Polly Toynbee: what my privileged start in life taught me about the British class system

It wasn’t just luck that steered the Guardian columnist to Oxford and into a media career ... She reflects on the subtle mechanics of class (and an early encounter with a naked future PM)Children know. They breathe it in early, for there’s no unknowing the difference between nannies, cleaners, below-stairs people and the family upstairs. Children are the go-betweens, one foot in each world, and yet they know very well from the earliest age where they belong, where their destiny lies or, to put it crudely, who pays whom. Tiny hands are steeped young in the essence of class and caste. In nursery school, in reception they see the Harry Potter sorting hat at work. They know. And all through school those fine gradations grow clearer, more precise, more consciously knowing, more shaming, more frightening. Good liberal parents teach their children to check their privilege – useful modern phrase – but it swells up like a bubo on the nose. There’s no hiding it.I can summon up the childhood shame at class embarrassments. Aged seven like me, Maureen, with her hair pinned sideways in a pink slide, lived in a pebble-dashed council house by the water tower. They were at the other end of Lindsey, more hamlet than village, half a mile down the road from my father’s pink thatched cottage set in the flat prairie lands of Suffolk, where I spent half my time, the other half in London, shuttling between divorced parents. I envied Maureen for what looked to me like a cheerful large family... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2023-05-20 12:00:56 UTC ]
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Britain's Next Bestseller signs real-life stories

Crowdfunding publishing initiative Britain’s Next Bestseller has offered publishing deals to three British women for books inspired by their own struggles in life. Britain’s Next Bestseller published Ria Frances’ Inflicted in paperback for £8.99 and as an ebook in September 2014 and Cath... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Neglect of textbooks' harming English education system

A new policy paper from the Cambridge Assessment Group has warned that the neglect of textbooks in our education system and publishing is one of the reasons that England has been overtaken by other countries. However the paper, written by Tim Oates, the body's group director of research and... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Reinventing Book Printing: Digital Printing for Every Stage in a Book’s Life

Multinational publishers know that regional book editions increase their options for selling titles, especially in the education segment. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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OUP sponsors working space for ed-tech start-ups

Oxford University Press has partnered with Emerge Education, an "accelerator" for education technology start-ups. The Emerge Education accelerator programme aims to improve educational outcomes worldwide by supporting innovative solutions and ideas from start-up companies. It offers ed-tech... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Dan Brown on the Writing Life as a Global Megaseller

What's it like to sell over 200 million books worldwide? Dan Brown speaks with Publishing Perspectives about his writing life in the wake of enormous success. The post Dan Brown on the Writing Life as a Global Megaseller appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-11-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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B&N Starts Holiday Bundling Program

Barnes & Noble has created B&N Sync Up, a program that will allow customers to buy selected paperbacks and receive the digital edition for $4.99. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jaguar's Google Glass App Brings Print Ads to Life

Jaguar has a clever way to take you inside the plot of its latest villain-themed campaign. Today, the brand is linking print ads in Condé Nast's Vanity Fair, Condé Nast Traveler, GQ and Wired magazines to digital content through the Blippar app for Google Glass and mobile devices. The app is... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2014-11-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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British publisher to translate Patrick Modianos only childrens book

Publisher Andersen Press enters the race to publish Nobel prizewinners work in English, comparing new childrens story to Hans Christian AndersenA childrens book by Patrick Modiano a mystery set in the 10th arrondissement of Paris has just been snapped up by a British publisher amid a flurry of... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-11-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Start Publishing Buys Cleis Press

Start Publishing, which has bought a number of ebook publishing companies over the last 18 months, has made its biggest purchase to date, acquiring the assets of Cleis Press, Viva Editions, and Tempted Romance. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Consultation on jobs at British Museum Press

Ten roles at the British Museum’s digital media and publishing department, which includes the British Museum Press, are under consultation and at threat of redundancy. The department, which also includes website and broadcast teams, is being restructured to help deliver the museum’s “strategic... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'The Heart of Everything That Is' finds new life in paperback format

'Heart,' the nonfiction story of the Native American leader Red Cloud, was well-received critically upon its release and has now become a bestseller in its paperback format. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-10-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Say Media's New Content Management System Helped Boost xoVain Traffic 162%

The decision to develop a brand new content management system (CMS) wasn't hard for SAY Media chief technology officer Dave Lerman and his team. Unhappy that existing platforms limited design and ad options, the online publisher decided to delve into a four-year project, dropping upward of $50... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2014-10-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Two British Library Series to Poisoned Pen

In a deal begun at the London International Book Fair and consummated at Frankfurt, the Scottsdale, Ariz., press took North American rights to both a classics crime and a classic spy series. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-10-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Indie Author Star Freethy Starts Print Imprint

Amazon KDP's bestselling author of all time, Barbara Freethy, has started a new imprint to oversee publication of her books in print formats. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-10-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Short story of a writing life

Author Emily Perkins about imaginary worlds, acting and the ebooks v print debate. Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2014-10-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bookshops hope super Thursday will help start a new chapter for publishing

Hardback titles by the likes of John Cleese and Jacqueline Wilson go on sale in race for Christmas bestseller listsTim Walker is expecting queues outside his familys bookshops in Oakham and Stamford on Thursday. Other booksellers up and down the country will be hoping for a similar rush of eager... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-10-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Life and Death at Frankfurt

Literary agent Barbara J. Zitwer reflects on the pivotal role the Frankfurt Book Fair has played in her life and career. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-10-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Very British Problems follow-up for Sphere

Sphere has acquired a follow-up to Very British Problems: Making Life Awkward for Ourselves, One... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-09-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Comic David Mitchell rails at Amazons cynical life-crushing business style

Online giant operates a rapacious near monopoly, the Observer columnist and Peep Show star tells Booksellers conferencePeep Show star David Mitchell blasted the monopolistic, cynical and frankly life-crushing way that Amazon operates to a roomful of booksellers.The comedian was giving the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-09-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Start-up Learning Curve: Slicebooks Refines Its Biz Model

Three years after co-founding Slicebooks, Jill Tomich reflects on the evolving market for remixed ebooks and content, and how her company has adapted. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-09-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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