved by Gwyneth Jones

The Complete Works of Lovecraft by H P Lovecraft

saved by Xavier Aldana Reyes

Books of Blood volume 1 by Clive Barker

saved by Xavier Aldana Reyes

Lost Souls by Poppy Z Brite

saved by Xavier Aldana Reyes

Holy Bible

saved by Scott Thompson

A Walk Across America by Peter Jenkins

saved by Scott Thompson

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

saved by Scott Thompson

The Survivalists Handbook Rainer Stahlberg

saved by Matthew Frost

Shakespeares Sonnets First Folio

saved by Matthew Frost

The Map is Not the Territory Alan Woods

saved by Matthew Frost

The Manchester Man G Linnaeus Banks

saved by Dean Kirby

Mary Barton Elizabeth Gaskell

saved by Dean Kirby

Love on the Dole Walter Greenwood

saved by Dean Kirby

The Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing Melissa Bank

saved by Emma Jane Unsworth

A Visit from the Goon Squad Jennifer Egan

saved by Emma Jane Unsworth

Postcards from the Edge Carrie Fisher

saved by Emma Jane Unsworth

Tales of the City Armistead Maupin

saved by Jane Bradley

Man Enough to be a Woman Jayne County

saved by Jane Bradley

The Hunger Games Suzanne Collins

saved by Jane Bradley

I Am Legend Richard Matheson

saved by Erik Hofstatter

The Lord of the Rings J R R Tolkien

saved by Erik Hofstatter

Cold Skin Albert Sanchez Pinol

saved by Erik Hofstatter

Clive Barker Imajica

saved by Adele Wearing

Angela Carter Book of Fairy Tales

saved by Adele Wearing

Sun Tzu The Art of War

saved by Adele Wearing

Klaeber's Beowulf

saved by K. A. Laity

Jane Austen The Complete Novels

saved by K. A. Laity

Tove Jansson Finn Family Moomintroll

saved by K. A. Laity

Ulysses by James Joyce

saved by Ramsey Campbell

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

saved by Ramsey Campbell

A Passage to India by E.M. Forster

saved by Ramsey Campbell

the-snow-queen-joan-vinge

saved by Jeanette Greaves

bold-as-love-gwyneth-jones

saved by Jeanette Greaves

woman-on-the-edge-of-time-marge-piercy

saved by Jeanette Greaves

dark feasts ramsey campbell

saved by James Everington

mrs dalloway virginia wolfe

saved by James Everington

cold hand in mine robert aikman

saved by James Everington

Anna Karenina Leo Tolstoy

saved by Annette Sills

Brooklyn Colm Toibin

saved by Annette Sills

Dark Lies the Island Kevin Barry

saved by Annette Sills

the-pilgrims-progress-john-bunyan

saved by Dorothy Shedwick

interview-with-the-vampire-anne-rice

saved by Dorothy Shedwick

the-green-mile-stephen-king

saved by Dorothy Shedwick

Guests of the Emperor Janice Young Brooks

saved by Heather Burnside

Tess of the D'Urbervilles Thomas Hardy

saved by Heather Burnside

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare

saved by Heather Burnside

Hatter's Castle by AJ Cronin

saved by Madeleine Mitchell

Shogun by James Clavell

saved by Madeleine Mitchell

Forever Amber by Kathleen Windsor

saved by Madeleine Mitchell

The Kenneth Williams Diaries

saved by Colin Daffern

Roger McGough Collected Poems

saved by Colin Daffern

Alan Bennett Telling Tales

saved by Colin Daffern

The October Country

saved by Simon Bestwick

Where Furnaces Burn

saved by Simon Bestwick

The Therapy of Avram Blok

saved by Simon Bestwick

The Miracle of Castel di Sangro

saved by Mike Whalley

Bluebeard's Egg

saved by Mike Whalley

The House of Sleep

saved by Mike Whalley

Westlake Soul

saved by Cate Gardner

Tiny Deaths

saved by Cate Gardner

A Series of Unfortunate Events

saved by Cate Gardner

Knowledge of Angels

saved by Emma Marigliano

Candide

saved by Emma Marigliano

Divine Comedy

saved by Emma Marigliano

the-hard-way-up

saved by Bernadette Hyland

miss-nobody

saved by Bernadette Hyland

rubys-war

saved by Bernadette Hyland

Bible Historiée

saved by Chris Monk

Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy

saved by Chris Monk

The Charioteer

saved by Chris Monk

The Icelandic Sagas

saved by James Priest

The Science of Discworld

saved by James Priest

Jurassic Park

saved by James Priest

Walden

saved by Louise Middleton

The Remains of the Day

saved by Louise Middleton

The Time Machine

saved by Louise Middleton

The Name of the Rose

saved by Nancy Schumann

Ronia, The Robbers Daughter

saved by Nancy Schumann

The Colour of Magic

saved by Nancy Schumann

The Rattle Bag

saved by Arthur Chappell

Catch 22

saved by Arthur Chappell

Alice in Wonderland

saved by Arthur Chappell

The Hobbit

saved by Daisy Black

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

saved by Daisy Black

Lysistrata

saved by Daisy Black

Eunoia

saved by Andy Hickmott

The Myth of Sisyphus

saved by Andy Hickmott

Crow From the Life and Songs of the Crow

saved by Andy Hickmott

The Complete Sherlock Holmes

saved by Sorcha Ní Fhlainn

Our Vampires Ourselves

saved by Sorcha Ní Fhlainn

Weaveworld

saved by Sorcha Ní Fhlainn

brett-easton-ellis-american-psycho

saved by Rob Shedwick

aimee-and-the-bear1

saved by Rob Shedwick

felidae

saved by Rob Shedwick

shakespeare-complete-works

saved by Toby Stone

Knuffle Bunny

saved by Toby Stone

The Little Book of Calm

saved by Toby Stone

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  1. Gwyneth Jones
    January 14, 2016 at 1:34 pm

    Hi Hannah,

    Great list, thank you! & I’m thrilled to get a mention, because I grew up in North Manchester. Coincidentally, there’s a devastatingly muddy rock festival in Boggarthole Clough featured in Bold As Love, and another in Heaton Park (where two junior characters try to feed their despised baby brother to the pigs in the petting farm).

    Reply
    • Hannah Kate
      Hannah Kate
      January 14, 2016 at 3:57 pm

      Hi Gwyneth,

      Thanks for dropping by. 🙂 I’m very pleased to have Bold as Love on the list (and not just for the North Manchester connection), so was really happy when Jeanette nominated it. The guests on my show have excellent taste!

      Reply

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