Nigerian school stakes claim to have set up Africa's first printing press

The Hope Waddell Training Institution, a school in Nigeria founded in 1895 by Presbyterian missionaries, is laying claim to have set up Africa's oldest press. But could it be so?Hope Waddell, in Calabar, Cross River State, had a functioning printing press from 1903, initially to serve the school but later used to print newspapers. In an interview with Nigeria's Daily Trust, the school's principal, Edet Inyang, was unequivocal: "Our school had the first printing press in Africa."According to Wikipedia a large Wharfedale flat-bed printing press, donated by "friends in Scotland" was still in use in 1960. But another Wikipedia entry, about the development of media in Sierra Leone, states that although the first printing press in Africa, which arrived in Freetown in 1794, was destroyed by a French raiding party, another one became operational in 1800.And a paper on printing presses in sub-Saharan Africa, published last year (July 2013) by Julia Cagé and Valeria Rueda, contends that several mission societies acquired presses in Cape Colony between the 1820s and the 1870s.And, they write, the Methodists acquired a printing press in Grahamstown in the 1830s while the Anglicans set up presses at several places in the eastern Cape in the 1860s and 1870s.So Hope Waddell's claim to printing fame looks rather shaky. On the other hand, to be using a flat-bed printing press as late as 1960 must be some kind of record. More of a last than a first, perhaps. Sources: Daily Trust/Wikipedia... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2014-01-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Andreou swaps Knopf for Harvard University Press

George Andreou has been appointed as director of the Harvard University Press after 27 years at Knopf. Continue reading at The Bookseller

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Beal leaves Oneworld for Muswell Press venture

Kate Beal, formerly sales director at Oneworld, has left the company and, in partnership with her sister Sarah Beal, acquired Muswell Press. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tangerine Press' dream

Michael Curran, founder of London-based press and book binder Tangerine Press, has organised next weekend’s The Uncorrected Independent Book Fair, a showcase for seven eclectic independent publishers. Natasha Onwuemezi talks to him about the event, and to five of its exhibitors. Continue reading at The Bookseller

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Christie's 'secret' letters to HarperCollins set to be revealed

The secret history between Agatha Christie and her long-standing publisher, HarperCollins, are being revealed as part of a new exhibition celebrating the company’s 200th anniversary. Continue reading at The Bookseller

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Connecticut Mom Jumps Into the Print Magazine Business

If all goes according to plan this summer, Daisy Beach, 10, and Lucy Beach, 12, will have quite the "How I Spent My Summer" presentation to share with their Wilton, Ct. classmates. Per a write-up in Hearst-owned daily newspaper The Norwalk Hour, their mom, Sarah, is looking to lift off a... Continue reading at AdWeek

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Constable signs Neil Broadfoot to pen new Stirling-set crime series

Constable has signed crime writer Neil Broadfoot in a three-book deal to write a new contemporary series set in Stirling in Scotland. Continue reading at The Bookseller

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Harvard University Press Names New Director

George Andreou, currently v-p and senior editor at Alfred A. Knopf, has been named the new director of the vaunted university press. The job marks something of a homecoming for Andreou, who graduated from Harvard College in 1987. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

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Pearson to sell 22% stake in Penguin Random House

Pearson has agreed to sell 22% of its stake in Penguin Random House (PRH) to co-shareholder Bertelsmann, valuing the publisher at $3.55bn (£2.76bn). The deal means Bertelsmann will increase its control over the publisher, owning a 75% stake, while Pearson will own the remaining 25%. The deal is... Continue reading at The Bookseller

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Pearson sells 22% stake in Penguin Random House

Shares in the publishing firm rise after it says the sale will raise about $1bn (£776m). Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2017-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Travel print section returns Aug. 20; check here for fresh stories during redesign

The Travel section is being redesigned. It will not appear in the print edition of the Sunday Los Angeles Times from July 2 through Aug. 13. The print section will return to your newspaper on Aug. 20. In the interim, continue to come to Travel online for fresh destination features and vacation... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

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Bertelsmann Ups PRH Stake to 75%

Bertelsmann has agreed to buy a 22% stake in Penguin Random House that will generate about $1 billion for Pearson, which will still have a 25% stake in the trade publishing giant. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

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Investment company Chester buys majority stake in Urbane

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Fourteen Lancashire libraries set to reopen

Fourteen libraries in Lancashire could reopen after being closed last year following a change in council leadership. Continue reading at The Bookseller

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Comics in Libraries and Schools at San Diego Comic-Con 2017

A select listing of panels for each day of the Comic Conference for Librarians and Educators, to be held July 19–23. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

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The Rise in Print Continues

Despite no big hit, sales of print units this year are 3% higher than in the first half of 2016. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

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Children's author sparks debate on school visit etiquette

Children’s authors have debated the opportunities and perils of school visits on Twitter after writer Maz Evans shared advice for schools. Continue reading at The Bookseller

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Print Units Up 3% in First Half of 2017

Unit sales of print books rose 3% for the first six months of 2017 compared to the first half of last year at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

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Alward signs new series with S&S set in near-future

The Potion Diaries author Amy Alward has signed a new series with Simon & Schuster, set in a near-future society where mobile phones have been replaced by “smart pets”. Continue reading at The Bookseller

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The Divided States of Hysteria's cover should never have been printed | Kieran Shiach

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Cassava Republic Brings Africa to America

Nigerian publisher Cassava Republic has begun distributing books to the U.S. and will introduce several bestselling African adult and children's authors to American readers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

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