Publication of Christopher Hitchens' last book Mortality, originally scheduled for April, has been put back to the autumn. The title, a collection of essays on death first published in Vanity Fair, will now appear in September.



Atlantic Books publicist Karen Duffy said the move, initiated in the US, would enable simultaneous publication for the book in the UK, US and Australia, and ensure that any additional material needed in the wake of Hitchens' death, such as a new introduction, was in place.



Hitchens died of cancer shortly before Christmas. Atlantic c.e.o. Toby Mundy was among the many paying tribute to him, calling him "the most brilliant and versatile non-fiction writer of modern times".



The writer's memoir, Hitch-22, has sold 31,620 copies since publication in May 2010, according to Nielsen BookScan's Total Consumer Market statistics.





