7 Books That Were Lost To Time That We’d Love To Read

Years after the most celebrated authors of all time passed, came the discovery of evidence of more of their writings. Their manuscripts, some published but now lost forever, have scholars learning more about the author themselves as well as that period of time. Nathaniel Hawthorne once said, “Time flies over us, but leaves its shadow behind.” You could say the same about works written by the greatest authors of all time. Take a look at these top books lost to time, that we wish we could get our hands on to read!

Cardenio by William Shakespeare

In May 1613, King James I watched yet another well-written play by William Shakespeare that you’ve probably never heard of. Scholars and Shakespeare enthusiasts explain that Cardenio most likely had something to do with Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote published in 1605. The title of the play shares the name of a character in Don Quixote, Cardenio. There is no indication that Shakespeare knew Spanish, but Don Quixote was translated into English in 1612, a year before Shakespeare’s play was first performed. His lost work would prove that there was a connection between the founder of the modern novel and one of the world’s greatest playwrights.

Sanditon by Jane Austen

There’s something fishy going on as a couple is on their way to the Sussex coast. They’re on a mission to find a doctor when their carriage crashes. Thus begins the story Sanditon by Jane Austen. Cassandra Austen, Jane’s sister, discovered the manuscript and copied it after Jane passed in 1817. In 1925 the novel became public, and in 2019, PBS picked up where Austen left off and created a TV series based on the plot. We know how modern-day authors would have ended the novel, but it is fun to imagine the ending Austen would have given it.

The Isle of the Cross by Herman Melville

Harper & Brothers made a big mistake in 1853 when they turned down Herman Melville’s story The Isle of the Cross. Melville came up with the plot when he heard the story of a lighthouse keeper’s daughter who saved a shipwrecked sailor. The two fell in love, only for the sailor to leave her after they married. It was later revealed that Harper & Brothers denied his manuscript because they were afraid they might be liable if anyone figured out that the inspiration of the story stemmed from a real-life couple.

The Poor Man and the Lady by Thomas Hardy

Thomas Hardy’s first book was never published. The Poor Man and the Lady told the tale of a relationship between a peasant son and a local squire’s daughter. Five publishers declined to publish the novel, and a rejected Hardy put it to rest. Some experts say that he later took scenes from the book and incorporated it into his other best-selling works.

A World War I novel by Ernest Hemingway

Ernest Hemingway’s wife, Hadley, was traveling to meet her husband in Swizterland in 1922 when a tragic incident occurred to the literature world. In her suitcase, she had several of Hemingway’s short stories and the beginning of a novel about WWI based on his experiences there. They never recovered the suitcase, and Hemingway never tried to rewrite what he had. Even worse, the suitcase incident potentially caused the divorce between the couple. At least, that’s what a tipsy Hemingway claimed.

Double Exposure by Sylvia Plath

Most known for her novel, The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath reportedly wrote another draft of a book before her death in 1963. In his foreword to 1982 edition of The Journals of Sylvia Plath, her husband Ted Hughes explained what happened to some of her lost writings. “Two more notebooks survived for a while… The last of these contained entries for several months, and I destroyed it because I did not want her children to have to read it… The other disappeared.” Hughes says that Plath’s mother took the novel herself, yet still nobody has a copy. The Double Exposure isn’t the only missing work of Plath’s, leaving her fans wondering, what else did she write?

Margites by Homer

The Iliad and The Odyssey weren’t the only pieces the Greek poet Homer wrote in his day. He also wrote the world’s first influential comedy titled Margites. The poem is lost forever, but thanks to Plato, we do know somethings about the poem. Margites follows the storyline of your classic idiot (Margites), who can’t seem to get anything right. The character is so clueless that he doesn’t know whether men or women give birth to children. If one thing is for sure, had Margites been recovered, today’s society would get a better understanding of what was thought of as funny in 700 BC.  

You may not ever be able to enjoy these works, but between all these authors are lots of words to read! In our Speed Reading Mastery Course, you’ll learn how to get comprehension at high speeds so you can read lots of material and stay productive in your busy day. It’s an ideal course for those that are already familiar with basic speed-reading techniques and want to take their speed reading to an advanced level. Click to learn more and sign up today!