Sunday Telegraph book deal that compromised a murder trial

Sebastian Faulks gave his former Sunday Telegraph boss, John Thompson, a warm send-off in his tribute yesterday, "A nurturing force in the final days of Fleet Street".It reinforced the picture drawn of Thompson in the more formal Daily Telegraph obituary following Thompson's death, aged 93, on 24 November.Thompson, who edited the Sunday Telegraph for 10 years from 1976, was mild of manner and ran a kindly regime but had "an inner steel", wrote Faulks. This characteristic was necessary, as both Faulks and the obituary pointed out, because of the difficulties he faced in producing a paper in Fleet Street's final days of continual union disputes.Faulks pointed out that it was difficult to know Thompson well because "he was a diffident man who did not invite intimacy." It reminded me of a description of him by Henry Porter as "retiring to the point of joining a trappist order." But Faulks and the Telegraph's obituarist overlooked Thompson's most extraordinary, and disastrous, decision as an editor. In 1978, the Sunday Telegraph negotiated the serialisation of an autobiography by a former Liberal MP, Peter Bessell, who was a chief prosecution witness in the trial of Jeremy Thorpe, his party's leader. Thorpe was accused of conspiring to murder a male model, Norman Scott, who was said to have blackmailed him over their alleged gay relationship.Two months after Thorpe was charged, Thompson agreed a contract with Bessell which stated that he would receive £50,000 for extracts... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2013-12-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BA conference to explore 'books for the future'

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[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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June’s Top Reviews of Self-published Books from BlueInk Review

Self-published books receiving starred reviews from BlueInk this month include a novel about a wisecracking cat that investigates the death of its owner and a memoir of escaping Romania under Soviet rule. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Best Books for Middle-Grade Readers? 5 Recommended Titles from BEA

BookExpo America's Middle Grade Buzz Books panels previewed five titles editors are most excited about publishing this fall. Expect them to get a big push in bookstores. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Winnie-the-Pooh and Penguin take the stage in ebook trial

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[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple, U.S. come out swinging as ebook trial gets underway

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[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-06-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Bridget Jones': Helen Fielding offers hints about third book

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[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-06-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Too cute: Kids reviewing books

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[ Stuff | 2013-06-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple ebook deal 'cost millions'

A deal between Apple and publishers to set the price of ebooks cost customers "hundreds of millions of dollars", a government lawyer claims. Continue reading at BBC World

[ BBC World | 2013-06-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Donaldson: media ignores children's books

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[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Is this the worst book of the year?

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[ Stuff | 2013-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A Beautiful Kids’ Book That Combines Interactivity With Good Old-Fashioned Text

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[ Fast Company | 2013-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-06-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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O'Donnell wins Commonwealth Book Prize

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[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Stuff | 2013-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sunday Mirror moves away from celebrities with Notebook launch

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[ Media Week | 2013-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Fast Company | 2013-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Fast Company | 2013-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Smith wins first Pushkin House Russian Book Prize

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[ The Bookseller | 2013-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Stuff | 2013-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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