In the age of Corbyn, is the time right for another Road to Wigan Pier?

It’s no surprise that the Left Book Club is being relaunched now, with the imprimatur of the Labour leader and Ken Livingstone. It began in the anxious 1930s, a decade that has all too many parallels with the current oneAiming to “set the agenda for a new age of political debate”, the Left Book Club was re-launched this week at a meeting at the Conway Hall in London. The Left Book Club last published a book in 1948. Jeremy Corbyn had yet to be born. Nevertheless the Labour leader has generously endorsed the revival as “a terrific and timely idea” that will give “intellectual ballast to the wave of political change sweeping Britain and beyond, encouraging informed and compassionate debate”. He added that he had a large collection of Left Book Club titles, some bought new by his parents and others that he acquired second hand. I speculate that the memory of these books in their plain red or orange covers – their flash upon his inward eye – must have provided Corbyn with a rare pleasurable moment in the past few weeks: the thought of them on his shelves having same kind of heart-filling effect that the daffodils had on Wordsworth.My own collection isn’t so large. In fact, it runs to just one book, Orwell’s The Road to Wigan Pier, and I didn’t inherit it. I bought it 20 or 30 years ago because I liked the idea of having such a fine book in its cheap and original form – seeing the words and photographs as its first readers must have seen them. Published in 1937, the year after... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2015-11-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Scribner scoops 'Covid-Age' Decameron

Scribner is to publish The Decameron Project, an anthology of 29 stories about a modern plague, written by authors including Margaret Atwood, Andrew O’Hagan, Colm Tóibín, Kamila Shamsie, Rachel Kushner and David Mitchell.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-02 08:28:47 UTC ]
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10 New Horror Manga To Read in Time for Halloween

Are you prepared for the explicit gore of these new horror manga reads? Dive into our recommendations for your best starting points. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-09-29 10:39:00 UTC ]
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The Times drops the mother lode on Trump’s taxes

Yesterday, the New York Times reporters Russ Buettner, Susanne Craig, and Mike McIntire—and if you recognize the byline you’ll know where this sentence is headed—published a mammoth story based on recent tax returns that President Trump filed with the Internal Revenue Service, records that the... Continue reading at Columbia Journalism Review

[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2020-09-28 12:10:20 UTC ]
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London Library offer e-book loans for first time

The London Library has started offering e-book loans to its members for the first time in a partnership with OverDrive. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-28 00:23:57 UTC ]
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For Comey, time has not healed a major wound

The former FBI director was certain that history would vindicate him. But instead, it has made things even worse. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-09-25 05:02:29 UTC ]
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Watch 'Black Poets in a Time of Unrest' live

L.A. poet laureate Robin Coste Lewis and other poets share experiences and verse with L.A. Times Book Club readers. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-09-24 20:18:48 UTC ]
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Coronet acquires 'timely' debut exploring extinction and survival

Coronet has acquired the debut novel of Kate Sawyer examining life after near global extinction. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-24 19:02:14 UTC ]
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Sir Harold Evans, trail-blazing newspaper editor, dies aged 92

Legendary British-American media figure was behind major investigations including exposure of thalidomide scandalSir Harold Evans, the legendary editor whose 70-year career as a hard-driving investigative journalist, magazine founder, book publisher and author made him one of the most... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-09-24 04:24:29 UTC ]
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UK and USA: Financial Times and McKinsey Announce a Business Book of the Year Shortlist

Eligible for books originally published in English or in translation, the FT-McKinsey program looks for work to 'stand the test of time.' The post UK and USA: Financial Times and McKinsey Announce a Business Book of the Year Shortlist appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-09-23 20:22:39 UTC ]
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Get 'Linux Administration Cookbook' ($35.99 value) FREE for a limited time

Linux is one of the most widely used operating systems among system administrators, and even modern application and server development is heavily reliant on the Linux platform. The Linux Administration Cookbook is your go-to guide to get started on your Linux journey. It will help you understand... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2020-09-22 15:03:07 UTC ]
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‘A Girl Is a Body of Water’ is a poignant coming-of-age tale about women’s hard-won wisdom

Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi’s Uganda-set novel follows a girl caught between tradition and her rebellious urges. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-09-22 08:24:52 UTC ]
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Guess How Much I Love You author Sam McBratney dies aged 77

The Northern Irish author was best known for his story of Little Nutbrown Hare and Big Nutbrown Hare, which sold more than 50m copiesSam McBratney, the author of the bestselling picture book Guess How Much I Love You, has died at the age of 77.The Northern Irish author died on 18 September, his... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-09-21 14:12:28 UTC ]
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Terry Goodkind dies, aged 72

Tributes have been paid to “amazing” fantasy author Terry Goodkind, best known for the 17-volume Sword of Truth series, after he passed away aged 72. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-18 10:12:00 UTC ]
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Walter Mosley changes gears with ‘The Awkward Black Man,’ a meditation on health, aging and life

The story collection is a departure for the beloved writer best known for his Easy Rawlins mysteries. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-09-15 12:00:00 UTC ]
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The best new audiobooks include a 30-year-old novel that’s as timely as ever

Gore Vidal’s “Hollywood” is finally getting the audiobook treatment, and not a moment too soon. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-09-14 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Lecrae Opens Up on Healing in Chaotic Times

In I Am Restored, the award-winning hip hop artist bares all his traumas and how he rediscovered his faith with a balance of therapy and theology. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-09-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Octavia Butler has finally made the New York Times Best Seller list.

Why aren’t there more Science Fiction Black writers? There aren’t because there aren’t. What we don’t see, we assume can’t be. What a destructive assumption. —Octavia E. Butler, in Octavia E. Butler: Telling My Stories.   A small good thing amid the unrelenting horror: This week, almost fifty... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-09-03 16:37:21 UTC ]
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JMP to publish Sally J Morgan's 'timely and pertinent' debut

John Murray Press will publish Sally J Morgan's debut Toto Among the Murderers on its J M Originals list this October. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-02 18:06:05 UTC ]
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Lockdown diaries: changing times

In terms of technology, we were lucky to be well set up for remote working: our company had already made sure we were equipped with the things we needed to work from home, so when it was announced that the office was closing, I was able to carry on and keep things moving. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-31 12:07:37 UTC ]
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This Saturday is Independent Bookstore Day: no better time to stock up on books.

Just a friendly reminder that tomorrow, August 29th, is Independent Bookstore Day. This year, the festivities will be both online and in-person at 600+ local bookstores around the country, starting tonight with a conversation between Mary Norris and Ann Goldstein about Elena Ferrante’s The Lying... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-08-28 17:01:59 UTC ]
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