Uncle the elephant joins brave march of children's classics back into print

JP Martin's much-loved but unavailable stories have been recovered for the rest of us by one courageous readerLet joy be unconfined! Almost seven years ago, I bewailed the loss of Uncle, the wealthy, purple-clad elephant with the BA whose surreal adventures, superbly illustrated by Quentin Blake, delighted many lucky child readers of the 60s and 70s. Despite the anarchic hilarity of Uncle's long-running feud with the Badfort crowd, and the ferocious loyalty of his fans, the series inexplicably dropped out of print. And while copies of the first two books remained relatively easy to come by, the never-reprinted later volumes, including Treacle Trouble and Claudius the Camel, changed hands only for sums worthy of the plutocratic pachyderm himself. But last year Marcus Gipps, Gollancz editor and hardcore Uncle geek, stepped up with a Kickstarter to bolster the wobbliest faith in human endeavour. Raising nearly £30,000 – over four times the original target – and using the day job's skills and reach, Gipps brought us an Uncle omnibus containing all six books, every scrap of original illustration and new introductory material by such high-profile fans as Garth Nix and Neil Gaiman. This beauty doesn't come cheap – even Amazon aren't offering it at much under £40 – but considering a full set of Uncle books would formerly set you back about £800, I consider it a ridiculous bargain.Now diehard fans can introduce a new generation of readers to the gently pompous patriarch and his... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2014-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Bookseller Children's Conference: live updates

Stay in the loop with events from The Bookseller Children's Conference with our live updates.   Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-09-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Can children's books help build a better world?

Author SF Said on how almost all the world’s problems come down to ‘us and them’ – and how children’s books can knock down the barriers Do you believe it’s the books we read when we are young that have the deepest impact? Let us know by emailing [email protected] or on Twitter... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-09-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book world joins forces for charity

Some of Britain's bestselling authors and their publishers are donating their books to raise money for Syrian refugees. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2015-09-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Is this the triumph of print?

'Digital is now as big a part of this industry as print' There is a belief (and relief) now among some booksellers that the ebook "threat" is over. I have heard similar talk from senior buyers at supermarkets, who tell me that they have seen e-reader buyers switching to print books.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-09-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Quercus Children's integrates into Hachette

Quercus Children’s will formerly integrate into the Hachette Children’s Group 1st January 2016, as Niamh Mulvey leaves the children’s team to join Quercus' adult department. The children’s division, which already operates from the Hachette building in London, is led by its publishing director... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-09-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Print up as booksellers put digital 'threat' behind them

Bricks-and-mortar booksellers have a “fantastic opportunity to seize the moment”, with year-to-date print sales up for the first time in eight years. Figures from Nielsen Bookscan show sales of print books for the first 36 weeks of 2015 are up by 4.6% (worth £739.5m) when compared to the same... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-09-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Last chance to book children’s conference tickets

The children’s publishing world has only 24 hours left to book tickets to this year’s Bookseller children’s conference, which is taking place next Tuesday (29th September). The day, themed around the idea of growing the children’s market by invention and reinvention, covers four key areas:... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-09-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Call for cut-price classics in schools

Publishers are urged to offer schools access to the great works of English literature at low cost by the Education Secretary. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2015-09-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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More German chains join Tolino alliance

The Tolino alliance has added strength in depth in its German home market. Regional book chains Mayersche and Osiander have joined the successful partnership with immediate effect. Both newcomers are family-owned and major players in their markets – Mayersche (40 branches, €160m turnover) in... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-09-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Macfarlane pens nature book for children

Nature writer Robert Macfarlane has teamed up with artist Jackie Morris to create a picture book based on “lost” nature words. Macfarlane was one of several writers who wrote a letter of complaint to the Oxford University Press (OUP) after they cut nature words from the Oxford Junior Dictionary. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-09-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Children’s Books Ireland launches reading campaign

Children’s Books Ireland (CBI) is hoping to get kids across the country reading in October through the "Read Everywhere in 2015", campaign. For the campaign, also known as "Níl Turas Níos Fearr Ná Turas le Leabhar!" in Irish, CBI will run a range of activities, including a "The Danger is... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-09-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Has Chelsea Clinton written a children's book? Not really.

Chelsea Clinton has written a wonky, 402-page non-fiction tome and call-to-action dense with charts, graphs, statistics, and bullet points about the world's great challenges. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-09-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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3 Key Takeaways from the Nielsen Children’s Book Summit

Children's books boosting the global publishing industry. Here's what you need to know to capitalize on this opportunity. The post 3 Key Takeaways from the Nielsen Children’s Book Summit appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-09-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nielsen Summit Shows the Data Behind the Children's Book Boom

The book team at Nielsen held its second-annual Children's Book Summit, to discuss the current children's publishing market, presenting data that showed a wide range of sales and demographic trends. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-09-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Children's marketing competition deadline extended

The deadline for the first Bookseller marketing competition has been extended until the 18th September, giving publishers until this Friday to enter their campaigns. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-09-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sales Up for Children's Booksellers This Summer

The summer was one of rediscovered classics, movie tie-ins, and backlist at indie bookstores across the country. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-09-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Stanfords launches Children’s book of the Month promotion

Stanfords has launched a Children’s Book of the Month promotion, which will begin with City Atlas by Martin Haake (Wide Eyed Editions). Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-09-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This Week in Children's Apps: September 7, 2015

This week in children's apps features an interactive storybook in which Little Critter helps a puppy find a home. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-09-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Abbey Klaassen to Join 360i as Chief Marketing Officer

Abbey Klaassen is joining 360i as its new chief marketing officer following almost a year at the shop's parent company Dentsu Aegis.Ms. Klaassen, a former Ad Age editor and associate publisher, will succeed Amanda Malko at 360i, who is leaving the agency after eight years."When [360i] Chairman... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2015-09-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ness's Fundraiser Raises Half a Million Pounds for Save the Children

American-born English author Patrick Ness's fundraising appeal for Save the Children, instigated last week with his offer to match up to £10,000, has now raised more than half a million pounds. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-09-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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