Back To The (Sustainable) Future: The Year 2050 In Words And Pictures

It's 2050. Somehow we haven't joined the dinosaurs in extinction, succumbed to the Secret Society of Super Villains, or been raptured up to the clouds. And the robots are friendly, not evil. Futurologist and environmentalist Sir Jonathan Porritt's The World We Made: Alex McKay's Story from 2050, published this week by Phaidon, imagines in full color what the future will look like if humanity gets with the eco program. Absent here is the dire forecasting of Orwell's 1984 or the mystical monolith of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Porritt presents a future that's rosy without being far–fetched, where every house is water–efficient and we're all BFFs with our robots. The book is framed as the parting gift of a retiring history professor, Alex McKay, telling his students "how we got the world back from the brink of collapse to where we are now in 2050." "It's definitely not science fiction," Porritt tells Co.Design. "Everything in this book is either already in existence or in development today, or has been flagged up by a designer as a possibility for the near future." Porritt would know––he founded Forum for the Future and acts as a sustainability adviser for the Prince of Wales and companies like Nike and PepsiCo. He spent years on this book working with teams of designers, from urban planners to architects to genetic engineers, and the results are astounding.Read Full Story     Continue reading at 'Fast Company'

[ Fast Company | 2013-10-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #space odyssey #parting gift #science fiction #spent years

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Back To The (Sustainable) Future: The Year 2050 In Words And Pictures'


'Bedtime Stories for Awful Children,' a free ebook from 'Year Walk' devs

The dark, freezing woods of Sweden are the perfect breeding ground for terrifying tales of naughty children who get what they deserve. This week, Simogo -- the developer of beautifully macabre game Year Walk, and mysterious narrative experiences De... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2015-09-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bedtime stories #free ebook


20 Years of Amazon.com Bookselling

In 1995, the year Amazon opened the virtual doors to its online bookstore, the company posted revenue of $511,000—a total that jumped to $15.7 million in 1996 and skyrocketed to $147.7 million in 1997. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-09-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #virtual doors #online bookstore


PRH snaps up Ehrlin's picture book

Penguin Random House Children’s has acquired the bestselling self-published title The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep after the title shot to number two in the charts last week following extensive media coverage. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-09-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #prh snaps #picture book #fall asleep


Back to Hogwarts: 'Harry Potter' fans celebrate the traditional first day of school

In the 'Potter' books, Hogwarts students always head back to school on Sept. 1. Many fans are celebrating today and 'Potter' fanatics have a new book (by Rowling although not set in the 'Potter' universe), a new theme park, and – a bit farther out – a new movie to look forward to. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-09-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #harry potter #head back #theme park


Foyles Birmingham touted as a ‘model for the future’

The Bookseller can exclusively reveal the first image of Foyles’ new Birmingham store as the countdown to its opening begins in earnest [below]. The second of the company’s shops to open outside London, the 4,300 sq ft Foyles Birmingham will be a “model store for the future”, according to... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-08-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #birmingham store #paul currie


A manifesto for the future of the book

In his call for Your five-minute manifesto for FutureBook, The Bookseller editor Philip Jones writes that part of the planning of our FutureBook Conference this year (4th December at The Mermaid) is "to take this recent history of the book business and reflect on the job still to do." To that... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-08-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book business #recent history


Back to School Goals and Advice

As students sharpen their pencils and charge their mobile devices, teachers and librarians tell us how they’re preparing for the first day of school. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-08-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #mobile devices


Bear story to be Walliams’ next picture book

The Bear Who Went Boo!, about a cheeky polar bear cub, will be David Walliams’ next picture book, published by HarperCollins later this year.   Children’s publisher Ann-Janine Murtagh said the book, which will be released 5th November in time for Christmas, is a “deliciously funny new tale”... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-08-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #david walliams #bear story #picture book #big hit #perfect partner


