The Ladybird phenomenon: the publishing craze that's still flying

The Books for Grown Ups series is worth nearly £30m – so it’s no wonder that retro books for ‘kids’ have spread to other publishers. Now, serious subjects are getting the toilet-book treatment, too In 1971, a book about the computer was published under the children’s imprint Ladybird as part of a series designed to show schoolchildren “How it Works”. In common with 645 other titles published between 1940 and 1980, it was a small hardback with 56 pages. It was one of the first Ladybirds to be sold in decimal currency, costing 24p, after decades of the books being pegged at 2/6.“If you are interested in computers, their function and operation, but are discouraged by their complexity, you should read this book,” said the introduction. “It deals as simply as possible with the principles and does not delve too deeply into electronics.” Though it was intended for “older students,” which means ages 7+ in Ladybird parlance, legend has it that it was so well regarded that 100 copies were ordered by the Ministry of Defence to be circulated among its staff in plain wrapping so they wouldn’t know they were reading a book intended for kids. Related: The best Ladybird illustrations ever! Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2017-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishing in Seussville: When Children’s Books Are Politicized

Oh, the book sales they'll drive! After six Dr. Seuss books are discontinued, NPD looks at the latest US book sales data for insights. The post Publishing in Seussville: When Children’s Books Are Politicized appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-03-16 14:30:49 UTC ]
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Across the publishing industry, there has been a growing shift towards a strategy of on-demand, and the disruptive events of 2020 and Covid-19 have only accelerated these changes. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-03-14 04:55:45 UTC ]
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Northeast Indie Publishers Stuck with Their Niches in 2020

Five New England indie publishers posted 2020 gains by doing what they do best... with a couple of pivots. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-03-12 05:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-03-11 05:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2021-03-10 18:22:56 UTC ]
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Scribd Announces an Audiobook Production Line, Highlighting Independent Publishers

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-03-09 14:00:22 UTC ]
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Global Publishing Summit Recap: prepare for a world without cookies

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[ Digiday | 2021-03-08 05:01:00 UTC ]
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[ Digiday | 2021-03-08 05:01:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2021-03-06 02:57:17 UTC ]
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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-03-05 16:50:44 UTC ]
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[ Literrary Hub | 2021-03-04 09:49:49 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2021-03-04 03:42:40 UTC ]
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[ The New York Times | 2021-03-03 08:08:27 UTC ]
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[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2021-03-02 17:26:31 UTC ]
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[ The New York Times | 2021-02-25 10:00:22 UTC ]
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