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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Eason to inject €20m into book chain as part of restructure

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Wed, 30/03/2011 - 09:36 Eason is pumping €20m into the company over the next three years, at the same time as embarking on trade union talks over a restructure that will likely include some job losses. The Irish bookselling chain announced to staff... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Paver and Seuss among new Bologna deals

Written By: Benedicte Page and Graeme Neill Publication Date: Tue, 29/03/2011 - 15:32 Penguin's international deals for Michelle Paver, HarperCollins' new collection of stories from Dr Seuss and Simon & Schuster paying six figures for a young adult trilogy were among the day two deals... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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"Upbeat" start to Bologna Book Fair

Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Tue, 29/03/2011 - 08:51 Busy schedules and a strong presence from US publishers in an "upbeat" mood were reported on the first day of the Bologna Book Fair. Hodder Children's Books publishing director Anne McNeil said the fair was busier than it had... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Print book sales continue to fall

Written By: Philip Stone Publication Date: Tue, 29/03/2011 - 15:50 Book sales slipped for the fourth week in a row last week, and were down more than £3.3m last year, according to Nielsen BookScan data. A total of £24.2m was spent on printed books at UK retail outlets in the seven days to 26th... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HarperCollins signs two pre-Bologna deals

Written By: Katie Allen Publication Date: Mon, 28/03/2011 - 08:36 read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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WH Smith reopens shops under British Bookshops deal

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Catherine Cookson estate goes direct in ebook deal

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin acquires "riveting" Northern Ireland murder title

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book Ruling Cuts Options for Google

Google may seek help from Congress as it tries to salvage a book publishing settlement that was rejected by a federal judge. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HarperCollins signs exclusive deal with Chichester Clark

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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"Bold" Bloomsbury book wins Hessell-Tiltman history prize

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mainstream, J R Books and Pan to rush Elizabeth Taylor titles

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Judge throws out revised Google Book Settlement

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New S&S deal for Aliens Love Underpants duo

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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