Compass Points

Monday, 12 November 2018

Compass Points 282

Who doesn’t love Anne of Green Gables – and now it’s getting a whole new lease of life as Anne with an E (which you can watch a trailer for here ) has become a very popular show on Netflix. Arcturus already have four editions available of this classic title by Lucy Maud Montgomery: a paperback with a traditional picture cover (978 1788286824, £4.99), a paperback with their appealing Arcturus classic series look (978 1784284237, £4.99), a hardback with the same series look (978 1788882200, £9.99) and also a 228x183mm hardback gift edition (978 1788883788, £14.99). Coming in 2019 is a very good-looking slipcase, The Anne of Green Gables Collection which contains six hardback Anne titles (173x113mm, £49.99, 978 1788282611). Readers can follow the journey of the 11-year-old orphan as she grows up over the course of these six books: Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea, Anne of the Island, Anne of Windy Poplars, Anne's House of Dreams and Anne of Ingleside. Perfect gift for all fans of Anne both old and new!

Defeating loneliness by putting social activities such as cookery and art classes on prescription for older and isolated people is very much in the news at present, and Boomer lit – fiction written, and marketed with the baby boomer audience (those born between 1946 and 1964) in mind is also on the rise. I’m delighted to tell you that The Best Boomerville Hotel (978 1912550043, £7.99, pb) (Cumbria’s answer to The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) hits bookshop shelves this week, propelled into paperback by its huge success (becoming an Amazon bestseller) as an ebook. Its author Caroline James says, “I am over the moon to see The Best Boomerville Hotel out in paperback and must thank all my readers for making it happen. I’ve been overwhelmed by the reception it’s received and the terrific support. It goes to show that pursuing your dreams, even in middle years – a subject very much at the heart of The Best Boomerville Hotel – is not a thing to fear but a passion to embrace because I’ve found that coming out of your comfort zone in midlife and beyond is absolutely brilliant.” Hear hear! There’s been some great coverage for this so far – including this feature in the Cumbria Crack and this in the Westmorland Gazette. The Best Boomerville Hotel centres on a fictional hotel set in the Lake District that hosts holiday retreats for guests of a certain age wishing to stimulate both mind and body with new creative experiences – and for some, hoping to beat loneliness.It's published by Choc Lit

More good publicity for London's Street Trees (978 0993291135, pb, £12.99) and Birdwatching London (£12.99, pb, 978 0993291159) in The London Naturalist which is the annual journal of the London Natural History Society. These two titles are both from Safe Haven and reviewers have loved the “beautiful presentation”, “handy size” and “wonderful research”. There’s also been a super feature here on Birdwatching London in the Londonist.com.

There has been some excellent publicity for Caught Beneath the Landslide: Manchester City in the 1990’s (£18.99, hb, 978 1909245808). This is the Manchester City of Maine Road and Moss Side, when the music was by Oasis and the football by Georgi Kinkladze and Uwe Rosler. It is the story of club that plunged through two divisions and then clambered back up again. In the words of Uwe Rosler: “It was a different club, a working-class club supported by the people of Manchester”. Jim White wrote in the Telegraph “The distance the club [Man City] have travelled is brilliantly chronicled by the journalist Tim Rich in his new book Caught Beneath The Landslide who writes about the changing times for Manchester City, going from losing 2-1 at home to Mansfield 20 years ago to being the Champions of England”. There have also been features in Sky’s Soccer Saturday, in the Independent who called it “brilliant”, on BBC Radio Manchester, in the Daily Mail and The Scotsman, who also published an extract. It's published by De Coubertin.

Which drinks will we be enjoying around the Christmas tree this year? Well, I’m pretty sure that gin and champagne will be on the menu for many – and the two Birlinn titles on these subjects have been getting some good publicity! Ian Buxton author of the brand new and updated edition of 101 Gins To Try Before You Die (9781780275659, hb, £12.99, ) was asked by Which magazine to taste test the latest gin offerings and decide which would be awarded the accolade of Which Best Buy (it’s Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Blackfriars Gin, in case you were interested) Ian was fascinating about the process – it’s done very seriously, no labels, different glasses and numbers for each gin so the testers can’t compare with each other and you really can be sure that a Which Best Buy has not been paid for or sponsored in any way. And The Week has just featured the best champagnes offers of the season, and recommends the effervescent new title by wine expert by Davy Zyw, 101 Champagnes and Other Sparkling Wines To Try Before You Die (£14.99, hb, 978 1780275567) as the “definitive” book on the subject! Chin chin!

