Kenneth L. Roberts – The Unofficial Site

What Did Kenneth Roberts Read?

,

Known as a prodigious writer, Kenneth Roberts was also quite the prodigious reader. I just finished re-reading his autobiography I Wanted to Write, and one thing was I struck by was just how much time he spent researching and writing. For Roberts, research and writing was a full-time job and more. Yet, somehow he found time to read…a lot.

You can learn a lot about an author by the books they read. More so, you can learn about them by the books the appreciate and those they dislike (and Roberts lets us know those books that fail to meet his standards). I’ve listed the novels and a few non-fiction books that Roberts notes in his autobiography. Eventually I’ll indicate which books Roberts like and those he proclaimed as “tripe”, but until then, hopefully this list helps give you ideas for your reading list.

Some authors that Roberts read mentioned in passing include: Anthony Trollope, Charles Reade, Charles Dickens, Alexandre Dumas, Jules Vern, Rider Haggard, Rudyard Kipling, Victor Hugo, Frank Simonds, Arthur Gibbs, W.F. de Morgan, Arthur Conan Doyle, Mark Twain, and H.G. Wells.

Now, let’s looks at some specific titles Roberts read:

Fiction

Non-Fiction

[I’m sure I’ve missed some books Roberts mentions, so I’ll be sure to update this list when I come across them. I’ll also update the list if I come across books he mentions elsewhere.]