Which brilliant books have never been translated into English? Join the discussion

Frank Cottrell Boyce has discovered some new literary heroes at the most beguiling library in the world, The International Jugendbibliothek. It was set up after the second world war by a Jewish refugee after Nazi book burning and banning. Here Frank tells us all about it – and kicks off a discussion on the missing classics in our livesWe also share a first chapter of Pushkin Press’s The Secrets of Blue Glass, (AKA the Japanese Borrowers) by Tomiko Inui, published this month for the first time in English, but beloved in Japan since 1967)I found myself some new heroes this week. When Germany was rebuilding itself after the war, a Jewish refugee who had made it to Britain in 1936 decided to give up her comfortable job at the BBC and go back to Germany and help. Her name was Jella Lepman and her speciality was children’s books. The Nazis had burnt and banned children’s books. They had destroyed the infrastructure of the Imagination just as surely as the Allies had destroyed the road network. Jella Lepman wanted to rebuild that infrastructure. With no budget, she blagged and begged books from foreign publishers, laying down the foundations of a library of international children’s books. Related: The best British children's illustrators in the Bratislava awards – in pictures Related: The 10 best Pippi Longstocking quotes Related: Letter for the King by Tonke Dragt - review Related: What are your favourite books in translation? Related: 'Oh, what happiness!' - 10 best... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2015-07-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #jella lepman #foreign publishers

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Which brilliant books have never been translated into English? Join the discussion'


Amazon to acquire The Book Depository

Written By: Bookseller Staff Publication Date: Mon, 04/07/2011 - 12:29 Amazon.com has reached an agreement to acquire The Book Depository, the fast-growing online retailer founded by Andrew Crawford in 2004. Greg Greeley, Amazon's vice president of European Retail, said: "Customers in more... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book Depository to "operate independently" of Amazon

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Mon, 04/07/2011 - 16:00 The Book Depository has said it will continue to operate independently of Amazon, as the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) said it was "too early" to say if today's takeover of the online bookseller would trigger an investigation.... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Walker Books launches prize in tribute to late founder

Written By: Caroline Horn Publication Date: Fri, 01/07/2011 - 09:00 Walker Books has launched an award for new illustration to help mark the 20th anniversary of the death of the company's founder, Sebastian Walker. The Sebastian Walker Award will be run in collaboration with the MA course in... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Robert Newman Officially Joins Reader’s Digest as Creative Director

Robert Newman is now creative director with Reader’s Digest; he served as a consulting creative director with RD since December. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #creative director #readers digest


"Spotify for books" service launches

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Thu, 30/06/2011 - 15:58 An online view-on-demand books service dubbed “the Spotify of books” has launched today. 24symbols, created by a Spanish team co-founded by Justo Hidalgo, is offering access to 1,000 book titles for a subscription fee. The... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #read books #service launches #launched today #justo hidalgo #offering access #offers customers


Judging E-Readers by Their Book Readability

If you're heading to the beach this summer and you plan to read an ebook, you won't want to take your iPad. Luckily, the latest versions of the Nook and the Kindle offer glare-free screens and other reader-friendly functions. Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2011-06-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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E-books will "blow apart" cover design

Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Thu, 30/06/2011 - 09:28 E-books are set to "blow apart" cover design, with designers looking to create "identity packages" that can work for both print and digital editions, The Bookseller Cover Design Conference 2011 was told. Marketing strategist... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #cover design #digital editions #british library


Media Decoder: The Question 'Who Is Herman Cain?' Soon To Be A Book

The Republican candidate has sold his memoir to the conservative imprint of Simon @ Schuster. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-06-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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AUDIO: The 'worrying' battle for books

Arts editor Will Gompertz's second report into the impact of technology on the publishing industry Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2011-06-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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AUDIO: Are traditional books doomed?

Sara Lloyd, Pan Macmillan: "The basic process of writing will stay quite stable, but the authors who will do particularly well are ones who think about how to build a digital audience." Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2011-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Beyond 'Event' Book Marketing

How do you promote a book effectively at a time when ebooks may stay in print indefinitely, but not have a physical presence in a store? Internet book marketer FSB Associates has just launched Amplify, a marketing strategy that brings together a list of related titles and creates a Web community... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-06-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Healthy Planet opens Books For Free shops

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Mon, 27/06/2011 - 08:34 A green charity offering books for free aims to open an outlet in every town in the UK, and has called on publishers to donate titles. The Booksellers Association has come out in support of the programme run by Healthy Planet,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #donate titles #booksellers association #healthy planet


Media Decoder: Using E-Books to Sell More Print Versions

The publisher Algonquin is offering digital books at a discount or free to customers who buy certain trade paperback or hardback books. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-06-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sony Joins Hands with J.K. Rowling for Pottermore

Sony partners with Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling to fashion an interactive online site with games and exclusive audio and ebooks. Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2011-06-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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J.K. Rowling Conjures Up Potter E-Books

After years of refusing to release her boy-wizard books in electronic format, Harry Potter mastermind J.K. Rowling is finally taking the digital plunge, launching an online store that will sell Harry Potter ebooks directly to consumers and a social-networking site designed to keep the Potter... Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2011-06-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Zinio Partners with Recorded Books for Digital Mags in Libraries

Zinio announced today its partnership with Recorded Books, making thousands of digital magazines accessible in public libraries throughout the US, Canada, Australia and UK. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-06-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #public libraries #recorded books


Andrew Steed joins Marco Polo

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Thu, 23/06/2011 - 06:53 Andrew Steed, senior buyer at travel bookseller Stanfords, is leaving the business to join Marco Polo Travel Publishing as its London sales manager. He joins the publisher in July after 17 years at Stanfords. Marco Polo is the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Salon CEO Richard Gingras Leaves, Set to Join Google

Richard Gingras, who acted as CEO of the Salon Media Group for the past two years, is leaving the company to join search giant Google as global head of news products. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-06-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Gary Weston joins Bookspeed as m.d.

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Thu, 23/06/2011 - 06:25 Book wholesaler and consultant service Bookspeed has appointed Gary Weston as its new m.d with immediate effect. Co-owner Kingsley Dawson has moved on to become chairman of the company, which is in its 25th year. Weston has... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Goodwin inaugural winner of East Midlands Book Award

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Tue, 21/06/2011 - 11:30 Mark Goodwin was the “surprise” winner of the first ever East Midland Book Award, presented last night at the Lowdham Book Festival. His poetry book Shod (Nine Arches) beat 45 other entries to receive an engraved trophy and a... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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