 In the end, towards the end of the decade, a young Publisher's Representative (salesman) persuaded his employers – Cassell Publishing – to publish the tome when, having failed in his attempt to buy the as-yet non-existent publication as a birthday present for his mother, he felt sufficiently confident of making it a bestseller.He was set a target by the publishing house of selling 5,000 copies by the Christmas following publication, or risk losing his job.But the book – which is still very much in print 27 years later and must" rank as one of the best-selling poetry books of all time – immediately sold out and went straight to reprint prior to publication.