ReadFirst

For those interested in getting the scoop on the latest trade books in Britain, ReadFirst serves as a liaison between marketing departments and readers. It has two advantages over most online publishers’ catalogues: it provides free access to the first chapters of a number of recent novels and popular nonfiction works, and the books themselves come from a variety of publishing houses. The publishers represented range from large outfits such as Simon & Schuster, Random House, and HarperCollins down to smaller presses and independents like Serpent’s Tail and Canongate.

The initial screen highlights four recently published books (presumably those which...