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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Hamilton becomes first three-time William Hill Sports Book of the Year winner

Duncan Hamilton has become the first person to win the William Hill Sports Book of the Year three times after he scooped the 2019 prize for The Great Romantic (Hodder & Stoughton). Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-12-04 18:37:26 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #sports book #duncan hamilton


Reading Agency chosen for Times Christmas Appeal

The Reading Agency is one of three charities chosen for the Times Christmas Appeal this year.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-11-29 23:05:38 UTC ]
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Two Roads acquire book to showcase Jeremy Hardy's comic genius

Two Roads has acquired a book of the "words, wit, wisdom, one-liners and rants" of comedian Jeremy Hardy, who died earlier this year.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-11-28 19:44:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #died earlier


Jeremy Corbyn vows to protect libraries from forces of doom.

In a press conference in London earlier today, embattled-but-unbowed leader of the British Labour Party, lifelong democratic socialist, and absolute boy Jeremy Corbyn revealed a dossier proving that the US is demanding that Britain’s National Health Service (a remarkable civic institution born... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2019-11-27 16:43:19 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #libraries #press conference #protect libraries


TV chef Gary Rhodes dies aged 59

Celebrity chef and prolific cookery author Gary Rhodes has died at the age of 59. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-11-27 10:40:32 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #celebrity chef


How the real-time data gold rush creates steep learning curves for developers [Q&A]

By 2025, industry analyst firm IDC predicts that 30 percent of all data will be real-time. The avalanche of streaming data frameworks, libraries and processing engines has created a massive learning curve for developers. We spoke with Craig Blitz, product director of cloud native application... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2019-11-27 10:04:35 UTC ]
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Happy 25th anniversary, banner ads -- now it’s time to retire

While banner ads are past their prime, we wouldn’t be in this golden age of digital content marketing without them. Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-11-25 15:00:00 UTC ]
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Lessons: The Less-Traveled Road to Getting a Book Published

Networking happens outside of Brooklyn, and New York isn't the only game in town: a list of lessons about publishing a book and making it worthwhile. The post Lessons: The Less-Traveled Road to Getting a Book Published appeared first on The Millions. Continue reading at The Millions

[ The Millions | 2019-11-21 11:00:05 UTC ]
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The New York Times’ acclaimed “1619 Project” to become a series of books.

Random House announced today that they’ve acquired the rights to a series of books based on the New York Times Magazine’s extraordinarily popular “1619 Project,” which interrogates received perspectives on four centuries of slavery in America through essays, stories, histories, poems, and... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2019-11-20 13:52:40 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #random house #nikole hannah-jones #books based #book series—


Financial Times Names New Top Editor | People on the Move

[caption id="attachment_175123" align="alignright" width="150"] Roula Khalaf[/caption] The Financial Times announced Roula Khalaf as its next editor, making her the first female top editor at the FT in its 131-year history. A 24-year veteran of the FT, Khalaf most recently served as deputy... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2019-11-14 20:49:51 UTC ]
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L.A. Times Book Club's next read is 'Barking to the Choir' by Gregory Boyle

Preaching second chances: L.A. Times Book Club's next read is 'Barking to the Choir' by Gregory Boyle Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-11-14 19:38:58 UTC ]
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Lionel Barber to step down as editor of the Financial Times

In May, Jim Waterson, media editor at The Guardian, reported that Lionel Barber, the editor of the Financial Times, was on the way out, and that the search was on for his replacement. In the summer, when Amber A’Lee Frost, who was interviewing Barber for CJR, mentioned that he was retiring,... Continue reading at Columbia Journalism Review

[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2019-11-12 13:03:08 UTC ]
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Illingworth to join D H H Literary Agency as full-time agent

Bookseller Harry Illingworth is set to leave Goldsboro Books at the end of the year to become a full-time agent at The D H H Literary Agency. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-11-12 03:55:21 UTC ]
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Lin-Manuel Miranda has a surprisingly personal reason for opening a bookstore in the age of Amazon

He may have created the biggest hit on Broadway, but the ‘Hamilton’ auteur still thinks small in a lot of ways, especially when it comes to business. Along with being the creator of a little show called Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda is also known for his enthusiastic social media... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2019-11-08 17:15:09 UTC ]
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It’s always a good time to revisit the brilliance of Elizabeth Bishop

And here’s the perfect excuse: Thomas Travisano’s excellent biography, “Love Unknown.” Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2019-11-08 16:44:17 UTC ]
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Former William Collins c.e.o. Ian Chapman dies, aged 94

The "extraordinarily talented" former Collins chairman and c.e.o. Ian Chapman has died, aged 94. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-11-08 14:43:47 UTC ]
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Habash Departs, Varno Named Fiction Reviews Editor at PW; Cramer Goes Full-Time

David Varno has been named fiction reviews editor, effective November 18, replacing Gabe Habash, who will leave the company on November 15. Phoebe Cramer is now a full-time associate reviews editor, covering genre fiction. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-11-07 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Letting Kids Be Kids: A ‘Wrecking Ball’ Event for the Ages (shelftalker)

In which Jeff Kinney oversees dumpster divers, sledgehammer trivia, and a very surprising dance-off! Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-11-06 13:00:42 UTC ]
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Florida men deny smalltown library access to the New York Times online, citing “fake news.”

The bullpen of the 1993 San Diego Padres Citrus County Commission (pictured above) has denied funding to county libraries for digital subscriptions to the New York Times. Led by left-handed middle-reliever area man Scott Carnahan, the commission (comprised of Scott, Jeff, Ron, Jimmie, and Brian)... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2019-11-05 16:08:55 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #libraries #digital subscriptions #denied funding


Adobe, Twitter and the New York Times team up to fight digital fakes

Adobe, Twitter and the New York Times are tired of seeing fake media propagate, and they're teaming up to do something about it. The trio has launched a Content Authenticity Initiative that aims to create a standard for digital media attribution. I... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2019-11-05 00:34:00 UTC ]
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