Publishing industry and journalism Books

Book SynopsisThe gripping life story of the great war correspondent Marie Colvin told by one of her closest friendsSHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA BIOGRAPHY AWARDWINNER OF THE JAMES TAIT BLACK AWARD Marie Colvin was glamorous, hard-drinking, braver than the boys, with a troubled and rackety personal life. She reported from the most dangerous places in the world and her anecdotes about encounters with figures like Colonel Gaddafi and Yasser Arafat were incomparable. She was much admired, and as famous for her wild parties as for the extraordinary lengths to which she went to tell the story. Fellow foreign correspondent Lindsey Hilsum draws on unpublished diaries and interviews with friends, family and colleagues to produce a story of one of the most daring and inspirational women of our times. A Sunday Times Book of the Year'A stunningly good biography' WILLIAM BOYDTrade ReviewAn extraordinary account of one reporter's fearless and ultimately fatal dedication... Hilsum draws an empathetic portrait of a woman whose courage often crossed into recklessness, both in combat zones and outside them... Now, thanks to Hilsum's deeply reported and passionately written book, Colvin has the full accounting that she deserves -- Joshua Hammer * New York Times *A wonderful book – a fitting tribute, certainly, but also a well-told tale of a remarkable life -- Jane Bonham Carter * Sunday Times *A stunningly good biography – compelling, revelatory and very moving. Lindsey Hilsum is the perfect writer to tell the story of Marie Colvin's rackety, brave and charismatic life -- William BoydWriting a biography of Marie Colvin is like capturing lightning in a bottle, but Lindsey Hilsum has the knowledge and personal experience to help us understand what drew Colvin to rush towards the eye of the storm at such great risk. It is a superbly fitting tribute -- Annie LennoxRarely has a friend and colleague written such a brave and uncompromising testament to such a rare, brave and uncompromising woman. Would that a few more of us should be so blessed in our courage and our friends -- Shami ChakrabartiHilsum marshals not just empathy for her subject, who was also a friend, but investigative and critical skills and damn fine storytelling... Hilsum's understanding of the background to each conflict, and the reality of life as a correspondent in the field, is one of the great strengths of the book... In Extremis rescues Marie Colvin from the rubble of Baba Amr, and brings her tragically, and tenderly, to life * Irish Times *Superb. A fitting account of the life of one of the finest war correspondents of our time, written by another. I admired Marie greatly, and In Extremis showed me I was right to do so -- John SimpsonThe clearest and most rounded picture...emerges from Hilsum's book. Colvin herself, courageous and often tortured, rises again from its pages -- Emma Graham-Harrison * Observer *One of the modern world’s most experienced and admired foreign correspondents, Lindsey Hilsum, has now written a riveting, intimate and deeply moving account of the epic life of her late friend and colleague, Marie Colvin, who will be long remembered – not least because of Hilsum’s fine work in this book – as amongst the great war reporters of her generation -- Jon Lee AndersonAn inspiring and intimate biography of one of the bravest journalists of our time by one of her finest colleagues. Lindsey Hilsum takes us inside the world of a woman who changed the world around her -- Lyse Doucet

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Book Synopsis''A joy. Celebrates the real world and revels in its mad glory'' Sue Townsend, Sunday Times_____________________________________All Points North is part-memoir and part-excursion. Charting the rugged and uneven terrain of a writer''s formative years - from tax problems to probation to American tours, football to family to running away to Iceland - Simon Armitage explores growing up and being Northern. It''s about humour, language, writing, film, houses, homes, time wasters, one loose tyre, you, me and all points in-between._____________________________________''Laugh-out-loud funny'' Independent''A delight'' Jonathan Raban, Times Literary Supplement ''A perfect holiday dipper'' Scotsman''An Alan Bennett-style diary'' Daily Telegraph Trade ReviewA joy. Celebrates the real world and revels in its mad glory -- Sue Townsend * Sunday Times *I was irresistibly reminded of Alan Bennett - there is the same wry humour, wonderfully telling selection of detail or remark . . . a fine balance of humour and poignancy * The Times *The salty prose of an original poetic voice -- Melvyn Bragg * Observer *A thoughtful, witty combination of travel writing, autobiography and Alan Bennett-style diary -- John-Paul Flintoff * Daily Telegraph *Laugh-out-loud funny . . . has all the resonant precision of a poet's ear and eye * Independent *An original and talented writer . . . highly entertaining and there are flashes of wit and moments of tenderness and brilliantly accurate observation -- Vernon Scannell * Sunday Telegraph *The best book I have read in a long time on what he insists is the true North of England -- Geoffrey Moorhouse * Daily Telegraph *I was irresistibly reminded of Alan Bennett - there is the same wry humour, wonderfully telling selection of detail or remark... a fine balance of humour and poignancy * The Times *The salty prose of an original poetic voice -- Melvyn Bragg * Observer *Laugh-out-loud funny... has all the resonant precision of a poet's ear and eye * Independent *A delight - high-spirited, light-footed, very funny and wickedly observamt -- Jonathan Raban * The Times Literary Supplement *A joy. Celebrates the real world and revels in its mad glory -- Sue Townsend * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisThe dawn of print was a major turning point in the early modern world. This book reconstructs the first 150 years of the world of print, exploring the complex web of religious, economic and cultural concerns surrounding the printed word.Trade Review"'It is more fun than a book on bibliography has any right to be: as well as emphasising what a cut-throat, pragmatic and disreputable business the early modern book trade was, it's a salient reminder of how little we really know about the subject.' (Alec Ryie, Times Higher Education Supplement) 'This is a book of remarkable scholarship, rich in detailed evidence... It is a book worth reading right through and then keeping for reference.' (Revd Dr Raymond Chapman, Church Times) 'The great joy of The Book in the Renaissance is that it paints a vivid, often surprising portrait of the West's first ventures into the publishing industry... Pettegree writes with wit and fluency and he combines a broad, continent-girdling perspective with more focused analyses: a section on the role of print in the development of Lutheranism, for instance, is masterly. This book will make specialists prick up their ears but it also has huge appeal for the general reader.' (Jonathon Wright, Catholic Herald)"

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Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERAND WINNER OF THE 2019 WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEARDuncan Hamilton is already a multiple award-winning sports writer, but it is hard to imagine he will write a better book than this superb, elegiac portrait of the sociable, feted, but ultimately unknowable, man who virtually invented modern sports writing...This is writing every bit the equal of Cardus himself. - Daily Mail''Hamilton is a worthy biographer... as much sublime writing comes from his keyboard as from Cardus''s pen.'' The Times''With its verve, insight and generosity of sympathy, this is by some way the best full-length life of a cricket writer, perhaps even of any sports writer.'' Guardian Neville Cardus described how one majestic stroke-maker ''made music'' and ''spread beauty'' with his bat. Between two world wars, he became the laureate of cricket by doing the same with words.In Trade ReviewDuncan Hamilton is already a multiple award-winning sports writer, but it is hard to imagine he will write a better book than this superb, elegiac portrait of the sociable, feted, but ultimately unknowable, man who virtually invented modern sports writing...This is writing every bit the equal of Cardus himself. * Daily Mail *Duncan Hamilton has written some of the best books about sport in recent years. Twice he has won the William Hill for the sports book of the year... He [Cardus] interpreted cricket through a filter of his own, an imagination of uncommon sensitivity, and all who came after are in his debt. All lovers of cricket will enjoy this book. You could say that Hamilton has done it again. -- Michael Henderson * The Cricketer *Hamilton is a worthy biographer. Ten years after his fine biography of Harold Larwood, the maligned England fast bowler, this is just as good, and as much sublime writing comes from his keyboard as from Cardus's pen. -- Patrick Kidd * The Times *The Great Romantic has a strong personal flavour, especially in its tour de force of a prologue...the interest seldom falters. With its verve, insight and generosity of sympathy, this is by some way the best full-length life of a cricket writer, perhaps even of any sports writer. -- David Kynaston * The Guardian *This is not just stand-out sports writing but a stand-out study: one writer acknowledging another. * Sydney Morning Herald *Praise for Going to the Match * : *Hamilton is steeped in the history and traditions of football and communicates his knowledge lightly and with wit and intelligence. Above all, though, this is a fan's-eye view that brilliantly expresses the passion that millions like him, in pursuit of happiness and belonging, feel for the beautiful game. Simply magnificent. * Mail on Sunday *In Duncan Hamilton, one of the most accomplished of current sports writers, Cardus has found a worthy biographer who has ferreted out hidden details of his life, including those that Cardus himself skated over in his two volumes of autobiography. The Great Romantic is beautifully written, and Cardus would surely have approved of it. -- Stephen Bates * Literary Review *

