Great Dedications

I’ve always had a soft spot for Tom Holt, the British writer of comic fantasy novels. If you’ve never read him, give one of his books a try. Expecting Someone Taller , his recasting of the Siegfried saga, is a good place to start.

I plucked a copy of his Here Comes the Sun off the shelf the other day, and there on the first page found the following—a tribute to his mother, the mystery writer Hazel Holt :

For
MY MOTHER
But for whose tireless encouragement
And selfless dedication to the furtherance
of my writing career
(To the neglect and detriment of her own
prodigious talent as a crime writer)
I would now be the son and heir
of a bestselling authoress
Instead of just another
Penniless
Author

Now that’s what a book dedication wants to be. Got examples of other classic dedications? Send them along.