on 6 july 1984 val baker died at the west cornwall hospital, penzance at the age of sixty six. he had written fourteen novels, twenty two collections of short stories, twenty six autobiographies, over forty anthologies, another twenty books on general subjects as well as hundreds of short stories and articles for magazines throughout the world. the popularity of his books was reinforced when with the introduction of public lending rights in the year of his death the royalties put him in the top 120 of most borrowed authors of over 6000 who had registered.