Faber records loss in latest financial year

Faber saw a drop in turnover for the year ending March 2015, with a significant increase in its operating loss from the 12 months previous. The publisher’s turnover was £15.9m, down 1.8% from £16.2m the year before. Faber made an operating loss of £813,000, up from £5,000 in the 12 months to... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-08-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #significant increase #operating loss #financial statements


Minneapolis's Loft Literary Center Celebrates 40 Years

While the Twin Cities marked the anniversary with a full schedule of events, literary nonprofits elsewhere saluted the Loft's longevity. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-08-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #full schedule


Channel 4 to adapt Bear Hunt picture book

Channel 4 is set to broadcast a 30-minute animation based on Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury’s bestselling picture book We’re Going on a Bear Hunt. The channel’s chief executive officer Jay Hunt and head of drama Piers Wenger commissioined the programme, striking a deal with Walker... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-08-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #michael rosen #helen oxenbury #bear hunt #walker productions #helen mcaleer #julia posen #executive producers #lupus films


New York Times backs down after complaint by Mario Vargas Llosa

Paper says use of Mail Online article was ‘at odds’ with its ‘journalistic standards’Mario Vargas Llosa, the Nobel prize-winning author, has slammed the New York Times for publishing what he called “slanderous and perfidious” gossip that, it transpired, was culled from the Daily Mail’s... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-08-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #twitter account #daily mail


The Girl on the Train tops Amazon's UK ebook sales this year so far

Paula Hawkins’ bestseller leads a crop of psychological thrillers, in a top 20 dominated by womenDark psychological thrillers dominate the list of the year’s bestselling ebooks unveiled by Amazon, with MP Nadine Dorries making it into a line-up composed almost entirely of female writers.The... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-08-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #psychological thrillers #female writers #bestselling ebook #bestselling ebooks #male writers #lee child #david nicholls


Sample New Writing from Indonesia at Words Without Borders

Words Without Borders featured nine new translations from Indonesia in advance of Indonesia's turn as Guest of Honor at the 2015 Frankfurt Book Fair. The post Sample New Writing from Indonesia at Words Without Borders appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-08-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #borders appeared


Mario Vargas Llosa hits back at claim he sold story to Hola!

Nobel laureate slams ‘slanderous’ New York Times Book Review article that repeated information from the Daily MailNobel laureate Mario Vargas Llosa has been forced to deny that he sold a story to Hola! magazine in Spain, and that he announced a new relationship on Twitter, following a review in... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-08-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


The girl who came back to life: Lisbeth Salander resurrected for a new novel

Early in 2004, a pair of green folders labelled "Men Who Hate Women 1 and 2" landed on the desk of Eva Gedin, an editor at the Swedish publishing house Norstedts. Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2015-08-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #eva gedin


Adult Fiction Print Units Bouncing Back in 2015

Since ebook sales exploded in 2009–2010, the adult fiction category has seen the steepest drop in print units of all the major book segments as readers migrated to digital formats, particularly in such fiction genres as romance, mystery, and science fiction. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-08-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #steepest drop #print units #digital formats #fiction genres #science fiction


U. of Akron Press Gets Support, Staff Back

Authors, staff, and other supporters of the University of Akron Press expressed relief after UA president Scott Scarborough affirmed his commitment to maintaining the press' viability and rehired laid-off employees. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-08-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #akron press


The State of the Magazine Media Business, Mid-Year 2015

12 top industry leaders see opportunity amid a “fog of choices.” The post The State of the Magazine Media Business, Mid-Year 2015 appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2015-08-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


'Solid' Quarto half-year revenues rise 1%

The chief executive of The Quarto Group, Marcus Leaver, said the company achieved a “solid” set of results in the first half of the year, with revenues rising 1% compared to the same period a year earlier.   For the six months ending 30th June 2015, revenues totalled $66.2m (£42.4m), 1% higher... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-08-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #year earlier #quarto group #marcus leaver #1% higher