Fact or fiction? A curious book

A NEW book by a local author arrived at the Warrington-Worldwide offices, appropriately enough on April 1 and in a publisher’s note written, again appropriately enough, on April 1 last year, James Hadley admits it is a very curious book.
“The Olio of His Royal Highness the King of Bukuri” is, he believes, the first anthology published by a fictional character.  It may come as a disappointment to the reader that not only does the King not exist but also that his island nation in the south Pacific is also fictional. Indeed, research indicates that Bukuri, derived from an Albanian word meaning “beautiful” is actually a fashion house specialising in rather revealing dresses for women.
A disappointment, however, only because the King, who wrote the book during a 25-year period of exile in the UK, appears to be such an endearing character that it is a pity he does not exist. Or rather, that he has returned to Bukuri where he cannot be contacted.
Mr Hadley, fortunately, is not so difficult to contact. A 31-year-old accountant, he lives in Lymm, with his wife and young daughter and has spent four years producing the book.
His first book, “Happiness – a New Perspective,” was about happiness, but for his second he wanted to do something different. He ended up creating an anthology compiled by the fictional King.
Mr Hadley says: “The extracts come from many different genres, but focus on the beauty and wonder of the world. I wanted the book to be very attractive so there are also many illustrations and typographic oddities included with a real emphasis on beautiful design.
The book does indeed contain a wide variety of writings, from Shakespeare to Spike Milligan, from Lewis Carrol and Edward Lear to Churchill and Samuel Pepys.
It never ceases to entertain – but don’t expect to be able to get a copy signed by The King!