Booksellers have a pretty good track record when it comes to moving from stacking the shelves to sitting on them – so many of you out there may well be interested in the Search for a Star Novel Writing Competition which has just been launched by leading independent women's fiction publisher, Choc Lit. Sponsored by Your Cat magazine, on offer to the winner is a three book deal across all platforms, digital, print and audio – and of course the winner and runners up will feature in the magazine! Search for a Star is for writers not previously published or accepted by an agent or publisher; competition submissions should be full length novels (60,000 to 100,000 words) and they must include a cat! It could be a heart-stopping romance or a gripping thriller, even a Christmas story, as long as there's a moggie in there somewhere! Lyn Vernham of Choc Lit said, “This competition is about finding fresh new talent and giving readers a voice. There are no industry yays and nays - the judges here are a panel of readers and the manuscripts won't have been subject to filtering by the traditional industry gatekeepers. It's exciting and we can't wait to see what fresh new talent the competition delivers!” Competition entries must be made by 28 February and submitted via the website www.choc-lit.com/search-for-a-star-competition/

HUGE and ongoing media interest in Queen in 3D (hb, £30, 978 1999667429) including the unseen photos Brian took on the set of Bohemian Rhapsody which has now been the number one film in the UK for several weeks. There have now been features in the Mail , the Express, the Sun, the Mirror, the Big Issue, Mojo, Classic Rock and the Mail on Sunday. ITV’s Lorraine interviewed Brian May about the book with images on screen and Lorraine enthusiastically flicking through the book saying “A remarkable book for anybody who’s a fans of the band, it’s an absolute must have … a really brilliant insight”and you can watch that here. Sky News, Radio 2, Magic FM, Absolute Radio, and Planet Rock have all run promotions. And there’s more to come including a BBC Future video interview about the book coming later this month, the Mail on Sunday’s feature on the best books for Christmas and BBC Radio 2’s Johnnie Walker to interview Brian about his stereo world and the book on the massively popular Sounds of the Seventies show!

The public’s interest in all things royal (particularly when it concerns Meghan), shows no sign of abating and the news that the Duchess of Sussex now has her own coat of arms which you can find out about here on the BBC, has piqued an interest in heraldry in general. A good opportunity to tell you about the new Lorenz title The Illustrated Book of Heraldry: An International History of Heraldry and Its Contemporary Uses by Stephen Slater (hb, £15, 978 0754834601). This lavishly illustrated and highly informative book looks not only at the medieval world in which heraldry thrived, but also at its language, the elaborate system of coded messages it conveyed, and its inextricable link with chivalry. Featuring more than 700 illustrations, it also covers the origins and development of heraldry, everyday heraldic uses, royal and global heraldry and contains a comprehensive glossary. This masterly history is full of both fascinating archive material and specially commissioned artworks.

Great to see Love Letters by Deborah Brown (hb, £10, 978 0995647831) featured with a pic of the jacket in the Bookseller February Highlights this week. This title is published by Hikari Press in February and as the Bookseller writes, is an “ingenious book which describes the trajectory of a relationship using combinations of the word LOVE rendered in illustrative typography in which each of the letters takes on a character of its own. The result conveys complex meanings with powerful effect telling a story in which love is an endlessly complicated yet beautiful four-letter word.” Love Letters will be produced to a very high spec and will look gorgeous! It will be a hardback, quarter binding with a strip of burnt-orange cloth, foil blocking on the spine and spot UV on the cover. There will be a major marketing campaign for it, leading up to its launch on Valentine’s Day 2019. Telling a universal story of love in simple, illustrated form it should have wide appeal and is a great gift for someone special.

Nature, the world's most cited scientific journal, has just run a glowing review of Mission Moon 3D (hb, £30, 978 1999667405 ) from London Stereo calling it “spectacular” – you can read that whole piece here.

That’s all for now folks! More next week!

This weekly blog is written for the UK book trade. If you would like to order any of the titles mentioned, then please talk to your Compass Sales Manager, or call the Compass office on 020 8326 5696. Every Friday an e-newsletter containing highlights from the blog is sent out to over 700 booksellers – and if you’d like to receive this then please contact nuala@compass-ips.london

Friday, 2 November 2018

Compass Points 281

Fantastic publicity this week for Bristol University Press author and one of Britain's most respected economists Simon Wren-Lewis; when Theresa May was caught lying about him in parliament! The PM misquoted Wren-Lewis who wrote a chapter in John McDonnell's new book which she was waving about and criticising. He then took her to task on Twitter which created a buzz and then wrote an article for the New Statesman How Theresa May Lied About My Views on Economic Policy which references his own forthcoming book The Lies We Were Told. The story has now been covered by the Mirror and the BBC. The Lies We Were Told: Politics, Economics, Austerity and Brexit (£14.99, pb, 978 1529202137) presents some of Wren-Lewis’s most important work, telling the story of how the damaging political and economic events of recent years became inevitable. His widely-read blog Mainly Macro has been a highly influential resource for policymakers, academics and social commentators around the world, and this new title should sell very well – especially given Theresa’s help with promotion!

