David Astor: a king in the golden age of print

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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Printing in Hong Kong and China 2023: All Our Coverage

The quest for greater automation and greener solutions is propelling the Hong Kong and China print manufacturers forward even as they face down rising costs, slow incoming new orders amid excess client-side inventories, and macroeconomic factors beyond their control. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-07-21 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Hong Kong and China Print Manufacturers Press On

Extending their service and supply solutions while intensifying their quest for greater automation and greener technologies is the game plan for Hong Kong and China print players. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-07-21 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Print Books Sales Dropped 3.8% Last Week

With declines in every segment, unit sales of print books fell 3.8% last week compared to the week ended July 16, 2023. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-07-20 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Print Book Sales Improve, Falling Only 1.6% Last Week

A flat sales performance by the adult category and smaller declines in the children’s segments than has been typical in recent weeks resulted in a smaller decline in total unit sales of print books last week. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-07-13 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Despite a Colleen Hoover Reissue, Print Books Sales Fell 4.7% Last Week

Sales from a new edition of a Colleen Hoover novel were not enough to overcome huge sales racked up by Jenny Han's young adult titles last year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-07-07 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Stop the press: Vienna newspaper Wiener Zeitung ends daily print edition after 320 years

One of the world’s oldest newspapers, the Vienna-based Wiener Zeitung, is ending its daily print run after more than three centuries Continue reading at ABC News

[ ABC News | 2023-06-30 10:46:38 UTC ]
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Introducing Ad Age Leading National Advertisers 2023

Ad spending for the top 200 U.S. advertisers showed robust growth, powered my internet companies. Digital media grabbed the lion's share of budgets. Spending is growing this year, but a recession looms. Continue reading at Advertising Age

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Print Book Sales Fell 3.6% Last Week with Nonfiction Still Soft

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-06-22 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Print Book Sales Fell 5.8% Last Week

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-06-15 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Large Print for Readers Young and Old

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-06-11 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Print Book Sales Declined 6.1% Last Week

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-06-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Richard Snyder, ‘warrior-king’ of publishing who presided over rise of Simon & Schuster, dead at 90

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The Book That Crowned Stephen King Is Now a Movie. It’s Still Terrifying.

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Print Book Sales Fell 5.5% Last Week

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-06-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
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'AudioFile' Magazine Announces 2023 Golden Voice Award Winners

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Print Book Sales Dropped 5.7% Last Week

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-25 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Martin Amis, era-defining British novelist, dies aged 73

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[ The Guardian | 2023-05-20 18:53:35 UTC ]
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Abu Dhabi: The Golden Narrative Award’s New Higher Committee

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With a Boost from Adult Fiction, Print Book Sales Rose 1.3% Last Week

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A Christian Threat: PW Talks with David P. Gushee

In 'Defending Democracy from Its Christian Enemies' (Eerdmans, Oct.), professor of Christian ethics David P. Gushee argues that democracies across the world are under threat from an antidemocratic movement among some Christians. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
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