Invisible Forms

A collection of essays about unacknowledged genres and curiosities of literature.

"This exuberant book is a cornucopia for bookworms." —The Sunday Times (UK)

Dedications, titles, epigraphs, footnotes, prefaces, afterwords, indexes, these and other "invisible" literary necessities form the skeletons of many a book, yet these unacknowledged and unexamined forms abound in wisdom, curiosities, or eccentricities.

With both erudition and wit, Kevin Jackson draws on examples from every part of literature's history, ranging from the greats such as Shakespeare, Beckett, and T. S. Eliot to lesser known writers such as Fernando Pessoa. Jackson's mixture of serious literary analysis with jovial wit means Invisible Forms will appeal to anyone who is interested in books and the art of writing.


It is the perfect companion for literature lovers everywhere.

"Crammed with wonderful oddities and shrewd observations . . . very enjoyable." —The Independent (UK)

"A delicious excursion into matters paratextual, bringing blinking into the limelight all the lowly support structures of literature . . . This is the best book on paratexts." —The Guardian (UK)