Author Dame Jilly Cooper has died, her publisher has said. The bestselling author was known for her raunchy novels portraying the glamorous and scandalous lives of the British upper-class, particularly those in the show jumping and polo circles in the fictional county of Rutshire.
Some of her best-known titles include Riders and Rivals, which was recently adapted into a Disney+ show starring David Tennant, Emily Atack and Danny Dyer. Over the course of her career, which spanned more than 50 years, Dame Jilly’s books sold more than 11 million copies, with her more high-profile fans even including former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Over the years, the author shared many of her own favourite books with fans – and some of her top picks might surprise you.
In a video posted to the WHSmith YouTube page in 2017, Dame Jilly revealed her favourite book of the past 225 years to celebrate the chain’s 225-year anniversary.
“I have about a million favourite books of all time,” she said. “But my favourite book of all time is the Oxford Companion to English Literature.”
She said she would feel ‘comforted’ if she had this book with her on a desert island.
This isn’t her only recommendation, however, and some of her favourite books have been compiled as a list on Goodreads.
Here is the full list of Dame Jilly Cooper’s favourite books, as found on Goodreads. Her list features some classics of British literature, as well as plenty of other romance and historical fiction books from across time.
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
- Regency Buck by Georgette Heyer
- Jane and Prudence by Barbara Pym
- Diary of a Provincial Lady by E.M. Delafield
- The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations by Oxford University Press
- A Question of Upbringing by Anthony Powell
- The Tale of Tom Kitten by Beatrix Potter
- The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford
- The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford
- The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
- The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge
- Some People by Harold Nicolson