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Book SynopsisNamed a Best Book of 2022 by the New YorkerNamed a Top 10 Book of the Year by SlateNamed a Best Book of the Year by VultureA New York Times Editors'' ChoiceShortlisted for the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction ''Talent is rare, which is why I let out a big yippee reading Andrew Lipstein''s Last Resort... Excellent''THE TIMES''You won''t read a more brilliantly executed literary romp this year''GUARDIAN ''A funny, fast-paced literary satire''DAILY TELEGRAPH''Incredibly entertaining''NEW YORK TIMES, Editor''s Choice''Wicked fun... A deliciously absurd comedy''WASHINGTON POST''If Less by Andrew Sean Greer left a hole in your life, good news: Last Resort will fill it''MEG MASON''Caleb Horowitz is exactly the kind Trade ReviewCowardly, avaricious, annoying, territorial, deceitful, opportunistic: there aren't enough shady adjectives in the dictionary to describe the narrator of Andrew Lipstein's Last Resort. What fun! Last Resort is about a novelist who has stolen the plot of his best-selling book from a story relayed to him by an acquaintance. Now, if you read last year's The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz, you'll notice that this novel has a similar, uh, plot as that one... They are both thrillers about, of all things, intellectual property. Korelitz's book was tighter and darker. Lipstein's is funnier. Both are incredibly entertaining... If Lipstein had written a less cunning book, he might have contrasted Caleb with a character who represented artistic purity, whatever that is. But everyone here sits somewhere on the grifter spectrum, including the real people (Avi, doomed woman, repressed married couple) upon whom Caleb's characters are based... In addition to a blithe streak, Caleb has a cruel streak, a petty streak and an intemperate streak, and Lipstein milks the comedy of these traits almost as well as Kingsley Amis did in Lucky Jim. * New York Times, Editor's Choice *If you've ever wondered where writers get their ideas from, Last Resort is wicked fun. If you're a writer, Last Resort is heartburn in print. Splayed across these pages is the dark terror that lurks within any creative person's breast: the embarrassing facts that might demolish the glorious claims made in the name of literary invention... A deliciously absurd comedy about literary fame. * Ron Charles, WASHINGTON POST *Lipstein gleefully scrutinizes the nature of success in an industry that runs as much on vanity as on financial gain... The book's command of contemporary-hipster details is wincingly precise. * New Yorker *Talent is rare, which is why I let out a big yippee reading Andrew Lipstein's Last Resort, one of a trio of excellent new first novels by men... Lipstein doesn't just blast chunks out of the inflated artifice of New York's literary scene, he turns his fire on the city at large too, or at least its hipster quarters, all "friendly, progressive, organic, recyclable"... There is something in Lipstein's novel that is specific to new male novelists - their conscious sensitivity about writing sex. Lipstein takes this head on. In Last Resort the novel-within-the-novel is slated online for its "male gaze". This is culturally astute (it's an accusation any man runs the risk of when he puts pen to paper, especially post #MeToo) and a smart way for Lipstein to say: I get it. * The Times *You won't read a more brilliantly executed literary romp this year... An unsparing satire of a generation of millennials who fear that their lives lack gravitas and emotional depth * The Guardian *A funny, fast-paced literary satire. * Daily Telegraph *A novel of post-collegiate literary ambition, slippery storytelling, and a perfectly Pninian ending. * Vanity Fair *Last Resort, Andrew Lipstein's almost perfectly plotted debut novel on a topic - creative envy and artistic theft - that tastes like catnip to many readers of literary fiction . . . has one of the best endings in recent memory... You'll think about Last Resort for weeks after you read the last pages. * Los Angeles Times *A brilliant morality tale about what happens when a person refuses to learn from their mistakes, all the way down to the final scene, which had me laughing out loud and punching the air. * Vulture *This is a moral drama about ambition and authorship that's as funny and fast-paced as it is sharp and cutting. * Monocle *A blissfully wicked work of art... A lightning-streak of a novel. * Interview *So horribly delicious that the reader (especially the reader who is also a writer) won't even dream of looking away. * LitHub, Most Anticipated Books of 2022 *If Less by Andrew Sean Greer left a hole in your life, good news: Last Resort will fill it. Fast and funny, it feels like a backstage pass to the book world. * Meg Mason, author of SORROW AND BLISS *I loved Last Resort. It takes so many surprising and brilliant turns: it is fun and witty, and rollicks through the pains and joys of writing and having your name on a book jacket (or not). And Caleb Horowitz is exactly the kind of character I love to hate: self-justifying but reflective, self-centred but loving. * Claire Fuller, Costa Novel Award winner of UNSETTLED GROUND *Last Resort is a rare accomplishment, a novel of ideas - about art, authorship, money, ethics - with the momentum of a great thriller. * Rumaan Alam, author of LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND *Last Resort is one of those novels about writing guaranteed to make every novelist who reads it blush with its unsparing portrayal of greed, obsession and smug superiority. Wickedly funny: I loved it. * Patrick Gale, author of MOTHER'S BOY *A brilliant take on what it means to be an artist in a world of endless compromises. Look out, Faust, there's a new sheriff in town. * Gary Shteyngart, author of SUPER SAD TRUE LOVE STORY and LAKE SUCCESS *If there's nothing new under the sun, can anyone be original without lying? Would truth still be stranger than fiction if people were honest in real life? This fast-paced simulacrum of a commercial novel is not out to please the critics. I finished it in a day. * Nell Zink, author of DOXOLOGY *Last Resort is a strange and beguiling book about the contrivances, connivances and mysteries of creation, with an especially visceral depiction of male anxiety and an absolutely blistering end. A terrific debut. * Joshua Ferris, author of THEN WE CAME TO THE END *Sometimes, a character falls in step with you, invades your thoughts, disrupts your dreams and challenges your choices. You don't so much read Caleb Horowitz's story as be beguiled, bothered and bruised by it. This brilliant book is elegant, messy, sharp, blunt, sad and funny all at once. So good! * Janet Ellis, author of THE BUTCHER'S HOOK *Sharp, witty, and gleeful. A wry, brutal dissection of male authorship and ambition at a time of #metoo. Think Salter, but without his cold gaze, and written with such verve and gusto it will leave you holding your breath. Just when you think it can't get worse, it does. And some. Not a romp, more a riot, as Lipstein lays bare the petty jealousy of his protagonist, Caleb Horowitz, and his relentless pursuit of the right to be "known" and to own what is "his". What Caleb creates, he destroys; all that is good, is trampled, in a message that seems to speak beyond the book to question what it is to be male today. Honestly, I can't wait to read what Lipstein writes next. * Guinevere Glasfurd, Costa First Novel shortlisted author of THE WORDS IN MY HAND *With its seductive, chilled intelligence and frictionless style, Last Resort plunged me summarily into a one-sitting read. I came up for air awed by this sophisticated, high-stakes moral drama. * Hermione Hoby, author of NEON IN DAYLIGHT *A propulsive tale of American literary ambition, this novel exposes the status-hunger that motivates plenty of writing-far more than writers like to admit. A keenly observed and sharp-witted debut that's assured from first page to last." * Tom Rachman, author of THE IMPERFECTIONISTS *Lipstein asks the timely question: does one possess sole title to one's own story? A sharply written, headlong romp. * Lionel Shriver, author of WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN *A darkly comical thriller about writers and publishers, emulation and betrayal, written in an excitingly careful, clear, and original prose style. * Tao Lin, author of LEAVE SOCIETY *Last Resort is witty, profound and blisteringly intelligent. Andrew Lipstein asks major questions about ambition and authenticity and artistic ethics, while keeping me frantically turning the pages to see what happens next. A fantastic, fast-paced and deeply funny novel. * Molly Antopol, author of THE UNAMERICANS *A delightfully nightmarish satirical chronicle of one young author's reckoning with the consequences of his own blind ambition. Caleb's journey had me cringing with pure pleasure. * Antoine Wilson, author of MOUTH TO MOUTH and PANORAMA CITY *Last Resort is a witty, propulsive and often mesmerizing novel, a kind of creative-class thriller, full of wry social observation and subtle emotional textures, and it builds beautifully toward a bracing showdown between knowingness and self-knowledge. With its insular milieu and quality lit namechecks, not to mention its quasi-satirical anxiety of auto-fictional influence, Andrew Lipstein plays a risky game, and he plays it superbly, with feeling. * Sam Lipsyte, author of HARK *Authenticity and possession of stories are the surface themes of Last Resort, but it is really about ambition and emptiness, about a callow young man with nothing to say self-destructively looking for shortcuts in literature and life. But the great irony is that Andrew Lipstein's impeccably written debut has quite a lot to say, and, as with the best comic novels, his semi-hero's misadventures have an undertow of real sadness. * Teddy Wayne *Last Resort raises incisive questions about authorship, the tension between art and commerce, and the elusive nature of self-fulfillment, all while unspooling a compelling story with humor and great suspense. I didn't want it to end. * Julia Pierpont, author of AMONG THE TEN THOUSAND THINGS *A darkly comical thriller about editors and agents, friends and acquaintances, lovers and strangers, written in an excitingly careful, attentive, and original prose style. * Tao Lin, author of LEAVE SOCIETY *

