British Library staging exhibition of comics in 'overdue' celebration of genre

Library chief, Roy Keating, says show will explore field from Misty comics and superhero classics to graphic novelsBoys in the late 1970s probably assumed the girls comic Misty was all boring romance, puppies and ponies. How wrong they were. They were full of "incredibly dark, weird, psychologically harrowing" stories with "trippy and odd" artwork, said John Harris Dunning.Dunning is co-curator, with Paul Gravett, of what will be the UK's biggest exhibition of British comics, taking in everything from newly discovered Victorian comics to modern classics such as V for Vendetta.The summer show, entitled Comics Unmasked: Art and Anarchy in the UK, is being staged by the British Library which holds the complete output of the British comics industry but said it had not in the past done the genre justice.Roly Keating, the library's chief executive, said: "It is fair to say, if we are being honest, that we haven't devoted to that sector of our collection the scholarly and curatorial effort we have devoted to some of the higher culture parts of our collection. This year we are addressing that with a vengeance."The exhibition will have sedition and rebellion at its heart, said Dunning. It will also aim to explode a few myths, not least that the publications are all about superheroes and that reading them is the pastime of boys, he added."When we first started to talk to people about this comic book show some people said 'it's only for boys'. It's garbage," said Dunning. "People... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2014-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Yellow Jersey hat trick at British Sports Book Awards

Publication Date: Tue, 10/05/2011 - 08:24 Random House imprint Yellow Jersey Press has scored a hat trick of wins at the British Sports Book Awards, with W H Smith also taking home the best sports book retailer prize. Catrine Clay's Trautmann's Journey won best biography, while Promised Lane by... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bennett to hold Brent library fundraiser

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Tue, 10/05/2011 - 11:17 Alan Bennett is to hold a fundraiser to help fund the legal campaign against the Brent library closures. Residents of Brent sent a legal letter to the council's legal director on Friday (6th May). It argues the council's move... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Blackwell cuts 19 from library supply business

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Tue, 10/05/2011 - 14:19 Blackwell has today (10th May) axed 19 head office jobs from its library supply team. The staff, who are all based at the Blackwell headquarters in Oxfordshire, were told today they will be made redundant as of 1st July. read... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Legal action over Brent library closures

Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Mon, 09/05/2011 - 11:21 Brent council, which recently confirmed a decision to close six of its 12 libraries, has become the latest to face a legal challenge from residents. Law firm Bindmans sent a letter before action detailing a proposed claim for... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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British Bookshops' creditors to receive less than 10% of money owed

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Mon, 09/05/2011 - 15:41 The administrators of British Bookshops and Stationers has said it can only pay back eight-10p in every pound owed and expects the level of claims to increase. A recent document published on Companies House said the former... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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High Court reviews for library closures

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Wed, 04/05/2011 - 09:15 Somerset and Gloucestershire county councils have been landed with a judicial review in the High Court over their plans to close over 20 libraries. Somerset County Council plans to withdraw funding for 11 libraries while... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Libraries vital for nation's happiness, says Archbishop

Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Tue, 26/04/2011 - 15:48 The Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams criticised library closures during his Easter Sermon, delivered at the weekend. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Kindle Books to Be Loaned From Libraries Later This Year

Amazon said Wednesday that its popular Kindle e-reader will allow customers to borrow Kindle books from more than 11,000 U.S. libraries starting later this year. Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2011-04-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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More library closures set for summer

Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Thu, 21/04/2011 - 08:10 A second wave of library closures will be announced following the May local elections and through into the summer, claim library experts. Just over 500 public libraries, including mobile library services, are currently... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Check it Out: Amazon Will Add 11,000 U.S. Libraries to the Kindle [eMoney]

Amazon just eliminated one of the biggest differences between the Kindle and competing e-readers. It said today it will be rolling out the Kindle Library Lending feature later this year, allowing customers to borrow books for free from more than 11,000 libraries in the U.S. Other e-readers and... Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2011-04-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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National Libraries Day could become a 'week of events'

Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Wed, 20/04/2011 - 07:27 A first planning meeting is to be held to establish a National Libraries Day, after widespread support for the idea from organisations including the Booksellers Association, the National Union of Teachers, Booktrust, The... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BBC defends genre fiction coverage

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Genre authors attack "sneering" World Book Night coverage

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Mon, 18/04/2011 - 09:19 Authors including Iain M Banks and Michael Moorcock have written to the BBC's director general Mark Thompson, attacking the treatment of genre fiction in its recent World Book Night coverage. In total 85 authors, across the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book spend cut "easiest" way to save library revenue

Written By: Benedicte Page and Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Thu, 14/04/2011 - 16:09 A libraries boss has admitted cutting spending on books is "the easiest" way to achieve savings, as wholesaler Bertrams reports its library sales have slumped by a quarter. Results put out by parent Smiths... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Campaigners says publishers 'not interested' in library fight

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bertrams blames sales drop on library decline

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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LBF: Libraries must digitise to stay relevant

Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Wed, 13/04/2011 - 13:59 Libraries must embark on a programme of digitising content if they are not to be left behind amid changes to the sector, a senior figure in European library digitisation has claimed. Speaking to The Bookseller, Jon Purday,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Osprey to expand British heritage range

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BA and PA in library plea to councils

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Mon, 04/04/2011 - 12:26 The Publishers Association and Booksellers Association have written to all local authority chief executives, saying they are "deeply concerned" about potential spending cuts leading to libraries disappearing from... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Mon, 04/04/2011 - 16:11 Brent Council has recommended closing six of its libraries, as protests continue against the cuts. The report follows a three-month community consultation on Brent's "Libraries Transformation Project". It has been... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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