Final chapter for Pears' Cyclopaedia after 125 years in print

The once hugely popular almanac has seen much-diminished sales in the digital era, and editor’s retirement persuades publisher to close itOne hundred-and-twenty years after Pears’ Cyclopaedia made its first appearance, offering “A Mass of Curious and Useful Information about Things that everyone Ought to know in Commerce, History, Science, Religion, Literature and other Topics of Ordinary Conversation” for a shilling, its publisher Penguin has announced that the newest edition of the beloved compendium of facts will be the last.Penguin attributed the decision to discontinue the almanac to the retirement of its long-term editor Dr Chris Cook, as well as “the ready availability of electronic information [that] has made the printed reference book no longer commercially competitive”. According to the Bookseller, sales have sharply declined in recent years, with the 2001/2002 edition selling just under 25,000 copies, while last year’s sold barely 3,000. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2017-09-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BEA 2014: Browsing the Children’s Booths, Chapter 2

For those navigating the booths of children’s publishers today, here’s a preview of new books on display, author signings, and giveaways to pick up. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BEA 2014: Passionate After 40 Years

You couldn’t find a more optimistic person than David Caron, owner and co-publisher of ECW Press, when it comes to the future of the publishing industry, and he is very proud of the company he’s been with for 10 years. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BEA 2014: Hale’s Whirlwind Year

Shannon Hale would probably feel right at home in a superhero costume right about now. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BEA 2014: Browsing the Booths, Chapter 1

Booksellers on the lookout for recent and forthcoming offerings from children’s publishers will catch an eyeful as they roam the aisles. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BEA 2014: APAC Celebrates 20 Years

The 20th Audio Publishers Association Conference kicked off with a "State of the Union" address from APA President Michelle Lee Cobb at the Javits Center in New York City on Wednesday morning. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-05-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Trends Media’s Liu Jiang: Diversifying Beyond the ‘Print Mindset’

Trends Media Group is China’s leading fashion publishing house. Chairman Liu Jiang discusses his diversification plans to secure its future. Continue reading at Knowledge@Wharton

[ Knowledge@Wharton | 2014-05-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Faber and Cape makes Wales Book of the Year shortlist

Parthian Books, Faber and Jonathan Cape all have English-language titles in the shortlist for the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Judith Kerr: E-books will not replace print for children

E-books will not replace printed children’s books, bestselling children’s author... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-05-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Three-year global partnership for Hay and BBC

The Hay Festival and the BBC have linked up for a three-year global partnership which will see... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-05-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Print, Digital Settle Down

An analysis of the digital and print sales of seven companies between 2011 and 2013 provides more evidence that the days of rapidly rising ebook sales, and plunging print sales, are likely over for the trade book market. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The P&L Sheet: My Year of Reading Quickly

This past year I served on the selection committee for the American Library Association’s Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction & Nonfiction—a task I undertook with a good amount of dread. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Green Apple Books: PW Bookstore of the Year

Twenty years ago, if someone had told Pete Mulvihill, Kevin Ryan, and Kevin Hunsanger that they would one day own Green Apple Books, the store where they then worked, all three of them would have been “gob-smacked”—much like their reaction last month when they were told that their San Francisco... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Teresa Rolfe Kravtin: PW 2014 Rep of the Year

This year’s PW Rep of the Year award winner, Teresa Rolfe Kravtin, a commission rep with Southern Territory Associates since 2002, owes it all to Faith—or at least a good part of it. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Savannah Book Festival to Offer Year-Round Author Events

The Savannah Book Festival announced plans to offer year-round author events, starting with Tami Hoag set to headline the Spring 2014 event. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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UK YA Convention final line-up revealed

The final list of authors attending the UK’s first Young Adult Literature Convention (YALC... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-04-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Is Dawn Finally Breaking For E-books in Spanish? Spanish Books Spring 2014

In recent months, the double-digit sales growth of ebooks in English has begun to plateau, but since the Spanish-language book market tends to be around three to five years behind the English-language market, ebook sales of Spanish books in the U.S. are just beginning to gain traction. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Cengage emerges from Chapter 11

Cengage Learning has emerged from Chapter 11 after completing its financial restructuring.... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-04-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Vonnegut's Advice to the Young Coming to Print

Seven Stories is publishing a collection of Kurt Vonnegut's commencement speeches, edited and introduced by Vonnegut's longtime friend, Dan Wakefield. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-04-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Samuel Beckett story to be published 80 years after it was rejected

Nobel laureate was told by publisher that 'people will shudder and be puzzled and confused' by reading Echo's BonesA previously unpublished story by Samuel Beckett will go on sale in bookshops for the first time, 80 years after his publisher rejected it as a nightmare read that gave him "the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-03-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Print isn't dead after all; mags record upbeat quarter

The struggles of print media are far from over, but the first quarter of 2014 has been a particularly upbeat period for the magazine business, and not just because 35 titles launched, compared with... To view the full story, click the title link. Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2014-03-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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