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Book SynopsisMark Forsyth - author of the Sunday Times Number One bestseller The Etymologicon - reveals in this essay, specially commissioned for Independent Booksellers Week, the most valuable thing about a really good bookshop.Along the way he considers the wisdom of Donald Rumsfeld, naughty French photographs, why Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy would never have met online, and why only a bookshop can give you that precious thing - what you never knew you were looking for.

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Book SynopsisThis invaluable fiction writer’s guide is the resource you need to start - and, more importantly, finish - that novel that you’ve been itching to write! Using her tried-and-true methods, writing coach Char arms you with all the knowledge you need to jump feet first into putting your story to paper. Through her engaging instruction, you’ll learn how to craft interesting, complex characters that your readers will root for (or against!), avoid plot holes, pacing issues and other common pitfalls that can trip up new writers, write effective dialogue and so much more! Whether you’re writing a contemporary thriller, a historical romance or anything in-between, Char’s instruction and hands-on exercises will jumpstart your creative juices and help you fight through writer’s block, nail your character’s voice and write effective dialogue and finally finish the novel you’ve been dreaming of.

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Book Synopsis''All the books published by a certain publisher could be seen as links in a single chain''In this fascinating memoir and manifesto the author and publisher Roberto Calasso meditates on the art of book publishing. With his signature erudition and polemical flair, Calasso transcends Adelphi to look at the publishing industry as a whole, from the essential importance of graphics, jackets and cover flaps to the consequences of universal digitization. And he outlines what he describes as the ''most hazardous and ambitious'' profile of what a publishing house can be: a book comprising many books, akin to that of other twentieth-century publishers, from Giulio Einaudi to Roger Straus, of whom the book offers brief portraits.Trade ReviewWritten with passion, intelligence and not without a certain flair for a story, it's a treat for any bibliophile, a manifesto/memoir that proves he's a master of the art form he's arguing for * Independent *What makes this slim text memorable is [Calasso's] sheer passion for books - not digital texts but physical objects, in which every part is designed to enhance the experience of reading. An important and timely book -- PD Smith * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisFashion writing now enjoys its highest-ever profile as the digital world has multiplied the number of platforms on which it is available. No longer confined to restrictive print schedules or occasional broadcast slots, fashion has become an ever-present content driver. With retailers, brands and designers all in on the act, plus citizen fashion coverage from the social media community, the volume of fashion content has risen beyond any predictions.While influencers monetise their musings - indeed, create successful and influential fashion media and fashion product businesses - traditional magazines and newspapers have expanded their multi-channel fashion content in order to secure more touch points with consumers.Aimed at students on journalism, content creation, media and publishing courses this guide will also appeal to untrained writers who want to develop a more professional approach to their fashion writing.Trade ReviewAnchored by the kind of clearly defined writing guidelines you would expect from two highly regarded former fashion editors, 'Fashion Writing' delivers so much more than a straightforward guide to penning tightly wrought, well researched prose. Packed with contemporary cultural signposts, a bird's eye view on the global fashion landscape and reems of insider intel from the world's finest writers and content creators, 'Fashion Writing' is an encyclopaedic and indispensable manual for the next gen of aspiring trend sleuths and fashion commentators. -- Khabi Mirza * Fabric PR *Fashion Writing is clearly written in an elevated but approachable tone ... Fashion Writing has several advantages over the text I have been using. The first is photos. My prior text has no photos or graphics of any kind, and it is short on mechanics and writing examples. Photos are essential in fashion, and the selections made in Fashion Writing are beautifully reproduced, timely, and diverse. I also appreciate the step-by-step walk-throughs of how to structure news and especially features. I also see examples of how to write headlines and pay-off lines, etc. -- Sarah Portway * The State University of New York at Oneata *

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Book SynopsisDespite her family's ailing finances, Diana Athill's childhood - spent in a lovely house in Norfolk - was blissful. In 1932, she fell in love with Paul: an undergraduate who tutored her younger brother. Within several years, she had moved to Oxford to study and they were engaged to be married. Then everything fell apart in the cruellest possible way. Athill's debut is also her most personal: a dissection of personal tragedy and the struggle to rebuild her life amid severe disappointment and loneliness. Unfolding throughout the Second World War, Instead of a Letter is an inspiring story of love and loss, heartbreak and hope, and a testament to her strength of character - her vivacity, honesty and perspicacity.Trade ReviewHer first and still most perfect perfect book -- Carole Angier * Literary Review *The reader sees the transformation of the battered soul into a buoyant woman, open-minded and open-hearted -- Hilary Mantel * Spectator *This classic memoir ... well deserves another airing * Daily Mail *I first came across Diana Athill when I was 17. I picked up her memoir, Instead of a Letter, attracted to its title. I was driven on by avid inexperience, sure that I could find out from Athill what life itself was not yet ready to tell me about love, sex and - most impressively - heartbreak. I admired her elegant vigour and control of words in contrast to the freedom with which she wrote about herself. She became, in my reading life, a friend -- Kate Kellaway * Observer *One certainly admires both her and this truly excellent book, which is a masterpiece of confessional literature * Tablet *The documentary of one woman's ordinary and yet, in her telling, wholly extraordinary life -- Erica Wagner * The Times *A model mix of clear-eyed analysis and deep, unashamed feeling * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisThis A-Z memoir about art publishing celebrates the ten-year anniversary of JRPRingier, created in 2004 by Swiss art curator Lionel Bovier and Ringier AG owner Michael Ringier. With 632 books and 1,800 authors published, 20,000 printing hours, 4,000 tons of books transported and one million sold, JRPRingier continues to work collaboratively with contemporary artists to produce carefully curated, high-quality publications. The book goes from A for Art Publisher and B for Books to Y for Yellowpress and Z for Zombie Books (projects that are in the state of non-death: they are not officially stopped, so they weigh on you, on your program''s list, being revived every now and then by someone who does not want them to die, without being able to make them exist) and is illustrated with images of signings and on-press scenes. This volume is published in the Hapax series.

