Comedians, punks and sportspeople now among 'notables' in the online reference work, once the preserve of the great and goodThe Dictionary of National Biography has charted the lives of the British establishment for 130 years. But while entry into its prestigious pages after death used to depend on financial standing and pedigree, the latest online version is responding to a growing taste for mavericks and risk-takers.Fashion designer Alexander McQueen, irreverent novelist Beryl Bainbridge, comedian and clown Norman Wisdom, turkey farmer Bernard Matthews and hard-living snooker player Alex "Hurricane" Higgins are all to be announced this week as new entrants, selected by experts for inclusion in the 2014 edition.None of these people would have counted themselves among the great and good of the land. "We are looking for 'notability', and what that word means has changed," said the dictionary's editor, Dr Lawrence Goldman, explaining that an impact on national culture is now an important factor. "There are people in there who were rebels, and certainly there is something about death that adds a silver lustre to many well-known figures. We include someone like Malcolm McLaren now. He was a punk and a maverick, but also an influential businessman – almost an exemplar of his age."In the past the dictionary was almost exclusively male and white and gave little space to entertainers, sports stars or even businessmen. "It was very much a Victorian dictionary, interested in the... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2014-01-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Wed, 22/06/2011 - 12:07 HarperCollins has made a series of senior level promotions, with current commercial managing director Simon Johnson becoming managing director, HarperCollins, and Tom Fussell moving into the role of group commercial... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Wed, 22/06/2011 - 16:00 Territorial rights are "obsolete", and contribute to the erosion of publishers' margins, but publishing remains an "intimate" business that would not be improved if local nuances are not respected, delegates at Publishers... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Fri, 10/06/2011 - 14:53 The newly crowned children's laureate Julia Donaldson has given her support for National Libraries Day, the new initiative set to carry on the success of last February's Save Our Libraries Day. Donaldson said: "Hooray for... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Thu, 09/06/2011 - 15:14 Quercus has acquired an authorised biography of WBA world heavyweight boxing champion David Haye. Non-fiction publishing director Richard Milner bought world rights in Making Haye: The David Haye Story by sports writer... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Thu, 02/06/2011 - 09:01 Weidenfeld & Nicolson has acquired a "definitive biography" of country music star, the "Man in Black", Johnny Cash. W&N publisher Alan Samson bought world English rights, excluding US and Canada, to the biography... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Thu, 26/05/2011 - 15:50 An annual National Libraries Day looks set to become a reality after widespread support for the scheme at an early planning meeting held this morning (26th May). read more Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Katie Allen Publication Date: Wed, 25/05/2011 - 09:20 Two titles picked for BBC2s "Culture Show" special on debut novelists, broadcast in March, have made it to the shortlist for the Desmond Elliott Prize 2011. Ned Beaumans Boxer Beetle (Sceptre), also shortlisted for the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Fri, 20/05/2011 - 10:11 US bookseller Barnes & Noble has received an offer for the company from Liberty Media, a private investment group. The deal values the business at about $1bn, but Liberty said it expected to spend $500m on the acquisition... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Bookseller Staff Publication Date: Mon, 16/05/2011 - 09:10 Bidders for Waterstone's have a reported two weeks to express a formal interest in the chain, as parent HMV Group said it was in "advanced discussions" over a sale. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publication Date: Fri, 13/05/2011 - 11:54 Titles on Russian history, the populace of Germany and a spiritual travelogue have been longlisted for the 2011 Authors' Club Dolman Travel Book of the Year. Molotov's Magic Lantern by Rachel Polonski (Faber), Germania by Simon Winder (Picador) and All... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publication Date: Thu, 12/05/2011 - 09:30 Lonely Planet is to move some operations to London at the same time as making 70 staff redundant in Australia. Staff at the Lonely Planet office in Melbourne have been told a large part of the company's web operations are moving to the UK following... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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National Geographic won Magazine of the Year as well as Single Topic issue at the 2011 National Magazine Awards. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-05-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Katie Allen Publication Date: Mon, 09/05/2011 - 08:50 Pearson, Blackwell and Jamie Oliver are a few book trade names to make it onto the Sunday Times Rich List 2011. Vincent Cowdray and the Pearson Family were jointly in at number 64, with the family up £165m on last years figure.... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In starting Bookish.com, Simon & Schuster, Penguin Group USA and Hachette Book Group hope to provide one-stop shopping for books and information about authors. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2011-05-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Wed, 27/04/2011 - 09:11 The trustee of the estate of the late Willy the Wizard author Adrian Jacobs has appealed against the High Court's order for him to pay £1.5m as security for the costs of J K Rowling and Bloomsbury before the plagiarism... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Tue, 26/04/2011 - 15:48 The Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams criticised library closures during his Easter Sermon, delivered at the weekend. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Wed, 20/04/2011 - 07:27 A first planning meeting is to be held to establish a National Libraries Day, after widespread support for the idea from organisations including the Booksellers Association, the National Union of Teachers, Booktrust, The... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Tue, 19/04/2011 - 09:51 Bloomsbury has purchased the backlist of The National Archives Publishing programme, and entered into an agreement to co-publish a range of forthcoming titles. The National Archives of the United Kingdom, in Kew, holds... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Katie Allen Publication Date: Fri, 15/04/2011 - 08:46 Titles on topics from Second World War bombers to the life of Roald Dahl have been longlisted for the BBC Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction 2011. The list of 18 books also includes Edmund De Waals Costa-winning The Hare with... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Fri, 15/04/2011 - 11:32 Independent publisher Choc Lit has bought a contemporary debut thriller and a modern day version of Jane Austen's Persuasion. Director Lyn Vernham bought world rights to Never Coming Home by Evonne Wareham, directly from the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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