''Lovejoy'' is a series of

picaresque novel The picaresque novel ( Spanish: ''picaresca'', from ''pícaro'', for "rogue" or "rascal") is a genre of prose fiction. It depicts the adventures of a roguish, but "appealing hero", usually of low social class, who lives by his wits in a corru ...

s by John Grant (under the

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

Jonathan Gash) about the adventures of Lovejoy, a British

antiques An antique ( la, antiquus; 'old', 'ancient') is an item perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance, and often defined as at least 100 years old (or some other limit), although the term is often used loosely ...

dealer and faker based in

East Anglia East Anglia is an area in the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, a people whose name originated in Anglia, in ...

. A less than scrupulous yet likeable rogue, Lovejoy has a reputation in the antiques trade as a "divvie", meaning one with an almost supernatural talent for recognising exceptional items as well as for distinguishing fakes or forgeries from genuine antiques. Lovejoy's first name is never mentioned in the books. In the TV series based on the novels, he insists on being addressed by all solely as "Lovejoy".

Television adaptation

Lovejoy ''Lovejoy'' is a British television comedy-drama mystery series, based on the novels by John Grant under the pen name Jonathan Gash. The show, which ran to 71 episodes over six series, was originally broadcast on BBC1 between 10 January 19 ...

'', a television adaptation of the books starring

Ian McShane Ian David McShane (born 29 September 1942) is an English actor, producer and director. He is known for his television performances, particularly as the title role in the BBC series ''Lovejoy'' (1986–1994), Al Swearengen in '' Deadwood'' (20 ...

, aired from 1986 to 1994 for a total of 73 episodes in total. The first series, aired in 1986, adapted many plots and characters from the books, while new material created for the TV show was added from the second series onwards.

Series

* ''

The Judas Pair ''The Judas Pair'' is a crime novel by Jonathan Gash. It is the first book in the Lovejoy series. The story was first published in 1977 and won a John Creasey Award. The story was adapted by Ian La Frenais for the BBC television series ''Lovej ...

'' (1977) * ''Gold from Gemini'' (1978), U.S. edition: ''Gold by Gemini'' (1979) * ''The Grail Tree'' (1979) * ''Spend Game'' (1981) * ''The Vatican Rip'' (1981) * ''Firefly Gadroon'' (1982) * ''The Sleepers of Erin'' (1984) * ''The Gondola Scam'' (1984) * ''Pearlhanger'' (1985) * ''The Tartan Ringers'' (1986), U.S. edition: ''The Tartan Sell'' (1986) * ''Moonspender'' (1988) * ''Jade Woman'' (1988) * ''The Very Last Gambado'' (1989) * ''The Great California Game'' (1991) * ''The Lies of Fair Ladies'' (1992) * ''Paid and Loving Eyes'' (1993) * ''The Sin within Her Smile'' (1993) * ''The Grace in Older Women'' (1995) * ''The Possessions of a Lady'' (1996) * ''The Rich and the Profane'' (1998) * ''A Rag, a Bone and a Hank of Hair'' (1999) * ''Every Last Cent'' (2000) * ''Ten Word Game'' (2003) * ''Faces in the Pool'' (2008)

References

{{DISPLAYTITLE:''Lovejoy'' (novel series) Novel series by featured character 20th-century British novels 21st-century British novels Picaresque novels