Bookseller who transformed the perception of sports writing and set up the William Hill Sports Book awardJohn Gaustad, who has died aged 68, was a quietly spoken New Zealander who revolutionised the British sports books industry. In 1985 he opened Sportspages, a small shop in Caxton Walk, off Charing Cross Road in London; and for two decades it played an extraordinary role – part-conventional bookshop, part-social club, part-shrine – that transformed the perception of sports writing within publishing. Though Sportspages itself has gone, Gaustad’s other brainchild, the William Hill Sports Book award, lives on as testament to his vision.Born in Wellington, John was the son of Robert, an accountant, and his wife, Nancy (nee Bennett), a legal secretary. He travelled to Britain in 1974, with a philosophy degree from the Victoria University of Wellington, where he had worked in the bookshop. That experience helped him get jobs at Dillons in London and Heffers in Cambridge, where he began to think about the possibilities of niche bookselling. He settled on sport.A good sports book was a good book that happened to be about sport Related: Guardian writers nominated for William Hill Sports Book of the Year award Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2016-06-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Children's author and educator Joan W. Blos, winner of the 1980 Newbery Medal for her historical novel 'A Gathering of Days,' died on October 12 in Ann Arbor, Mich. She was 89. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-10-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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It’s Mark Zuckerberg’s business model that allows Facebook to be manipulated by political activists – no wonder he’s in denial about itOne of my favourite books is The Education of Henry Adams (published in 1918). It’s an extended meditation, written in old age by a scion of one of Boston’s... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2017-10-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Trying to achieve change through something like science fiction seems like a pipe dream,' Adams says. 'But it also feels like the only thing that writers can hope to do.' Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2017-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Playboy founder, who has died aged 91, claimed he wanted to help liberate women as sexual beings – but critics decry a legacy of objectificationOne evening in 1967, Hugh Hefner, who has died aged 91, appeared on a TV special broadcast from the Playboy Mansion’s library. Puffing on his customary... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2017-09-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Multimillion fines are just the start for Facebook and Google, as the world comes to realise how political big tech has becomeIn his wonderful book The Swerve: How the Renaissance Began, the literary historian Stephen Greenblatt traces the origins of the Renaissance back to the rediscovery of a... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2017-09-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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William Heinemann will publish the “long-awaited” sequel to Kill Your Friends by John Niven, a decade after his cult debut. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-09-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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John Blake Books is publishing Chloe Ayling, a 20-year-old model from South London who made headlines this summer after she was allegedly lured to Italy for a fake photoshoot, then drugged and kidnapped. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-09-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Durham, N.C.-based Carolina Wren Press is acquiring the trademarks and backlist of Winston-Salem-based publisher John F. Blair. The combined company will function as a non-profit publisher and will be renamed Blair. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-09-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Genre-bending author Brian Aldiss is remembered by his agent, Gordon Wise of Curtis Brown. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-09-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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John Murray is publishing Falling Short, a "funny, uplifting, deeply moving" literary debut by "true new talent" Lex Coulton. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-09-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Viking is preparing for a "huge" campaign around the publication of John le Carré's new book, A Legacy of Spies, dubbed "the literary event of the autumn". Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-09-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Independent poetry publisher Carcanet Press has paid tribute to poet John Ashbery who has died aged 90. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-09-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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John Murray is publishing Jessie Greengrass’s first novel, Sight, in February 2018. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-09-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Howard Kaminsky, a former president and publisher of Warner Books, Random House and William Morrow/Avon, has died. He was 77. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-08-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Welcome to books this week! First, a couple of stories that you can find only online: THE BIG STORY John Smelcer’s YA book “Stealing Indians” is a finalist for the recently announced PEN Center USA awards. Questions about Smelcer have been raised since 1994, when he was teaching at the University... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-08-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Wiley was founded in 1807 and competes in three markets represented by its core divisions of Research, Professional Development, and Education. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-08-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hodder & Stoughton is publishing a new "highly topical" legal thriller from John Grisham this October, The Rooster Bar, inspired by the student debt crisis. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author-illustrator and designer Rebecca Bond died on August 2 after a brief illness. She was 45 years old. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Acclaimed children’s book author and illustrator Jill McElmurry, best known for her work on the Little Blue Truck picture book series, died on August 3, at the age of 62. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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