Written works from retailer but unfortunately book's lost (10)

I believe the answer is:

literature

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'written works' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

I cannot understand how the remainder of the clue works.

(Other definitions for literature that I've seen before include "Written material" , "writer's work" , "What author writes" , "Books, writing, etc" , "Work by Spenser for instance" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.

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