The Uncommon Reader: A Life of Edward Garnett by Helen Smith review – a cultural battleground

The writer and editor promoted Joseph Conrad and DH Lawrence and deserves recognition as a great literary tastemakerThe first question worth asking of Helen Smith’s A-grade biography of Edward Garnett (1868‑1937) is just how many manuscripts passed across the desk of this publishers’ reader in his lifetime. Very little hard data is vouchsafed, but Smith estimates that, in 1917, John Lane was forwarding him between 400 and 500 items a year. A decade later, the contents of the weekly parcel sent to his house in Kent is put at eight to 10. All this suggests that in a 50-year career, beginning with the firm of T Fisher Unwin and ending with Jonathan Cape, Garnett may have worked his way through 20,000 unpublished novels – 150m words, say, forming a pile that, if laid end to end, would stretch from one side of central London to the other.Naturally there were times when this decades-long sojourn in what George Gissing called the Valley of the Shadow of Books became oppressive and Garnett began to feel that he was pouring his immortal spirit down the drain a pint at a time. A rather plaintive letter survives from November 1910 in which he informs John Galsworthy: “I get very low sometimes as to the secondhand sort of existence that is implied in the game and its sequelae.” But there was gold lurking among the dross, and a list of the famous names that he turned up in the slush pile would be enough to fill a literary Who’s Who. The Nobel-winning Galsworthy, Conrad and the... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2017-11-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Atkinson’s Life After Life on track for BBC One adaptation

BBC One has commissioned a four-part adaptation of Kate Atkinson’s Costa Award-winning Life After Life from House Productions. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-12-17 01:13:20 UTC ]
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The Magic of Plot and Catharsis: A Conversation with Smith Henderson and Jon Marc Smith

LET’S DISPENSE WITH the small surprises up front. The latest outing from Smith Henderson, acclaimed author of what others might call literary fiction — his award-winning 2014 debut, Fourth of July Creek — is indeed a thriller. And it’s not a solo endeavor — he’s teamed up with a friend, Jon Marc... Continue reading at Los Angeles Review of Books

[ Los Angeles Review of Books | 2020-10-11 12:30:47 UTC ]
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'New York Times Book Review' Adds Excerpts to Digital Reviews

The 'New York Times Book Review' will now add excerpts from the first chapter of books being reviewed to a select number of reviews it publishes digitally. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-10-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Best Life Magazine Finds a Second Life as a Digital Brand

From Metropolitan Home to Newsweek, we've seen a number of shuttered magazine titles revived (at least in some form) over the past couple of years. Now Best Life, the luxury men's service magazine, is getting a second life online—and with its original launch editor at the helm, no less. Best... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2016-10-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Don’t ask what’s wrong with the reader, what's wrong with the books?': writing for readers with dyslexia

From tinting their pages yellow to redesigning fonts, publisher Barrington Stoke is leading the way in dyslexia-friendly books. They and their authors – including Meg Rosoff and Anthony McGowan – explain the practicalitiesMainstream understanding of dyslexia has come a long way from the days... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-10-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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January 2016: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

The January 2016 selection of reviews from BlueInk Review includes a science fiction novel set in space and a children's picture book about families. The post January 2016: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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December 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

The December 2015 starred BlueInk Reviews of self-published books include upbeat romance, a WWII novel and a spy thriller. The post December 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-12-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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September 2015: Top Reviews of Self-published Books from BlueInk Review

Our monthly selection of reviews from BlueInk Review, a service which reviews self-published books. The post September 2015: Top Reviews of Self-published Books from BlueInk Review appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-09-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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August 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

Our August 2015 selection from BlueInk Review, a service which reviews self-published books, ranges from fantasy to middle grade, memoir to self-help The post August 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-08-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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July 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

Our July 2015 selection from BlueInk Review, a service which reviews self-published books, focuses on a variety of nonfiction titles. The post July 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-07-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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June 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

Our June 2015 selection from BlueInk Review, a service which reviews self-published books. All titles are deemed worth of further consideration. The post June 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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May 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

Our May 2015 selection from BlueInk Review, a service which reviews self-published books. This selection includes guides to finance and fighting cancer. The post May 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-05-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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April 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

Our April 2015 selection of reviews from BlueInk Review, a service which reviews self-published books. The post April 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-04-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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March 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

Our March 2015 selection of reviews from BlueInk Review, a review of self-published books, includes a memoir from Romanian tennis pro Peter Marmureanu. The post March 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-03-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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E-Readers for Real Readers

Dedicated devices for reading ebooks have been a hot category for nearly a decade, with tech firms from Amazon, Samsung and Barnes & Noble releasing a dizzying number of options in recent years. Yet while most of the new devices being introduced for reading ebooks... Continue reading at ABC News

[ ABC News | 2015-03-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Life After Life for Atkinson backlist

Transworld is repackaging Kate Atkinson’s backlist to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the publication of Behind the Scenes at the Museum, as well as the release of her latest novel, A God in Ruins (May, £20). All of Atkinson’s backlist, including the Jackson Brodie series, will be repackaged... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-02-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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February 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

Our January 2015 selection of reviews from BlueInk Review, a service which reviews self-published books. The post February 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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January 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

Our monthly selection from BlueInk Review, a service which reviews self-published books, uncovers a superb memoir of a WWII concentration camp in Indonesia. The post January 2015: Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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December 2014 Top Reviews of Self-published Books from BlueInk Review

Our monthly selection of reviews from BlueInk Review, a service which reviews self-published books, includes several nonfiction titles in history, science and more. The post December 2014 Top Reviews of Self-published Books from BlueInk Review appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-12-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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November 2014 Top Self-published Book Reviews from BlueInk Review

The November 2014 selection of self-published book reviews from BlueInk Review includes paranormal fiction, young adult fiction, self-help and health. The post November 2014 Top Self-published Book Reviews from BlueInk Review appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-11-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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