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Book SynopsisThese are turbulent times in the world of book publishing. For nearly five centuries the methods and practices of book publishing remained largely unchanged, but at the dawn of the twenty-first century the industry finds itself faced with perhaps the greatest challenges since Gutenberg.Trade Review"A fine-grained snapshot... of the terminal struggle of traditional publishers. [Thompson's] mordant picture of an industry in crisis gives publishers, writers and readers much to think about." Jason Epstein, The New York Review of Books "Enlivened by pseudonymous interviewees who are remarkably and tantalisingly candid." The Guardian "[Thompson] draws on valuable interviews and the mass of statistics that the field itself devours in search of success. He offers a calm, relatively sanguine account of contemporary publishing, a world dominated by the $6 million advance, the blockbuster and the buzz." Times Literary Supplement "Thompson bring forensic keeneness, acuity, breadth, depth and wit to this page-turning study of the book trade, its denizens, demons and deities. [Merchants of Culture] ought to be prescribed reading for publishers, booksellers, writers, authors, reporters, reviewers and critics." Mail & Guardian, South Africa "John B. Thompson's research has produced an excellent history and analysis; it's a wonderful book, highly recommended." Australian Book Review "The single most impressive fact to drive home about this remarkable book is that Thompson displays a rare gift, that of presenting a world of the most heart-stopping complexity in short, simple, inter-related steps ... This is a book to buy and use and keep on your shelf." Tribune "A superb history and analysis of publishing and bookselling, from the 1960s to the present, against the background of the rapidly expanding digital media. A salutary, scary read." John Conwell for The New Statesman "A thorough and thoughtful analysis of publishing as a relatively self-contained world - a 'field' obeying rules that are ultimately economic, but in ways refracted through maneuvers and conflicts that defy simple cost-benefit analysis. Anyone interested in publishing will want to read it." Inside Higher Ed "For some time to come, this is bound to be the definitive thing to read for anyone trying to understand the infrastructure of book culture - especially as it has taken shape over the past two or three decades." The National "This impressively comprehensive and revealing analysis of the structures and processes of modern publishing is timely as the industry faces its digital future." Katharine Reeve, Times Higher Education Book of the Week "Thompson's study is one of the most valuable studies on publishing in recent decades, and promises to be the new reference point for sociological research on the publishing industry." Cultural Sociology "A very valuable book that is likely to become the standard reference on the Anglo-American publishing industry for many years to come." MedieKultur "For the uninitiated, Merchants of Culture provides a very perceptive, thorough and in-depth view of how trade publishing really works in the English-speaking world today. For those of us in the business or for writers who are mystified by their publisher's behavior, it offers a penetrating account of our business by a very shrewd, analytical observer. This book is the only thing I've ever read about our industry that has really got it." William Shinker, President and Publisher of Gotham Books and Avery Books, Penguin Group USA "Thompson's analysis of UK and US trade publishing is extraordinarily acute and insightful. It should be required reading for new entrants to the industry - but it will also illuminate many things for old publishing hands." Helen Fraser, Former Managing Director, Penguin Group UK "This uncommonly perceptive and thorough study tells you all you need to know about the publishing industry at a time of momentous change." Drake McFeely, Chairman and President, W.W. Norton & Company "One of the most intelligent and accessible accounts of the curious business of trade book publishing I have read. Anyone interested in knowing more about how our industry works - and where it might be headed - will find this book invaluable." Morgan Entrekin, CEO and Publisher, Grove Atlantic "An eye-opening tour of both American and British trade publishing. Even veterans in the publishing world will learn a lot, and novices will feel welcome, in this behind-the-scenes examination of how book publishing works in an age of mass marketing and digitization. Thompson knows more about contemporary publishing than any other scholar. He asks just the right questions of his sources, and their responses offer unique and illuminating testimony from an array of publishing insiders. Theoretically sophisticated but not burdened by academic apparatus, this is a landmark work." Michael Schudson, Columbia University "Thompson's ground-breaking research into the world of consumer book publishing provides a fascinating insight into the high-risk culture on both sides of the Atlantic. Revealed is the world of agents and scouts, of auctions and deals, often with large sums of money paid out to authors, as publishers gamble in the hope of signing the next Harry Potter or Dan Brown. His work is of the highest quality and should be read by all those concerned about our literary culture and its future." Angus Phillips, Director, Oxford International Centre for Publishing Studies "From now on whenever anyone asks me how they can get published or get a job in publishing I'm going to tell them to buy this book because it is simply perfect at summing up how the whole messy business works and explaining why it very frequently doesn't work. It teaches a careful reader as much as any three year degree course on the subject." Andrew Crofts, author of The Freelance Writer's Handbook "As soon as I tore open the box, I had to start reading...It's frank, comprehensive, well-researched, with lots of interviews with people who know - and it pulls no punches. Want to know about the rise of the literary agent or why your mid-list books aren't marketed properly or what the digital revolution means for the author in the street? Then buy this book." Karen Ball, author of Starring Me as Third Donkey and several other children's books "The book is written in a style that is both elegant and easy to follow. There is a good balance between, on the one hand, dry numbers and figures and, on the other, colourful anecdote and informative metaphor. Thompson’s own book is a comprehensive and rigorous history of trade publishing, which will lead both scholars, editors or people with a more general interest in publishing to think about books in new and more complex ways." Helena Agustí-Gómez, University of GlasgowTable of ContentsPreface to the Second Edition vi Preface to the First Edition viii Introduction 1 1 The Growth of the Retail Chains 26 2 The Rise of Literary Agents 59 3 The Emergence of Publishing Corporations 101 4 The Polarization of the Field 147 5 Big Books 188 6 Extreme Publishing 223 7 Shrinking Windows 238 8 The Wild West 292 9 The Digital Revolution 313 10 Trouble in the Trade 377 Conclusion: Facing an Uncertain Future 403 Appendix 1 Selected Imprints of the Main Publishing Corporations 410 Appendix 2 Note on Research Methods 415 Bibliography 425 Index 430

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Book SynopsisHow To Be a Writer is a comprehensive guide to the career of writing from experienced writer and creative writing tutor Sally O''Reilly.The book will cover questions such as: If you want to be a writer, should you invest in a creative writing course? If so, which one? Are writing groups a good thing? What grants, awards and prizes are available to the aspiring writer? How should you plan your career in the long term? It will also feature an introduction from Fay Weldon - ''Why I wish I''d read this book when I was 25'' - and will include comments and case studies from other established authors, agents and industry experts. How To Be a Writer will include everything that a writer needs to know about running their own career, from choosing an agent to café scribbling, and from filing a tax return to flirting with the literati and will be an essential reference book for any author who takes their work seriously.Trade ReviewAn invaluable companion for anyone setting out as a writer. We all need all the help we can get and there's a good deal of help right here * A.L. Kennedy, author of DAY *This is a brilliantly informative book, packed full of facts and no-nonsense advice! Sally has written an indispensable bible for any would-be writer * Dotti Irving, Chief Executive, Colman Getty *How To Be a Writer is witty, wise and superbly well informed . . . This is the book I wish I'd had when I was starting to publish. No new writer should be without it * Dr Alison Macleod, Professor of Contemporary Fiction, University of Chichester *A wise and clever book with advice on everything from the paths to publication to establishing a complementary career. Now more than ever an author's work is never done, but How To Be a Writer will give you the best shot at success and happiness in the process * Celia Brayfield, author of Bestseller: Secrets of Successful Writing *Sally O'Reilly draws on her experiences as a novelist and tutor in this informative and fascinating fact-filled book which is not just the definitive reference book for any author but also an invaluable guide to perils and pitfalls of the publishing industry . . . O'Reilly's no-nonsense and user-friendly approach to making a career out of writing is a breath of fresh air for anyone setting out into the weird and wonderful world of publishing, offering invaluable, down-to-earth advice and achievable goals. Full of wise words and hard-learned experience, this is a must read for anyone even considering a serious writing career * Lancashire Evening Post *This sensible manual covers topics such as 'time management' (I wish), choosing a degree course (if you think you need on), dealing with publishers and contracts, "networking", having a day job, writing online, and . . . provides illuminating capsule interviews with authors, publishers and agents' -- Steven Poole * Guardian *set to become an essential reference for any authors who take their work seriously * Lancaster Guardian *

