‘Untitled’ by Anonymous Book Compels Literary Guessing Game, Creates Buzz

We know it’s called Untitled and it’s written by Anonymous (not that Anonymous), but all else is a mystery about a new book that’s creating a frick-ton of buzz in the literary world.

A brief description of the late fall release indicates little about the book, mainly mentioning that the book will be centered on a “controversial,” real-life person (thought to be Bernie Madoff):

“Untitled,” by Anonymous, was described as a 320-page, nonfiction, hardcover book with photos that will retail at $26.99. Order the book now, the publisher said, to ensure delivery by its November release date.

It is, the e-mail said, “the inside story of life with one of the most controversial figures of our time.”

Of course, the buzz surrounding the tome tends to be a bit hyperbolic- the New York Times identifies two likely authors for the book, one of whom won’t comment without publisher permission. Catherine Hooper and Laurie Sandell are thought to have written the mysterious title, the former being the “mysterious, dark haired fiancee” of Bernie Madoff’s son Andrew Madoff.

“Untitled” by Anonymous is due out smack in the middle of November, and one bookseller spoke to the NYT about the shadowy release:

“There’s nothing to guess with,” said Mark LaFramboise, a buyer for Politics and Prose, an independent store in Washington. “I can’t even get mad at it, I just think it’s so funny.”

Does the lack of information make you more interested in what the book may be about?