Faber & Faber: by Toby Faber review – the untold story of a publishing giant

They turned down Ulysses and Animal Farm, but still shaped 20th‑century literatureAll publishing houses have archives, but for anyone interested in 20th-century literature the archive of Faber & Faber is a fabled treasure house. This is the firm that was, as Toby Faber puts it, “midwife at the birth of modernism”. In 1924 Faber’s grandfather, Geoffrey Faber, aspiring poet and fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, had been installed as chairman of the Scientific Press, recently inherited by another All Souls fellow, Maurice Gwyer. It published mostly books and journals for nurses. Geoffrey Faber renamed it and started making it into a literary publisher. Within his first year he had installed TS Eliot as a fellow director and acquired his backlist.The firm would go on to publish Ezra Pound, WH Auden and James Joyce’s Finnegans Wake. Then Robert Lowell, Sylvia Plath, Ted Hughes, Philip Larkin, Seamus Heaney: a poetry list to beat all others. Academics have always itched to get into the Faber archive, to get at the letters and memos that record how this 20th-century canon was made. Toby Faber has rights of entry. He has given us a highly selective anthology rather than a narrative: his book is made up of extracts from original documents (mostly letters, but also memos, board minutes and blurbs), with spare comments from himself.Faber & Faber allowed The Bodley Head to get Ulysses; “Feebler and Fumbler”, Joyce called the firm Related: Lord of the Flies? ‘Rubbish’.... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2019-06-20 11:00:08 UTC ]
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Books of the Year: Newspaper review round-up

Last year marked our first round up of the numerous “books of the year” features across the media. It saw a total of 660 books being touted by various critics, writers and celebrities. This year, our spreadsheet collating the reviews boasts 910 titles that have been recommended across several... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Century-old publishing house goes to auction

The West Baltimore home of a defunct century-old book publisher that once commanded offices in Chicago and San Francisco will go on the auction block Wednesday — a casualty of Hurricane Katrina, technological change and even the "For Dummies" instructional book series. Continue reading at Baltimore Sun

[ Baltimore Sun | 2014-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Dear Reader by Paul Fournel review – an elegy for the printed book

A charming French novel about an old-school publisher trying to get to grips with the digital ageAt more than one point in this novel I found myself asking: could this be any more French? Early on we meet a character described thus: “She used to be incredibly good-looking and now at... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mark Smith to join Bonnier Publishing

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[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hilary Mantel attacks critics over BBC’s Margaret Thatcher story broadcast

Exclusive: Author makes spirited response to Mail on Sunday after corporation decides to air The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher on Radio 4’s Book at BedtimeRead Hilary Mantel’s controversial short storyMan Booker prize-winning author Hilary Mantel delivered a spirited attack on her critics... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-12-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Purcell looks to propel Amazon Publishing UK

Amazon Publishing plans to grow its list of UK titles and authors “substantially” in 2015, Eoin Purcell, UK head of Amazon Publishing, has told The Bookseller. The publisher is also “constantly looking to create new platforms to connect authors and readers”, Purcell said. Amazon Publishing UK,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Small loss for Faber in 'tough' year

Faber saw a sharp drop in turnover for the year ending March 2014, and made a small operating loss for the year. The independent publisher recorded a turnover for the year of £16.3m, down 18% from £20m in the previous year. From an operating profit of £2.3m in the year to end March 2013, the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Headline to publish fan edition of Turner's memoir

Headline is to publish a special fan edition of musician Frank Turner’s touring memoir The Road Beneath My Feet. The publisher has teamed up with PledgeMusic, a direct-to-fan music platform, to offer the £30 hardback. Fans are being asked to provide their own personal reminiscences of seeing... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'The Crew': The Joystiq Review

In the course of the last console generation, Ubisoft has gone from "the French publisher behind the Tom Clancy games" to the world's leading creator of lucrative open-world sandbox franchises (by quantity, if not quality). This success hinges on a s... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2014-12-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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What we learned about publishing in 2014

Here are five of the big publishing trends of 2014, and what we learned. The post What we learned about publishing in 2014 appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2014-12-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Igloo Books is this month launching a series of books based on DreamWorks Animation’s new family film "Penguins of Madagascar". The range includes a book of the film, picture books, sound boards, various sticker and activity sets, and colouring books, and the company intends to “push ourselves... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Senate's 'torture report' will be published as a paperback aimed at a wide audience

Melville House will publish the Senate Intelligence Committee's 'Study of the Central Intelligence Agency's Detention and Interrogation Program,' otherwise known as the 'torture report,' in paperback format by Dec. 30. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-12-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook Gives Publishers New Tools, Hopes They’ll Use Them to Give Facebook More Stuff

Facebook has been courting content companies for years because it wants content companies to bring more of their content to Facebook. Here’s a new example: A set of tools that will make it easier for publishers to share their stuff ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2014-12-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook to Make Sure the Right People See Publishers' Posts

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[ Advertising Age | 2014-12-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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MCB to publish Rowell’s Carry On in UK

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[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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William Heinemann to publish long lost love letters

William Heinemann has acquired a “significant” collection of erotic letters from a young woman to her lover dating from the 1920s. Selina Walker, publisher at Century and Arrow, bought UK and Commonwealth (excluding Australia New Zealand) rights to the collection, edited by Jean Yves Berthault... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BBC and Booktrust launch teen story competition

Booktrust and the BBC have launched a short story competition for teenagers. The ‘BBC Young Writers’ Award with Booktrust’ is for teen writers (aged 14-18) of short stories, on any topic, of up to a 1,000 words. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Short Takes: Religion Publishing News Briefs, December 10, 2014

Audio line debut for IVP; 2015 Grawemeyer winner announced; Target Holiday Book Club features Nelson book; Baker titles selected as best church resources; Puritan/Reformed publisher releases new Bible, books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Digiday | 2014-12-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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