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Book SynopsisThe much-loved, irresistibly funny memoir of literary New York which was an international bestseller and enchanted readers around the world now a major film starring Sigourney Weaver and Margaret Qualley, My New York YearGripping and funny' ObserverLike a literary The Devil Wears Prada ... An irresistible read' Harper's Bazaar''Irresistible'' Sunday Times''Spellbinding'' GuardianAfter leaving graduate school to pursue her dream of becoming a poet, Joanna Rakoff takes a job as assistant to the storied literary agent for J. D. Salinger. Precariously balanced between poverty and glamour, she spends her days in a plush, wood-paneled office - where Dictaphones and typewriters still reign and agents doze after three-martini lunches - and then goes home to her threadbare Brooklyn apartment and her socialist boyfriend.Rakoff is tasked with processing Salinger's voluminous fan mail, but as she reads the Trade ReviewHard to put down ... Demands sympathy, admiration, and attention ... Irresistible * SUNDAY TIMES *Intimate ... elegant ... graceful * Sunday Telegraph *So gripping and funny, you feel sure she had only to twitch her nose to be back there * Observer *Spellbinding ... You don’t have to be a Salinger fan to fall under Rakoff’s spell; I’m not and I did * Guardian *A warm, witty, occasionally sly piece of storytelling ... An affectionate love letter to a first job in an industry that in just 20 years has changed beyond recognition * Woman & Home *In prose that is clear, precise and evocative, Rakoff renders her people and places touchably real * Independent *Every young person who moves to New York with creative ambitions should read Joanna Rakoff’s wonderful memoir ... As transporting as the best novels -- Adelle Waldman, author of The Love Affairs of Nathaniel PAnyone who has ever dreamed of a life in books will find much to love in Joanna Rakoff’s memoir ... Funny and knowing, it’s both an idiosyncratic tribute to Salinger’s writing and an affirmation of the power of books * Metro *A memoir that manages to be dreamlike but sharp, poignant but unsentimental. Here is a book I’m going to have to insist you read immediately -- Maggie Shipstead, author of Seating ArrangementsA charming coming-of-age memoir that fizzes with youthful energy and bookish insight * Good Housekeeping *Joanna Rakoff’s memoir of a New York publishing life, a fantastic book about being young and alone in a big city * Observer Books of the Year *Think of her as the even more bookish Lena Dunham with a bit of Mad Men claustrophobia thrown in * Grazia *A year spent in the orbit of a great writer gives rise to an elegant memoir * Sunday Telegraph *Anyone who can remember the fear of feeling hopelessly out of their depth in their first job should get a kick out of My Salinger Year ... Rakoff’s prose is precise and often amusing * Evening Standard *A beautifully written tribute to the way things were at the edge of the digital revolution, and to the evergreen power of literature * Chicago Tribune *An affecting coming-of-age memoir. . . . Rakoff wisely – and deftly – weaves her Salinger story into a broader, more universal tale about finding one’s bearings during a pivotal transitional year into real adulthood * Washington Post *Charming ... Glamorous ... Rakoff does a marvelous job of capturing a cultural moment ... What is most admirable is [her] critical intelligence and generosity of spirit * Boston Globe *The loneliness of life after college [is] perfectly explained ... There’s something Salingeresque about her book: it’s a vivid story of innocence lost * Entertainment Weekly *My Salinger Year describes its author’s trip down a metaphorical rabbit hole back in 1996. She arrived not in Wonderland, but a place something like it, a New York City firm she calls only the Agency ... An outright tribute to the enduring power of J.D. Salinger’s work * Salon *A breezy memoir of being a “bright young assistant” in the mid-1990s ... Salinger himself makes a cameo appearance … The “archaic charms” of the Agency are comically offset by its refusal to acknowledge the Internet age * New York Times Book Review *

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Book SynopsisThe Beauty Myth for the digital age: a searing account of what it takes to exist as a woman in a world obsessed by image.

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisThis book charts the publishing industry and bestselling fiction from 1900, featuring a comprehensive list of all bestselling fiction titles in the UK. This third edition includes a new introduction which features additional information on current trends in reading including the rise of Black, Asian and LGBTQIA+ publishing; the continuing importance of certain genres and up to date trends in publishing, bookselling, library borrowing and literacy. There are sections on writing for children, on the importance of audiobooks and book clubs, self- published bestsellers as well as many new entries to the present day including bestselling authors such as David Walliams, Peter James, George R R Martin and far less well known authors whose books s sell in their thousands. This is the essential guide to best-selling books, authors, genres, publishing and bookselling since 1900, providing a unique insight into more than a century of entertainment, and opening a window into the reading habits and social life of the British from the death of Queen Victoria to the Coronavirus Pandemic. Table of Contents1. Origins, Problems and Philosophy of the Bestseller.- 2. How the British Read.- 3 Genre: History and Form.- 4. Literature for Children.- 5. Further Thoughts on Literature for Children.- 6. Best-selling Authors Since 1900.