Great to hear historian Robert Grenville, the author of Amber’s Haunted Places (£19.99, hb, 978 1782745211) interviewed this week as part of a Halloween special on BBC Radio London. Five minutes of fascinating chat about the book! There was also a spooktacular feature on the title in the Mail Online which you can see here headlined Bone-chilling images of the world's most haunted places – this piece has had 1.8K shares which is terrific promotion for this title! Have a look at all the atmospheric pictures – they really are very evocative and frightening!

I hope Halloween was good for you and your bookshop! If you enjoy the witching season, then you will probably like these - twenty five creative Halloween costumes all inspired by books!

Big congratulations to Lost Lives, New Voices: Unlocking the Stories of the Scottish Soldiers at the Battle of Dunbar 1650 (£20, pb, 978 1785708473) which has just won Best Archaeological Book at the British Archaeology Awards. You can also watch the video presentation from the day here. This Oxbow title has had some superb reviews – the Hexham Historical Society called it a “fascinating reconstruction of lost lives which does indeed give new voice to the potential of the human spirit to transcend hardship, war, and banishment overseas.” and Medieval Archaeology said “this important book fills a substantial scholarly gap.”

Self-healing is a fast-growing trend, and for those confused about where to start, The Practical Encyclopaedia of Self-Healing: A Mindful Approach to Holistic Fitness by Raje Airey and Jessica Houdret (£20, hb, 978 0754831525), published by Lorenz is ideal. This wide-ranging guide to complementary healthcare is split into easy-to-follow sections, and details all kinds of natural treatments and approaches for body and mind. Specific treatments give fast, effective remedies for colds, allergies, muscular pain, fatigue, depression and more. And over two thousand photographs and illustrations show alternative healing in action, and will help you to achieve optimum health and vitality in simple steps. It’s just had a great review from AHA Quarterly which says “Of course, I like this book! I always like Houdret’s work. … a beautiful presentation that displays gorgeous photography… offers a complete healing package… easily accessible to the reader.”

Want to hear about the day Michael Winner left the queen standing in the rain? Or what happened when Muhammad Ali went AWOL Or what it was like to be a guest at Joan Collins' Dynasty-style wedding? It’s all here in the fabulous Daily Mail two-page serialisation from Jeremy Robson’s publishing autobiography, Undercover (978 1785904097, £25, hb). Great stuff!

A terrific review in the Irish Literary Times here for Dermot Bolger's new novel, An Ark of Light (£12.99, pb, 978 1848406971) “a tale of marriage, the Big House and happiness” which has just been published by New Island. Calling it “expansive and empathetic” the review ends; “this meshing of fiction and biography adds a new and distinctive layer to what is in essence a homage to a life lived fully. An Ark of Light is an act of appropriation – of a female voice, experience, and sensibility – offered to the reader in a form that is as moving as it is distinctive and respectful.” An Ark of Light is a devastating portrayal of a mother’s anxiety for her gay son in a world where homosexuality is illegal and explores a terse relationship between a mother and daughter with nothing in common beyond love. Remarkably affecting and gorgeously rendered, this is a towering achievement by one of Ireland’s best-loved authors.

We’re delighted that the Annual Rylands Reading with Marilyn Hacker on 22 November has been featured in the Top Picks Literature Guide on CreativeTourist.com – you can read that piece here. The annual Rylands Poetry Reading is a very grand affair, not just for attracting a literati audience but also for its backdrop: the cathedral-esque surrounds of the John Rylands Library’s Historic Reading Room. The prestigious programme of readings is run in conjunction with the University of Manchester’s Centre for New Writing and every year features a prestigious poet published by Carcanet. Marilyn Hacker has published twelve books of narrative poems, lyrics and elegies; she is witty, angry, traditional and experimental. Her new volume, Blazons: New and Selected Poems (£14.99, pb, 978 1784107154) will be published by Carcanet in March 2019.

