I was suprised today by a delivery--a package in the shape of a large book. It turns out that it actually was a large book. I had totally forgotten ordering it.

I am now the proud owner of a hardback copy of Anthony Burgess' Earthly Powers. It's a first edition (American, it might have been published in England first), but, as with all books, what is truly important is the content.

I just read the first chapter. I was introduced to one of the main characters, the 'immoral novelist.' There were numerous literary references thrown around, and much talk about how writers think. One detail jumped out at me on page 10:

Three steps away, on a silver salver, blessed by a Chinese bowl full of flowers of the season, lay a fresh batch of felicitations brought by Cable and Wireless motorcyclists.

I know Cable and Wireless as the company that bought out Exodus. It's strange to hear it referenced in a book written 2 decades ago.