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Book SynopsisAn Ernest Hemingway Biography Like No Other“...illuminates his life and works in ways not seen before.” —Sigrid Nunez, National Book Award winner and author of The Friend and What Are You Going Through#1 New Release in Historical Latin America BiographiesDiscover Hemingway’s biography through the eyes of a fellow author and journalist. New York Times bestselling author of Salt, Mark Kurlansky turns his historical eye to the life of Ernest Hemingway. Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, The Importance of Not Being Ernest shows the huge shadow Hemingway casts. The perfect gift for writers. By a series of coincidences, Mark Kurlansky’s life has always been intertwined with Ernest Hemingway's legend, starting with being in Idaho the day of Hemingway’s death. The Importance of Not Being Ernest explores the intersections between Hemingway’s and Kurlansky’s lives, resulting in creative accounts of two inspiring writing careers. Travel the world with Mark Kurlansky and Ernest Hemingway in this personal memoir, where Kurlansky details his ten years in Paris and his time as a journalist in Spain—both cities important to Hemingway’s adventurous life and prolific writing. Paris, Basque Country, Havana and Idaho. Get to know the extraordinary people he met there—those who had also fallen under the Hemingway spell, including a Vietnam veteran suffering from the same syndrome the author did, two winners of the Key West Hemingway look-alike contest, and the man in Idaho who took Hemingway hunting and fishing.In this unique gift for writers, find: A memoir full of entertaining and illuminative stories Little-known historical facts about Hemingway’s life Anecdotes about those who suffer from what the Kurlansky calls “hemitis” Readers of Haruki Murakami’s What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley in Search of America, or The Boys will love The Importance of Not Being Ernest.Trade Review“Kurlansky (Salt: A World History) focuses on all of the coincidental intersections between his life and Ernest Hemingway’s in this multi-genre work. Part travel memoir, part history, it trapeses through France, Spain, Cuba, Idaho, and finally New York, connecting literary and moments and personal experiences in Kurlansky’s and Hemingway’s lives. Reports from Kurlansky’s and Hemingway’s careers as foreign correspondents, then expats, in Spain and Paris blend seamlessly with Kurlansky’s descriptions of regional conflicts and cultures, and each chapter is connected by watercolor stills from Kurlansky’s travel diaries, which add an authentic touch to the storytelling. Beyond his astute humor, Kurlansky handles the contradictions between ‘Hemingway, the man’ and ‘Hemingway, the myth’ with genuine reverence and a critical eye. He gives us another lens through which to view Hemingway’s work: geography; he argues that Hemingway himself impacted the places he traveled as much as did his writing. VERDICT: An absolute delight! Full of personality, Kurlansky’s book will enchant history, literature, and Hemingway fans alike."—Library Journal, Starred Review“The ghost of Hemingway has haunted and inspired at least three generations of American writers. Mark Kurlansky is no exception, and his detailed, self-deprecating account of the presence of that ghost is as brilliantly revealing of Hemingway as it is of Kurlansky himself. He knows his Hemingway, the life and the works, and he knows his Kurlansky, and he’s bitingly honest about both writers. Kurlansky, however, comes off as a hell of a lot more likable.”—Russell Banks, author of Continental Drift, Cloudsplitter, and Lost Memory of Skin“For all that’s already been written about Hemingway,The Importance of Not Being Ernest illuminates his life and works in ways not seen before. Our Not-Ernest is a superbly knowledgeable and entertaining guide, and the book artfully braids the Hemingway narrative with Kurlansky’s own rich experiences as a world-traveling journalist and bestselling author. Kurlansky’s idea for a memoir was inspired; the result is a brilliant and original achievement, a feast for readers, whether fans of Papa or not.”—Sigrid Nunez, author of the National Book Award-winning novel, The Friend, and What Are You Going ThroughTable of ContentsPROLOGUE: A Dream Intrudes CHAPTER ONE: Entrances and Exits CHAPTER TWO: A Writer Must Escape CHAPTER THREE: The Grass in Paris CHAPTER FOUR: The Patent-leather Soul of Spain CHAPTER FIVE: Cuba and the Unspeakable Feast CHAPTER SIX: Idaho and the Last Escape EPILOGUE: Unnatural New York BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Book SynopsisFrom poker to poetry, poisoners to princes, opera to the Oscars, Shakespeare to Olivier, Mozart to Murdoch, Anthony Holden seems to have rolled many writers’ lives into one. Author of 35 books on a ‘crazy’ range of subjects, this cocky Lancashire lad-turned-bohemian citizen of the world has led an apparently charmed life from Merseyside to Buckingham Palace, the White House and beyond. As he turns 70, the award-winning journalist and biographer – grandson of an England footballer, son of a seaside shopkeeper, friend of the famous from Princess Diana to Peter O'Toole, Mick Jagger to Salman Rushdie – spills the beans on showbiz names to literary sophisticates, rock stars to royals as he looks back whimsically and wittily on a richly varied, anecdote- and action-packed career – concluding, in the words of Robert Louis Stevenson, that ‘Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but of playing a poor hand well’.Trade Review'A writer’s life told by a born writer – beautifully observed, brilliantly written, wonderfully evocative. It’s a story of our time – featuring some of the most remarkable characters of our time – funny, moving and telling; a roller-coaster of a good read, at times hilarious, at times heart-breaking. My book of the year.' -- Gyles Brandreth‘Unputdownable … Everything Holden touches, whether Arsenal or Tchaikovsky, he lights up with a fresh eye and zest. I can’t think of a more enjoyable memoir, which is also a portrait of a man of remarkable talents, expressing his own brilliance with politicians in Washington, with the literati in London watering-holes, and pursuing a never-ending affair with Shakespeare.’ -- Melvyn Bragg‘An absolute page turner … A latter-day Laurence Sterne hurtling through a picaresque life of creative adventure. What is truly inspiring is the way Anthony has nourished so many amazing friendships with extraordinary people. This should be read by every young person of ambition to remind them that what lasts is the love of friends and family.’ -- Tina Brown‘What a life! I admired and enjoyed the colossal range of Holden's interests, his energy and delight in the daily business of writing, along with his gift for friendship. And what a rich cast his life embraces, each player so vividly evoked. His prose is deftly turned, with a clear smack of authority, intelligence and wit, of which his very opening sentence is a fine example. His generosity and sweetness of spirit in the face of a sudden, profound affliction touched me deeply. This is a lovely, varied, fizzy life, in which so much was achieved, so much pleasure rendered.’ -- Ian McEwan'I read Holden's book pretty much in one sitting and enjoyed it so much. Those Sunday Times years are still of course the pinnacle of serious journalism, and remain so vivid and amazing in his chapters. But the whole story is so deftly told, and left me marvelling at his energy and multiple talents. The last few years have been tough for him, but even these he writes about with humour and grace.’ -- Alan Rusbridger

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Book SynopsisBookselling has evolved from an arena dominated by independent bookstores to one in which chain stores have significant market share. Yet unlike other retail industries, bookselling should be "above" questions of profit. This work investigates what drives this belief and how it is affected by the changing retail environment.Trade Review"Chain superstores, notes Laura J. Miller's fascinating new study, are the latest manifestation of a centuries-old struggle between bookselling Davids and Goliaths - a battle over where Americans actually shop versus stores with, Miller tartly notes, 'a style of retailing that Americans at least profess to miss.' " - Voice Literary Supplement"

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Book SynopsisA New York Times BestsellerFrom the beloved New Yorker cartoonist comes a collection of paintings and stories from some of the world’s most cherished bookstores. This collection of 75 evocative paintings and colorful anecdotes invites you into the heart and soul of every community: the local bookshop, each with its own quirks, charms, and legendary stories. The book features an incredible roster of great bookstores from across the globe and stories from writers, thinkers and artists of our time, including David Bowie, Tom Wolfe, Jonathan Lethem, Roz Chast, Deepak Chopra, Bob Odenkirk, Philip Glass, Jonathan Ames, Terry Gross, Mark Maron, Neil Gaiman, Ann Patchett, Chris Ware, Molly Crabapple, Amitav Ghosh, Alice Munro, Dave Eggers, and many more.  Page by page, Eckstein perfectly captures our lifelong love affair with books, bookstores, and book-sellers that is at once heartfelt, bittersw

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKS ARE MY BAG READERS AWARDS!We lead increasingly time-poor lifestyles, bombarded 24/7 by petrifying news bulletins, internet trolls and endless noises. Where has the joy and relaxation gone from our daily lives? Scribbles in the Margins offers a glorious antidote to that relentless modern-day information churn. It is here to remind you that books and bookshops can still sing to your heart. Warm, heartfelt and witty, here are fifty short essays of prose poetry dedicated to the simple joy to be found in reading and the rituals around it. These are not wallowing nostalgia; they are things that remain pleasurable and right, that warm our hearts and connect us to books, to reading and to other readers: smells of books, old or new; losing an afternoon organising bookshelves; libraries; watching a child learn to read; reading in bed; impromptu bookmarks; visiting someone's home and inspecting the bookshelves; stains and other reminders of where and when you readTrade ReviewAn adorable collection of bite-sized chunks of joy…the perfect gift for any book lover. * Reader's Digest *Gray has become the writer of stunning books whose substance belie their brevity…They are elegant in their purpose and devastating in their power. No-one who loves reading could put down Scribbles in the Margins. * The Herald Magazine *A book that makes the spirit soar…a beautifully-crafted treasure. * The National *Gray’s warm introspective eloquence invites and then indulges contented immersion in bibliographic nostalgia. * The New European *A gorgeous thing. A series of lyrical loveletters to the wonders of reading. Wonderful, evocative essays. * BBC Radio Scotland *A collection of mini-essays that cheer on the small pleasures of book reading…a lovely thing. * The Herald *

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Book SynopsisGareth L. Powell would be the first to tell you that he doesn''t know everything about being a writer, or about getting published, or about life when your work is in a bookshelf. But his field-guide to publishing, About Writing, is absolutely here to help writers on every stage of their journey.Whether you need a bit of writing inspiration or tips on how to find your voice, are struggling to manage writing alongside a day job, want some no-nonsense advice about working with an agent or a publisher or are all at sea with social media, this updated and expanded guide is a must have.Positive, blunt and refreshingly honest, this is a guide to the practical business of writing from a professional author with a decade''s experience, who has navigated working with publishers of all sizes, and walked the path from debut to award-winner. Written with Gareth L. Powell''s trademark warmth and wisdom, About Writing is here to help you achieve your goals, and write your own story.Ori

