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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Indies could earn as much as 30% from books sold via Gardners' Hive

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Fri, 18/02/2011 - 16:30 Book wholesaler Gardners has begun consulting with independent booksellers over the direction of its consumer website, with one option revealing that booksellers could earn as much as 30% when books are sold at their full RRP.... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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OverDrive Library E-book Reader Now Optimized for IPad

OverDrive Media Console--the iPhone app that lets users check out and read ebooks from their local libraries--has been upgraded to a universal app optimized for... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2011-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hearst sets eyes firmly east with Lagardère deal

The decision by the owner of Cosmopolitan to buy Lagardère's international portfolio, and the rights for Elle, reflects the shifting sands of the magazine marketplace. Continue reading at Media Week

[ Media Week | 2011-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HarperCollins Children's Books acquires four

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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RHCB sign development deals for kids titles

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Pitfalls of E-Book Buying: What to Look Out for Before You Purchase

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[ PC World | 2011-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Dominic Kingston to leave Macmillan Children's Books

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Beautiful Books acquires two "major" autumn titles

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Debut author wins Waterstone's Children's Book Prize

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Media Week | 2011-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ PC World | 2011-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Betanews | 2011-02-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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