In 1971, just two years after it began, the Booker Prize ceased to be awarded retrospectively and became - as it is today - a prize for the best novel of the year of publication. At the same time the award moved from April to November and, as a result, a wealth of fiction published for much of 1970 fell through the net and was never considered for the prize.

The Lost Man Booker Prize is the brainchild of Peter Straus, honorary archivist to the Booker Prize Foundation, who launched the investigation in to the ‘missing’ year and now, 40 years on, those 1970 books are being given their chance to win the 'Lost' Man Booker Prize.

A panel of three judges - all of whom were born in or around 1970 – was appointed to select a shortlist of six novels from that year.  The poet and novelist Tobias Hill, ITN newsreader, Katie Derham and the journalist and critic, Rachel Cooke.

Katie Derham said the longlist had provided an insight into "the sociological and historical points of view" of the early 1970s.  It was like a snapshot of life at the time, but of course the mark of great writing is when it doesn't feel dated, and in the main, these books didn't."