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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Independent publisher Elsewhen Press is releasing a novel/graphic novel hybrid, An Android Awakes. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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No Exit Press has acquired five books in a pre-Frankfurt Book Fair buying “spree”. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The bookstore/art gallery is adding a trade imprint, Chatwin Books, focused on literary fiction and poetry. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The U.K. will be the guest of honor at the 29th annual Guadalajara International Book Fair (FIL), set to run November 28–December 6, in Guadalajara, Mexico. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Minneapolis independent press Rain Taxi is celebrating 20 years of promoting literary fiction and nonfiction, from its quarterly magazine to programs that bring literature into public spaces. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The regional publisher has axed eight free print titles in the Midlands and folded a further three into paid-for titles in the North West and South. The company announced the closures in a statement to shareholders this morning in an update on ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2015-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The University of Texas Press is trying to achieve something new with Kristin Hersh’s memoir 'Don’t Suck, Don’t Die: Giving Up Vic Chesnutt,'--a trade bestseller. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Unit sales of print books rose 2% in the first nine months of 2015, compared to the similar period in 2014, at outlets that report to Nielsen BookScan, which records about 80%–85% of all print sales. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Oregon-based audiobook publisher Blackstone is expanding into print with the launch of Blackstone Publishing, which will release classic and original contemporary titles in both print and ebook, beginning in fall 2015. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-09-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Eyeo’s move follows court victory against German publisher Axel Springer, which claimed it breached laws on competition, copyright or market dominanceThe company behind popular ad blocking software AdBlock Plus has said it will set up an “independent board” to oversee its list of acceptable ads,... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-09-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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We Need Diverse Books has announced that on March 18, 2016, the organization will bestow its first Walter Dean Myers Award. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-09-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The long-called-for migration of digital ads from using Adobe Flash to HTML5 is becoming a reality. It's a shift underscored by, among other developments, Amazon's switch to HTML5-only promos earlier this month, as well as The Washington Post last week committing to publishing its content on... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2015-09-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Digital is now as big a part of this industry as print' There is a belief (and relief) now among some booksellers that the ebook "threat" is over. I have heard similar talk from senior buyers at supermarkets, who tell me that they have seen e-reader buyers switching to print books. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-09-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bricks-and-mortar booksellers have a “fantastic opportunity to seize the moment”, with year-to-date print sales up for the first time in eight years. Figures from Nielsen Bookscan show sales of print books for the first 36 weeks of 2015 are up by 4.6% (worth £739.5m) when compared to the same... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-09-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A Scarborough-based independent publisher has won nearly £50,000 grant from the Arts Council England (ACE) Valley Press, which publishers 12 titles a year across poetry, fiction and non-fiction has been awarded a £49,443 grant in National Lottery funds from ACE. The publisher was founded in... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-09-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers are urged to offer schools access to the great works of English literature at low cost by the Education Secretary. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2015-09-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Prime is a good deal to begin with, bringing two day free shipping, video streaming of movies and TV shows, as well as original content, music streaming and even a Kindle lending library for those books you've been meaning to read. For all of that you pay an annual fee of $99, which is... Continue reading at Betanews
[ Betanews | 2015-09-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The former MIT Press director who pioneered the strategy of focused disciplinary specialization, created the first university press website, and published the first interactive ebook died late last week. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-09-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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German publisher Axel Springer (SPRGn.DE) may want to increase its current 7 percent stake in U.S. news website Business Insider, German Manager Magazin reported on Thursday. Citing unnamed financial sources, the magazine said the publisher of ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2015-09-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pearson is to keep its stake in Penguin Random House until at least 2017, its c.e.o. John Fallon has said. The company owns 47% of the publishing company, with the other 53% owned by Bertelsmann. In an interview with Bloomberg TV Fallon said it was “unlikely” that Pearson would exercise its... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-09-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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