From 1948 to 1975, David Astor transformed Britain’s oldest paper into a vibrant, intelligent weekly renowned for its progressive campaigns and the quality of its writing. The author of a new biography recalls some of Astor’s achievements• Click here to read an extract on Astor’s lifelong interest in psychoanalysisDavid Astor was in his mid-30s and recently demobbed when, in 1945, he began to work full time on his family newspaper. Although he had long been the heir-apparent, his father, Waldorf Astor, felt that he needed more experience before becoming the editor of the Observer: he was made the foreign editor, while Ivor Brown, an old-fashioned man of letters, given to writing books about cricket and the theatre, held the fort as acting editor.Cyril Dunn, later to report for the paper from India and South Africa, joined the Observer in 1947 and quickly realised that “David Astor was in total control of what was going on and Ivor Brown was making no attempt to disguise his figurehead status” and that “what I witnessed were the birth pangs of an Observer sensationally different from anything in its own past and a paper unique and wonderful in western journalism as a whole”. Astor was singlemindedly converting a conservative, rather frowsty newspaper into a non-party paper of the centre-left, famed for the quality of its writers: it would combine support for the postwar welfare state with a belief in free enterprise and the mixed economy, anti-communism and Atlanticism... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2016-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Unit sales of print books fell 4.1% in the week ended Dec. 10, 2022, from the comparable week in 2021, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-12-16 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Unit sales of print books had one of their best weeks of the year last week, but it wasn’t quite enough to top sales from a year ago. As a result, unit sales fell 4.1%, marking one of the smallest declines this fall. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-12-15 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon is discontinuing its print textbook rental program, and will phase out print and digital magazine and newspaper subscriptions as well, though some magazines and newspapers will remain available through Kindle Unlimited. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-12-14 05:00:00 UTC ]
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The Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced the 2023 Golden Globes nominations today. Streaming services dominated television categories, while direct-to-streaming films were recognized as well. Netflix and HBO Max had the best showings among streamers, tallying 14 television... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2022-12-12 19:51:09 UTC ]
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While Thanksgiving week provided a solid sales boost over the week ended November 19, 2022, the increase was not enough to lift unit sales of print books over the week ended November 27, 2021, with total unit sales falling 10.3% from Thanksgiving 2021. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-12-01 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Tributes have flooded in for the much-loved writer, who wrote more than 40 books for children and adults including the recent Be the Change handbooksAuthor Marcus Sedgwick, who wrote more than 40 books for children and adults, has died aged 54. His literary agency RCW has confirmed his death,... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-11-17 13:02:14 UTC ]
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Unit sales of print books fell 17.1% last week compared to the week ended November 13, 2021, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. It was the third consecutive week that sales fell by double digits compared to 2021. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-11-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Damian Bradfield's new graphic novel 'Algorithmic Reality' (created with artist David Sánchez) surveys and predicts a wide range of the increasingly dubious consequences of life online. A 14-page excerpt. Published by NBM. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-11-16 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Bestselling writer Lewis has been shadowing Bankman-Fried as the cryptocurrency founder’s company, FTX, failed Bestselling author Michael Lewis, whose books include The Big Short and Flash Boys, is writing about the former boss of the failed cryptocurrency exchange for his next book.FTX, which... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-11-14 11:44:35 UTC ]
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Beyond Wakanda Forever, comic book writers like Evan Narcisse are extending the reach of the Black Panther’s story. Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2022-11-11 10:00:00 UTC ]
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Exclusive: Britain’s Got Talent judge made sexually explicit comments about participant, leak showsThe Britain’s Got Talent judge David Walliams made derogatory and sexually explicit remarks about contestants during the recording of an episode of the ITV show, according to a leaked transcript... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-11-10 10:00:02 UTC ]
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Next year will mark the 80th anniversary of the book’s publication, and celebrations are already underway in New York City, where Saint-Exupéry wrote his masterpiece. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-11-10 05:00:00 UTC ]
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The soft fall sales season continued last week, with print unit sales falling 14.9% compared to the week ended November 6, 2021. Sales declined in all categories, including sales of adult fiction, which has been the best-performing segment this year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-11-10 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Megachurch pastor and bestselling author David Jeremiah takes #1 on PW’s Religion Nonfiction Bestsellers List with his newest title, ‘The World of the End.’ In Religion Fiction, Amir Tsarfati tops with ‘By Way of Deception,’ based on real events inspired by Israel's national intelligence agency. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-11-09 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Despite three books posting sales of more than 100,000 copies last week, unit sales of print books fell 14.2% compared to the week ended October 30, 2021 at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-11-03 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Blockbuster sales of Colleen Hoover’s It Starts with Us were not enough to prevent overall unit sales of print books from falling 9.1% in the week ended Oct. 23, 2022, compared to the similar week in 2021, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-10-28 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Unit sales of print books fell 10.5% in the week ended Oct. 15, 2022, from the comparable week in 2021, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-10-21 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Publisher who founded Virago Press began as a campaigning outsider who introduced UK readers to authors including Angela Carter and Margaret AtwoodCarmen Callil, the publisher and writer who championed female writers and transformed the canon of English literature, has died of leukemia in London... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-10-18 09:09:25 UTC ]
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The actor, known for playing Hagrid in the Harry Potter franchise and Fitz in the series Cracker, has died aged 72. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2022-10-14 18:09:44 UTC ]
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Unit sales of print books fell 8% in the week ended Oct. 8, 2022, from the comparable week in 2021, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-10-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
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