| THACKERAY | William Makepeace -; author of books including Vanity Fair, The History of Samuel Titmarsh and the Great Hoggarty Diamond and The Fitz-Boodle Papers (9) |
| RENDELL | Author of the Inspector Wexford mysteries and many stand-alone novels including Vanity Dies Hard and One Across, Two Down (7) |
| CLASSIC | General term for a book considered timeless with established value, such as Emma, Vanity Fair, The Wind in the Willows or Catch-22 (7) |
| WILLIAMMAKEPEACE | "The Christmas Books of Mr. M.A. Titmarsh" author Thackeray |
| STRONG | Former director of the V&A and also the National Portrait Gallery, author of books including The Artist and the Garden, A Country Life and The Elizabethan Image (6) |
| DAWKINS | Biologist, fellow of the Royal Society and author of books including The Blind Watchmaker, Unweaving the Rainbow and The Magic of Reality (7) |
| WEST | Pen name of the author of books including The Return of the Soldier, The Fountain Overflows, Sunflower and Black Lamb and Grey Falcon (4) |
| ELIOT | Pen name of Mary Ann Evans, author of books including The Mill on the Floss, Middlemarch and Scenes of Clerical Life collection of three stories (5) |
| ADAMS | Author of books including Watership Down, Nature Through the Seasons, The Tyger Voyage and The Ship's Cat (5) |
| LESSING | Born in Persia and brought up in Rhodesia until moving to London in her 30s, author of books including The Grass is Singing and The Golden Notebook (7) |
| PECK | Author of books including A Patchwork Tale, The Skirts of Time, A Garden Enclosed, House-Bound and Home for the Holidays (4) |
| MACAULAY | Dame Rose ___; author of books including Potterism, Keeping Up Appearances and The Towers of Trebizond (8) |
| SNOWGOOSE | The - -; novella by Paul Gallico, author of books including Thomasina and The Poseidon Adventure (4,5) |
| TREE | Author of books including The Bird Man, Islands in the Clouds and Wilding (4) |
| BURNETT | Author of books including Little Lord Fauntleroy, A Little Princess, The Secret Garden and The Lost Prince (7) |
| GRAVES | Robert -; author of books including the historical novel I, Claudius and the autobiographical classic Goodbye to All That (6) |
| BOYD | Accra-born Gordonstoun-educated Scottish author of books including A Good Man in Africa, An Ice-Cream War, Trio and the 007 novel Solo (4) |
| IVAN | What first name was shared by the Russian royals, grand dukes, princes and emperors, who were known as The Moneybag, The Fair, The Great and The Terrible? (4) |
| MAHY | Author of books for children and young people including A Lion in the Meadow, The Witch in the Cherry Tree and The Changeover (4) |
| BRYSON | Bill ---, American-British author of books including 1995's Notes From A Small Island (6) |
