I found Dick Francis when I read the Reader's Digest condensed version of Break In. I jotted down his name and immediately started looking for other Dick Francis books at the library and book store. It was just a coincidence that Bolt was the second book I read. By then I was completely hooked and read my way through every Dick Francis I could find.

I can't really remember my first Dick Francis, but I do know that I started collecting them soon after I read the first one. I just loved his writing style and stories. I have converted two of my teacher friends to reading all his novels, too.

My first DF was a Penguin paperback edition of "Dead Cert". I was hooked at once and every September saw a new novel bought... long may it continue!

Chris

I've been reading his books since I was a child. My father collected all his books. I was even fortunate to meet him at a book signing at our local library!

Hi - I just joined this group due to the poll about how long people have been reading DF. I discovered DF when I was 12 and found a paperback of For Kicks on a book rack in a gift shop on Cape Cod. For a horse-crazy, mystery-loving avid reader, it was the best thing I'd ever seen! During my 15 years as a book seller I turned a lot of people on to his books. I also have a good friend whose entire family are fans; they used to give the latest novel as a "hostess gift" to whichever family member was hosting Christmas and then everyone would read it. They also had a game they'd put together; it was a mechanical horse race game and all the entries were Dick Francis horses and jockeys! I'm looking forward to discussing these books with other fans; I've read many of them at least twice.

Hi, Patricia! Welcome to the group! Feel free to participate in our Guess Mysteries by Plot game as well. :)

Hey there. The first Dick Francis I read was Straight. I was recommended DF by one of my high school English teachers and it turned out that my house already had a copy of Straight in the basement. This one remains a fav and I think I have read it more than any other, except maybe The Edge which is another fav.

Hi, Laura! Welcome to the group!

Any others with interesting "How I discovered Dick Francis" stories?

Hey there everyone. :) I've enjoyed Dick Francis stories for the last 26 years, when a doctor I worked for introduced me to the series. I read the whole slew of the published ones up to that time, and have eagerly awaited each and every new one. I wish I could remember which was the first I read, but unfortunately I can't. I have them all. I've managed to collect many in hardback, but the first, older ones I still have in the old paperback format. Doesn't matter, they're great no matter what the package.

Pontalba wrote: "Doesn't matter, they're great no matter what the package. "

I heartily agree! Welcome to the group, Pontalba!

I've started reading Dick Francis as a little girl in Czech Republic. My mother had his books in her library and I've just stumbled upon them. I've been a fan ever since and now I read them in the original language, English, instead of the Czech translation.

Welcome to the group, Bubettka! Very interesting. How do the Czech translations compare to the English versions?

Luann wrote: "Welcome to the group, Bubettka! Very interesting. How do the Czech translations compare to the English versions?"
That's a good question! I've been living in the US for the past decade so I don't have the Czech translations on hand, but it'd be definitely fun to compare! All I remember is that I was completely absorbed in them so they must have been pretty good otherwise I'd put them down. We used to have very skilled translators who had PhD in literature and/or foreign languages and were themselves celebrated authors, so the level of translation used to be quite superb. However, I've come across some pretty poor translations once in a while in the new millenium because texts are available on the internet and pretty much anyone can take a stab at translating them. Luckily, that hasn't happen with any Dick Francis book though.