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Ithaka Press pre-empts a 'riveting and beautifully written investigation' by Joanne Briggs
Ithaka Press, an imprint of Bonnier Books UK, has snapped up a "riveting and beautifully written investigation" by Joanne Briggs in a "competitive" pre-empt. Sarah Braybrooke, publishing director, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to The Scientist Who Wasn’t There: A True Story of Staggering Deception from Euan Thorneycroft and Florence Rees at AM Heath. The book will be published as a lead title on 5th June 2025.
The Scientist Who Wasn’t There, which won the inaugural Bridport Memoir Prize, investigates the major news story of Professor Michael Briggs—the author’s father. Briggs was a space expert at NASA and an adviser to the World Health Organisation—but in 1986, the research he had conducted was revealed to be compromised.
Patients claimed that a pregnancy test he pioneered had caused devastating birth defects; soon after his fall from grace, Briggs died after being struck down by a mystery illness.
The synopsis continues: "Briggs left behind a long list of publications, patents and inventions, including his involvement with the controversial drug Primodos. But he also left behind hundreds of people who believe they are victims of his negligence and who are still fighting for justice to this day."
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After decades of wondering who her father really was, his daughter Joanne has decided to investigate for herself. Written in "hypnotic prose", Joanne has uncovered "the secret that shaped her father’s entire life and made his story more fantastic than any science fiction".
Briggs said: "I’m so pleased to have the opportunity to work with Sarah and her team at Ithaka, so I can tell this strange story from my life in print."
Braybrooke said: "As soon as I started reading Jo’s book I knew it was something special; it’s a propulsive, goosebump-raising mystery reminiscent of Sam Knight’s The Premonitions Bureau or Emmanuel Carrère’s The Adversary. But the full story of Michael Briggs also raises profound questions of public interest, akin to those in the Post Office Scandal. The fact that this forensic, luminously-written book was written by none other that Briggs’ daughter makes it truly an astounding read."
The Scientist Who Wasn’t There will be publishing in hardback, e-book and audiobook.