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Book SynopsisThe gripping and definitive in-the-room account of the revolution that has swept the news industry over the last decade and reshaped our world.The last decade has seen the News industry face unprecedented change. The sometimes-century old institutions which were once the bastions of truth have had their dominance eroded by vast innovations in viral technology and, as millennial appetites force the industry to choose between principles of objectivity and impartiality, the survivors must confront the horrifying cost of their success: sexual scandal, fake news, the election of President Trump and the shaking of democracy.Taking us behind the scenes at four media titans - BuzzFeed, VICE, The New York Times and The Washington Post - Abramson reveals the human drama behind this shift: one involving deal-making tycoons, thrusting reporters, hard-bitten editors, egomaniacs, bullshitters, provocateurs and bullies, with some surfing and others drowning in the breaking wave of change. 'A cracking, essential read… Abramson knows where most of the bodies are buried and is prepared to draw the reader a detailed map' GuardianTrade ReviewA cracking, essential read … [Abramson] knows where most of the bodies are buried and is prepared to draw the reader a detailed map * Guardian *A masterwork … a vastly useful immersion in the ways of contemporary journalism * Financial Times *Chock-full of arresting titbits … describes the perfect storm that has engulfed newspapers over the past dozen years * Telegraph *Amazing. Filled with colourful inside stories, this book is essential for anyone who wants to understand today’s media and how it is affecting our society -- WALTER ISAACSONDeeply researched, wonderfully written and filled with fascinating portraits. Jill Abramson tells the truth about the news business as only she can tell it. An important book at a crucial time -- GAY TALESEA fascinating read -- Liz Thomson * The Arts Desk *

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Book SynopsisBook Lovers' London is an established guide to all things literary in London with reviews of all the bookshops selling new books as well as second-hand and antiquarian bookshops, book dealers, libraries, book fairs, auctions, markets and much more.

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Book SynopsisAnne Scott has never housed her books in order of theme or author yet she knows where each of them is and the kind of life it has led. Some have been gifts but most have been chosen in bookshops unique in their style and possibilities. They have been observers of discovery, decisions, and marvels with her, following the line of her time and place. Some are everyday shops with a shelf of books in a corner, some are beginning again after long lives as churches, printing presses, medieval houses, a petrol-station. There are a few the author is too late to see: early print-houses and booksellers here too in this book, searched for and described, side by side with all the bookshops open now and busy with readers. Not one is like another. In one way, the book is a sequence about writing. But first it is a map of books and a life.Trade Review'It is a work of research, one built to last. Its 20,000 words are beautifully constructed, and not one seems out of place.'-Alan Pattullo, The Scotsman; 'An indispensable guide to bookshops lost and living and an at times moving tribute to impact of the bookshop on the open-minded and inquiring individual.'-Northwords Now

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Book SynopsisBuilding on insights from the fields of textual criticism, bibliography, narratology, authorship studies, and book history, The Preface: American Authorship in the Twentieth Century examines the role that prefaces played in the development of professional authorship in America. Many of the prefaces written by American writers in the twentieth century catalogue the shifting landscape of a more self-consciously professionalized trade, one fraught with tension and compromise, and influenced by evolving reading publics. With analyses of Willa Cather, Ring Lardner, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Robert Penn Warren, and Toni Morrison, Ross K. Tangedal argues that writers used prefaces as a means of expanding and complicating authority over their work and, ultimately, as a way to write about their careers. Tangedal’s approach offers a new way of examining American writers in the evolving literary marketplace of the twentieth century.Table of ContentsIntroduction An Influence on the Public: Writers, Authors, Prefaces.- Chapter One People Have to Learn: Willa Cather’s Introductions to My Ántonia.- Chapter Two Stepping In or Turning Back: Ring Lardner and Authorial Refusal.- Chapter Three Inhibiting Signposts: F. Scott Fitzgerald and Authorial Anxiety.- Chapter Four The Will to Control: Ernest Hemingway and the Action of Writing.- Chapter Five The Awful Responsibility: Robert Penn Warren, Ralph Ellison, and Time.- Chapter Six A Safe Distance: Toni Morrison and the Search for Legacy.- Conclusion Every Given Moment Has Its Value: To Get a Proper Reading.

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Book SynopsisA series of personal, curated interviews with internationally-acclaimed literary editors. This book is the chance to widen your horizons as a writer, discovering new and established literary journals across the world. Sit down with these experienced editors to find out what they really want from a submission, and allow them to demystify the publishing process, across a wide range of genres.; "Accessible and informative, In Conversation with... Literary Journals is an essential tool for emerging and established writers, publishing their work across all genres. Make space for it on your bookshelf." - Dr Jenna Clake, Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at Teesside University

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Book SynopsisThe extraordinary life and legacy of legendary journalist Cokie Roberts—a trailblazer for women—remembered by her friends and family.Through her visibility and celebrity, Cokie Roberts was an inspiration and a role model for innumerable women and girls.Trade Review“Encouraging and enlightening…. A celebration of women helping women.” — Washington Post “A beautiful book.” — Andrea Mitchell, MSNBC “A moving tribute.” — Christian Science Monitor "A moving testimony of the remarkable life and legacy of his wife, trailblazing journalist Cokie (1943–2019). Through depictions of her faith, family, work, writing, and friendships, Roberts shares engrossing anecdotes about his partner from their over 50 years together. . . . This loving tribute is likely to gain the celebrated journalist a whole new crop of fans." — Publishers Weekly, starred review "Inspiring." — New York Daily News "Demonstrates . . . both the painful loss and the rich and enduring legacy of this pioneering journalist and compassionate human being." — Booklist "An upbeat portrait of a productive life that was so important to journalists and women everywhere." — Kirkus “A highly readable and immensely heartwarming biography.” — Library Journal

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Book SynopsisA concise edition of the highly acclaimed Oxford Companion to the Book, this book features the 51 articles from the Companion plus 3 brand new chapters in one affordable volume. The 54 chapters introduce readers to the fascinating world of book history. Including 21 thematic studies on topics such as writing systems, the ancient and the medieval book, and the economics of print, as well as 33 regional and national histories of ''the book'', offering a truly global survey of the book around the world, the Oxford History of the Book is the most comprehensive work of its kind. The three new articles, specially commissioned for this spin-off, cover censorship, copyright and intellectual property, and book history in the Caribbean and Bermuda.All essays are illustrated throughout with reproductions, diagrams, and examples of various typographical features. Beautifully produced and hugely informative, this is a must-have for anyone with an interest in book history and the written word.Trade ReviewAs a collection of essays, this will be of immense use. * David McKitterick, Library & Information History *we should be thankful for the wealth of information that this book contains * Adrian Johns, Isis *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION; WRITING SYSTEMS; THE SACRED BOOK; THE ANCIENT BOOK; THE HISTORY OF THE BOOK IN BYZANTIUM; THE EUROPEAN MEDIEVAL BOOK; THE EUROPEAN PRINTING REVOLUTION; THE BOOK AS SYMBOL; THE TRANSMISSION OF JEWISH KNOWLEDGE THROUGH MSS & PRINTED BOOKS; MISSIONARY PRINTING; PAPER; THE TECHNOLOGIES OF PRINT; THE ECONOMICS OF PRINT; CENSORSHIP; COPYRIGHT AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY; THE MANUSCRIPT AFTER THE COMING OF PRINT; PRINTED EPHEMERA; CHILDREN'S BOOKS; THE HISTORY OF ILLUSTRATION AND ITS TECHNOLOGIES; BOOKBINDING; THEORIES OF TEXT, EDITORIAL THEORY, AND TEXTUAL CRITICISM; THE ELECTRONIC BOOK; BRITAIN, C. 1475-1800; BRITAIN, 1801-1914; BRITAIN FROM 1914; IRELAND; FRANCE; THE LOW COUNTRIES; GERMANY; SWITZERLAND; THE NORDIC COUNTRIES; THE IBERIAN PENINSULA; ITALY; MODERN GREECE, C. 1453-2000; AUSTRIA; HUNGARY; CZECH REPUBLIC AND SLOVAKIA; POLAND; THE BALTIC STATES; SLAVONIC BOOK IN RUSSIA, UKRAINE, AND BELARUS; THE BALKANS; SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA; THE MUSLIM WORLD; THE INDIAN SUBCONTINENT; CHINA; KOREA; JAPAN; SOUTHEAST ASIA (1): THE ISLANDS; SOUTHEAST ASIA (2): THE MAINLAND; AUSTRALIA; NEW ZEALAND; LATIN AMERICA; CANADA; AMERICA; WEST INDIES/CARIBBEAN

