Trawling the internet, I am reminded that in 1981 British publishers announced their choices for the top 20 (then) living British writers. Rosemary Sutcliff was among them. At the time, Frank Delaney, chairman of the selectors, said:
In a storehouse so rich, there are far more than 20 good , even great, writers. What we have tried to do is select authors whose record of publication has provided them with critical acclaim and public recognition.
She ‘beat’ such distinguished people who were not in the top 20 as Robert Graves (the poet and novelist), J.B. Priestley (who had a 60-year literary career), Alan Sillitoe, Kingsley Amis, Muriel Spark, Dick Francis and Daphne du Maurier. Lord Snowdon took a picture which for copyright reasons I am sure I should not post, although I have it somewhere.
ROSEMARY SUTCLIFF (1920-92) 
I don’t know about the great and good but i certainly loved her books and still have my rather battered copies of a few of them.
I particularly loved the Roman and Arthurian books – subjects that still fascinate me forty years on and I have always felt that Rosemary Sutcliffe was unbeatable at creating an ancient world that could completely draw you in.
She certainly deserved her place on the list and should still feature on any list of books that everyone should read.
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