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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Donald Trump says he'd block any mergers between AT&T; and Time Warner

Campaign 2016 updates: Donald Trump says Donald Trump says women accusing him 'will be sued after the election is over' Oct. 22, 2016, 11:42 a.m. Donald Trump hits the campaign trail in Gettysburg, Pa., while Hillary Clinton is in Philadelphia. Trump says of women accusers will be sued after the... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-10-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frankfurt Book Fair 2016: PW Talks to Pew Research Center’s Lee Rainie about Reading in the Digital Age

It's been a disruptive decade for the book business, but Pew's latest research suggests that Americans' reading habits have remained relatively stable. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-10-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Books of The Times: Review: In ‘The Arab of the Future 2,’ Back to Syria in 1984

The cartoonist Riad Sattouf; the second volume of his graphic memoir has just been published. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2016-10-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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One-Time Lad Mag FHM Is Back! But Only Online, and Aiming a Little Higher

Media brands never really die, even when they stop publishing.It's been about 10 years since FHM, a formerly high-flying "lad mag" originally known as For Him Magazine, stopped publishing a print edition in the U.S. But Bauer Xcel Media, which took over FHM's website when the U.K. edition of the... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2016-10-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Foyles Charing Cross Road closed after flood

A basement flood has closed Foyles’ flagship store on London’s Charing Cross Road today (17th October). Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The New York Times introduces its new 'International Edition'

Newspaper’s title is changed in a revamp aimed at testing whether it can turn a profit as its publishing company continues to build a digital audience Overnight, the International New York Times has become The New York Times International Edition. The change of title is accompanied by a new... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-10-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Challenges for Publishers in Uncertain Times

Effective implementation of technology will let companies react to new opportunities Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-09-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HarperCollins to publish I-SPY spoof titles in time for Christmas

HarperCollins is to release a new series of I-SPY books for adults this November, riding on the back of the spoof nostalgia trend which proved so popular with readers and booksellers last Christmas. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-09-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Should reading replace prison time?

Reading books 'strengthens the spirit of faith and the will to solve social problems,' says an Iranian judge. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2016-09-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Anthracite Fields' composer Julia Wolfe says MacArthur grant will bring 'time and space'

After receiving the Pulitzer Prize for music last year, a Grammy Award nomination and other praise for her coal-mining-themed choral work “Anthracite Fields,” composer Julia Wolfe can add another accolade to her professional mantel: a MacArthur Fellowship, a five-year grant that comes with an... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-09-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Cupcakes from Jamie T and a trip to Abbey Road: A day in the life of NME’s digital editor

For the latest in Digiday’s Day in the Life series, Charlotte Gunn, digital editor at NME, takes us through an average day. Like many publishers, NME is producing more video content, half of Gunn’s time is spent finessing the video strategy. This includes Facebook Live sessions with bands at... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-09-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Trade Show in Political Times: Frankfurt’s Weltempfang

Asking the question, 'How do we want to continue living together in Europe?' Frankfurt Book Fair's Weltempfang is a hub of debate and inquiry. The post The Trade Show in Political Times: Frankfurt’s Weltempfang appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-09-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Time Inc.'s Matt Bean Returns to Rodale as Editor in Chief of Men's Health

Four years after leaving Rodale for Time Inc., Matt Bean is set to return to the Emmaus, Pa.-based magazine publisher with a shiny new title: editor in chief of Men's Health. "Matt is truly a modern day editor, savvy across print, digital and social platforms, with a clear vision for the Men's... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2016-09-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How Forbes got readers to double the time spent per post on mobile

For most news publishers, their audiences increasingly prefer visiting them on mobile devices. Forbes faced this problem acutely, with half its audience coming to it on mobile devices. So it created card-like formats to replace text-based stories. The financial news publisher said its new... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-09-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Joe Ripp out as Time Inc. CEO

Following three years of nearly frenzied activity aimed at turning the No. 1 magazine publisher into a digital innovator, Joe Ripp has been replaced as chief executive of Time Inc. Relative newcomer... To view the full story, click the title link. Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2016-09-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Michael Gove turns book reviewer for The Times

Former justice secretary Michael Gove is set to return to the Times newspaper as a book reviewer and columnist. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-09-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Oz magazine co-founder Richard Neville dies aged 74

Richard Neville, the Australian author and co-founder of controversial 60s counterculture magazine Oz, has died in Byron Bay aged 74. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2016-09-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Michael Gove returns to the Times as columnist and book reviewer

Former justice secretary and Leave campaigner left newspaper to become Surrey Heath MP in 2005Michael Gove, the former justice secretary and Leave campaigner, is set to return to the Times as a columnist and book reviewer.Gove, who was sacked by prime minister Theresa May after making an... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-09-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pay-back time for publishers: authors forced to return their advances

This week, it emerged that Pride and Prejudice and Zombies author Seth Grahame-Smith was being sued by his publisher to return his advance. From Julian Assange to Amy Schumer, he isn’t alone...Though he’s fallen out spectacularly with his publisher, Seth Grahame-Smith at least has the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-09-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Under Pamela Paul, a New Books Desk Takes Shape at the 'Times'

The 'New York Times Book Review' editor, now overseeing all of the paper's books and publishing coverage, lays out what readers can expect to change—and to stay the same. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-09-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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