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Book SynopsisThis volume explores problems concerning the series, national development and the national canon in a range of countries and their international book-trade relationships. Studies focus on issues such as the fabrication of a national canon, and on the book in war-time, the evolution of Catholic literature, imperial traditions and colonial libraries.Trade Review'An invaluable and engrossing re-evaluation of the Publishers Series, providing stimulating international comparisons and a lasting and important contribution to modern social and cultural history' - James Raven, Professor in Modern History, University of Essex, UK 'The phenomenon of the publisher's series - so central to 18th and 19th-century publishing and reading practices - has never before been considered so fully. In the sheer breadth of the new material they encompass, enabling comparisons across time and space, these volumes will prove invaluable to students and scholars alike.' - Mary Hammond, Senior Lecturer, Department of English, University of Southampton, UKTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgements Notes on Contributors Introduction. Wondering about 'the Causes of Causes'. The Publisher's Series, its Cultural Work and Meanings PART II: The Series, the Academy, and the World; J.Spiers The American Publisher's Series Goes to War, 1942-1946, J.B.Hench The Spanish Collections of Herder Verlag: International Catholic Literature; A.C.Viro Adamantios Korais' The Greek Library (1805-1827): An Ingenious Publisher and The Making of a Nation; N.Yakovaki Fabricating a National Canon: The Role of Richard Bentley and George Robertson in Developing and Marketing the Australian Library; A.Rukavina Series for Women in 19th Century Netherlandsl; L.Kuitert Leonard Bast's Library: Aspiration, Emulation and the Imperial National Tradition; R.Fraser Negotiating the List: Launching Macmillan's Colonial Library and Author Contracts; S.Towheed Household Words: An Account of the 'Bengal Family Library'; A.Gupta Great Books by the Millions: J. M. Dent's 'Everyman Library'; T.I.Seymour 'The Green and the Gold': Publisher's Series in 19th-century Ireland; E.Tilley One Series After Another: The Macmillan Company of Canada; R.Panofsky Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Eye-opening. . . . Garibaldi’s conclusions regarding the ‘challenges and opportunities that underpin commitments to building an inclusive American society’ are timely and penetrating. This is a vital look at a transformative era in American literature." * Publishers Weekly *"A compelling and readable account of how the relationship between emerging Black authors and their predominantly white-run publishing firms developed in the USA between the 1910s and the 1960s. . . . Impermanent Blackness provides a window on an important aspect of American literary history."---Terry Potter, Letterpress Project"Impermanent Blackness is a very interesting and insightful read about a key period in American literary culture and publishing."---Ilina Jha, Redbrick Culture"Garibaldi’s critical work traces the ups and downs of [the] interracial aesthetic from the beginning of the twentieth century to the 1960s. In the process, he adds another dimension to our understanding of the complex racial dynamics of this era. . . .Garibaldi does an excellent job of describing both the thick history and the wider conceptual stakes."---Paul Giles, Australian Book Review

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisThis volume explores problems concerning the series, national development and the national canon in a range of countries and their international book-trade relationships. Studies focus on issues such as the fabrication of a national canon, and on the book in war-time, the evolution of Catholic literature, imperial traditions and colonial libraries.Trade Review'An invaluable and engrossing re-evaluation of the Publishers Series, providing stimulating international comparisons and a lasting and important contribution to modern social and cultural history' - James Raven, Professor in Modern History, University of Essex, UK 'The phenomenon of the publisher's series - so central to 18th and 19th-century publishing and reading practices - has never before been considered so fully. In the sheer breadth of the new material they encompass, enabling comparisons across time and space, these volumes will prove invaluable to students and scholars alike.' - Mary Hammond, Senior Lecturer, Department of English, University of Southampton, UKTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgements Notes on Contributors Introduction. Wondering about 'the Causes of Causes'. The Publisher's Series, its Cultural Work and Meanings PART II: The Series, the Academy, and the World; J.Spiers The American Publisher's Series Goes to War, 1942-1946, J.B.Hench The Spanish Collections of Herder Verlag: International Catholic Literature; A.C.Viro Adamantios Korais' The Greek Library (1805-1827): An Ingenious Publisher and The Making of a Nation; N.Yakovaki Fabricating a National Canon: The Role of Richard Bentley and George Robertson in Developing and Marketing the Australian Library; A.Rukavina Series for Women in 19th Century Netherlandsl; L.Kuitert Leonard Bast's Library: Aspiration, Emulation and the Imperial National Tradition; R.Fraser Negotiating the List: Launching Macmillan's Colonial Library and Author Contracts; S.Towheed Household Words: An Account of the 'Bengal Family Library'; A.Gupta Great Books by the Millions: J. M. Dent's 'Everyman Library'; T.I.Seymour 'The Green and the Gold': Publisher's Series in 19th-century Ireland; E.Tilley One Series After Another: The Macmillan Company of Canada; R.Panofsky Index

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Book SynopsisThis volume is a ground-breaking contribution to enlightenment studies and the international and cross-cultural history of print. The result of a five year research project, the volume traces the output and dissemination of books and how reading tastes changed in the years 1769-1794. Mapping the book trade of the Société Typographique de Neuchâtel (STN), a Swiss publisher-wholesaler which operated throughout Europe, the authors reconstruct the cosmopolitan elite culture of the later enlightenment, incorporating many engaging case studies. The STN''s archives are uniquely rich in both detail and range, and while these archives have long attracted book historians (notably Robert Darnton, a leading scholar of the Enlightenment), existing work is fragmentary and limited in scope. By means of comparative study, the author considers the entire book market across Europe, making local, regional and chronological nuances, based on advanced taxonomies of subject content, author information, markTrade ReviewA solid addition to the historiography of the Enlightenment and the general history of the book... This book would certainly be of interest to historians, literary scholars, database designers, and archivists. Selling Enlightenment can certainly be recommended for all types of research oriented academic libraries. * Libraries: Culture, History & Society *A striking achievement. Curran’s commendably exhaustive delving into the STN’s superb business archives and his use of digital humanities methodologies to form and to test hypotheses adds a renewed level of relevance to key questions about the European Enlightenment and the role of the STN within it. * Colin Jones, Professor of History, Queen Mary University of London, UK *For those with an interest in the history of the 18th-century book trade and the dissemination of knowledge in Enlightenment Europe, this is a work of major importance. Curran knows the rich archives of Neufchatel as well as anyone, and he communicates his important and provocative findings with liveliness and grace. * Darrin M. McMahon, Mary Brinsmead Wheelock Professor, Dartmouth College, USA *Table of Contents1. Introduction 2. A Publishing House Across the Border? 3. Accounting for Books 4. Running a Publishing House 5. Business Networks 6. Literary and Book Trade Clients 7. Rivals or Allies: The STN and its Competitors 8. Getting to Market: The History of a Book 9. The Politics of Publishing Conclusion Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisA. J. A. Symons was, as Simon C. W. Hewett puts it, “a bibliophile, bibliographer, bookdealer, calligrapher, serial club founder, gourmet, author, biographer, and expert on Baron Corvo, Oscar Wilde, and Victorian musical boxes.” He is perhaps best remembered as the author of The Quest for Corvo. Simon Hewett draws on his own collection, highlighted in a 2018 exhibition at the Grolier Club, representing Symons interests through manuscripts, books, letters, membership lists, photos, catalogues, rule books, and ephemera.

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Book SynopsisONE OF LIT HUB''S MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2023 • ESQUIRE''s August 2023 Book Club Pick"If books are important to you because you''re a reader or a writer, then how books are sold should be important to you as well. If it matters to you that your vegetables are organic, your clothes made without child labor, your beer brewed without a culture of misogyny, then it should matter how books are made and sold to you."With Amazon’s growing power in both bookselling and publishing, considering where and how we get our books is more important now than ever. The simple act of putting a book in a reader’s hands—what booksellers call handselling—becomes a catalyst for an exploration of the moral, financial, and political pressures all indie bookstores face. From the relationship between bookselling and white supremacy, to censorship and the spread of misinformation, to the consolidation o

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