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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When e-readers like the Amazon Kindle burst onto the scene, they were predicted to bring about the death of the print book — and maybe the independent bookstore too. But publishing sales data and on the ground observations from booksellers indicate that neither prediction has come true. Continue reading at CBC
[ CBC | 2023-12-17 09:00:00 UTC ]
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Sales of Liz Cheney's new book got off to a good start and three titles by Rebecca Yarros continued to be hot, but print sales dipped 1.1% last week from a year ago. The decline put an end to two weeks of higher sales over 2022. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-14 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Palestine, Eisner Award-winning cartoonist Joe Sacco’s seminal nonfiction graphic novel about Gaza, which pioneered the medium of “comics journalism” upon its publication over twenty years ago, has been rushed back into print in response to surging demand. First published across nine issues by... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-12-11 17:26:58 UTC ]
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As the author’s Mary Russell series enters its third decade, the latest entry mines new corners of Sherlockian lore and offers glimpses into King’s own life. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-08 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Bill Reeves, previously an agent and an executive producer in the Christian entertainment industry, has been named CEO of Christian publisher David C Cook. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-05 05:00:00 UTC ]
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After 30 years in business, the company will offer direct-to-consumer sales, marketing, and printing services for what founder and CEO Charles Melcher calls "a focused list of clientele." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Titles in the Hunger Games and Empyrean series sold in big numbers last week, leading to a 1.4% increase in sales of print books over 2022. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Online comics are racking up readers, and print book publishers are catching on. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-24 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Celebrated British author A.S. Byatt—a scholar and novelist whose 1990 novel, Possession, won the Booker Prize and brought her international renown—has died at the age of 87. A statement released this morning by her longtime UK publisher, Chatto & Windus, reports that Byatt “died peacefully... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-11-17 16:46:10 UTC ]
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Led by huge numbers for two Rebecca Yarros titles, unit sales of print books rose 3.9% last week over the comparable week in 2022 at outlets that report to Circana BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-16 05:00:00 UTC ]
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In a move to bring the US and UK Hachette divisions closer, London's David Shelley is becoming CEO of both units. The post David Shelley To Lead Hachette in Both the UK and USA appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-11-15 21:10:53 UTC ]
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After nearly 40 years as a professor, he began a new career writing poems and translating classics. He won a National Book Award when he was 86. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-11-11 18:29:17 UTC ]
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Following a one-week, Britney Spears–led sales increase, unit sales of print books fell 8% last week compared to the week ended November 5, 2022. Sales fell in all major categories except young adult fiction. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-09 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Led by blockbuster first week sales for 'The Woman in Me' by Britney Spears and a strong showing in the young adult category, unit sales of print books rose 1.4% last week over the week ended October 29, 2022, at outlets that report to Circana BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-02 04:00:00 UTC ]
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His tiny California newspaper won a Pulitzer Prize for its exposé of Synanon, a renowned drug rehabilitation program that had turned into a violent operation. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-11-01 21:32:07 UTC ]
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Unit sales of print books fell 3.2% last week at outlets that report to Circana BookScan. The performance wasn’t a bad one—it was just unable to match the same period last year, when 'It Starts with Us' by Colleen Hoover sold more than 810,000 copies in its first week on sale. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-10-26 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Dann McDorman, the executive producer of “The Beat With Ari Melber,” gave up writing fiction in his 20s. Now, he’s publishing his first novel at age 47. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-10-24 09:02:04 UTC ]
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A host of new titles and a solid performance by adult segments led to a 4.7% increase in unit sales of print books last week over the week ended October 8, 2022 at outlets that report to Circana BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-10-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The Olivier award-winning actor, whose major film roles included Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series, has died• ‘An actor who let his heart and soul crack open’: David Jays on Michael Gambon• A life in pictures – gallerySir Michael Gambon, whose extraordinary acting career took him from... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-09-28 11:39:05 UTC ]
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After a long run with weekly sales ahead of 2022, unit sales of adult fiction titles were down 0.2% in the year-to-date after sales fell last week. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-09-28 04:00:00 UTC ]
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