Leo’s books by:

This is where you can learn all about Leo’s books, and books written about him. Here’s how the resources are laid out: The main categories are books by Leo Walmsley, and books about Leo. Inside each of these categories we provide summaries of the books,  details about publications and editions, and where to find them. When browsing each summary, there’s a link that takes you to a webpage devoted to commentaries about the book—published reviews, commentaries by Walmsley Society members, and commentaries by readers of these webpages (details on how to submit a commentary are given on the individual book pages). 

How this Resource Page
Came About

I was scheduled to give a talk at the joint meeting of the Walmsley Society and  Alliance of Literary Societies (ALS) in June, 2020. In preparation for that talk, I decided to re-read all of my father’s books and short stories, and share some information and commentaries on these pages, as well as post Walmsley Society members’ thoughts about them. A brief talk about Leo Walmsley’s  life and works couldn’t possibly capture anything but a glimpse of his extraordinary life and  literary contributions, so these resources were intended to fill in gaps and suggest possibilities for books about Leo, as well as his own writings—stretching from 1914 until 1966, the year in which he died. Sadly COVID-19 intervened, and the WS/ALS meeting was cancelled, with little prospect of its being held in the foreseeable future. So my plans changed, and instead, I embarked—with my partner Sherry Bishko—on the same project, but as a website resource for all those interested in Leo’s writings, and in books about Leo. 

To know my father as a person and a writer, it’s a toss-up whether one should start with books about Leo, or with books and short stories written by him. Leo wrote autobiographical novels, fiction based on real events, fiction from his imagination, and non-fiction. His life and times are reflected in all of his books and stories, and reading all of his works will tell you a lot—but by no means all—about his life. So even though one might want to start with books about my father, entering his life through books written by him will be equally rewarding.