Former Falkirk Herald reporter's book available for first time since 2017

Novel republished via new technology
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A new expanded version of a novel written by a former Falkirk Herald reporter is available for the first time in more than three years.

‘The Man in the Seventh Row’, by Brian Pendreigh, was first published as an ebook by start-up company Blasted Heath in 2011.

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At the time, many people working in the publishing industry were predicting the demise of traditional printed books.

Brian Pendreigh, author of 'The Man in the Seventh Row'. Contributed.Brian Pendreigh, author of 'The Man in the Seventh Row'. Contributed.
Brian Pendreigh, author of 'The Man in the Seventh Row'. Contributed.

However, Blasted Heath ceased trading in 2017, leaving it as the only one of his collection readers couldn’t get their hands on.

Brian said: “Ironically one of the arguments about publishing as an ebook was that it would always be available, while traditional books go out of print.”

When it was first released, ‘The Man in the Seventh Row’ drew praise from writers including Ian Rankin and attracted attention from film producers in England and Hollywood.

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The novel is set in Scotland and California and features various cinemas of bygone days.

Its hero is a film fan who finds himself sucked into classic old movies he watches and the reader is never quite certain how much is real.

Brian began his journalistic career as a junior reporter on the Falkirk Herald and had his own pop music column called Sounds Fine and wrote the weekly film notes.

He has written regularly on film for the Guardian and Times and has twice been named Britain’s Film Journalist of the Year.

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Brian said: “You can get all my other books on eBay and in second-hand shops and this is the only one people could not get.

“I did not do anything about it until one or two people told me how easy it is to bring out a book with print-on-demand and new technology.

“I also felt I had more to say and the new edition includes three short stories that link to the main novel. So the book starts as a novel and finishes as a short story with completely different characters.

“This is the director’s cut.”

‘The Man in the Seventh Row and Related Stories of the Human Condition’ is now available both as an ebook (£3.99) and as a paperback (£8.99), from Amazon, the Book Depository and bookshops.

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