What’s it really like being a writer? Social media – of course – has the answer. Here are twenty-five of the best tweets on the subject – from “Being a writer is just constantly googling synonyms” to “Me: *writes for hours* Me: THAT MUST HAVE BEEN SO MANY WORDS. At least half a million. Okay, okay, let's be realistic, it's probably only like ten thousand. Word count: 247 words.”

Bestselling author Chris Lewis and superstar megatrends analyst Dr Pippa Malmgren were interviewed live on Sky News this week, talking about their new book The Leadership Lab (pb, £14.99, 978 0749483432), which has just been published by Kogan Page. Covering everything from how to build a new type of leadership trust when other spheres of public power have been overturned, to robots overtaking companies and worldwide indebtedness affecting business, this book explains not only why the old rules no longer apply, but also how to blaze a trail in this new world order and be the best leader you can be.

The Truth Waits (£8.99, pb, 978 1787198012) by Susanna Beard, has just been published by Legend, and is off on a month-long blog tour including: Mad on Reading, Buttercup Review, Crime Reads and Coffee, Quirky Bookwork Always, Great Reads and Tea Leaves, Anne Bonny Book Reviews, Book in the Bag, Donna’s Book Blogs, Robin Loves Reading, Read Along with Sue, Rich Reviews, My Bookish Blogspot, Amy’s Bookshelf, Cennins Book Reviews, Short Book and Scribes, B for Book Review, Book Reviews for U, Orchard Book Club and Booking Good Read . The title was launched at The Marlow Bookshop this week and there’s also an event coming up at Daunts in Holland Park on 8th November. There have been interviews with Susanna on BBC Berkshire and Marlow FM. A recent review said of it “This novel bears all the hallmarks of a great thriller. It not only deals with huge issues like greed, guilt, evil and revenge, but with Anna’s deeply personal search for justice, reconciliation, forgiveness and trust. Her journey takes her to the very limits of herself but, at its heart, The Truth Waits is also a story about love in its best forms and I defy anyone not to get swept up in it.”

I think you will enjoy these funny illustrations all about our love for books!

Quite the social media buzz for Landscape Beneath the Waves, by Caroline Wickham-Jones (£29.95, pb, 978 1789250725) which has just been published by Oxbow – with hundreds of likes and shares for its post on Facebook. The study of the now submerged landscapes that our ancestors knew represents one of the last barriers for archaeology and only recently have advances in underwater technology reached the stage where a wealth of procedures is available to explore this lost undersea world. This volume considers the processes behind the rising (and falling) of relative sea-levels and then presents the main techniques available using case studies projects around the world. It is written for all archaeologists, whether they work on land or at sea, and offers an easily accessible introduction to the exciting realm of underwater archaeology.

Apparently nearly half of Brits think we should be proud of our colonial heritage, and 43% think the British Empire was a good thing. There’s a really thought-provoking article here on the reasons for that on Vice.com which has been much commented on on social media! A good time to remind you about two new titles: firstly, the Pluto book Staying Power: The History of Black People in Britain (pb, £16.99, 978-0745338309) which is out now, and also Rule Britannia: Brexit and the End of Empire (hb, £12.99, 978 1785904530) by Danny Dorling and Sally Tomlinson which is published by Biteback in January. Both these brilliant books offer somewhat more nuanced views than those you may find over on Twitter…

A brilliant event coming up at Waterstone’s Deansgate next Thursday for two Carcanet authors: Claiming the Great Tradition: Women Recalibrate the Classics. Chaired by Michael Schmidt, Jane Draycott will discuss her translation of the 14th-century poem Pearl (£8.99, pb, 978 1 784106 59 1) whose account of loss and consolation has retained its force across six centuries, and Jenny Lewis will talk about Gilgamesh Retold (£12.99, pb, 978 1 784106 14 0), and how she captures the powerful allure of the world’s oldest poem giving it a fresh dynamic while creating a fast-paced narrative for a new generation of readers. This sounds absolutely riveting and I’m sure it will be super-popular!

An excellent launch party in Cardiff recently for cricketer turned broadcaster Alan Wilkins’ book Easier Said Than Done: A Life in Sport (£20, hb, 978 1902719610). “Good guy, fine sportsman and the best TV sports presenter Wales has ever produced” said BBC presenter Phil Steele who hosted the event, which included a question and answer session capturing highlights of Wilkins’ life and career. Alan was quite “bowled over” by the reaction as you can read here on Expo Sport! Published by St David’s Press, Alan’s story is written with great humility and humour, and should inspire anyone who has experienced a set-back in life. As Clive Lloyd said “Alan epitomises what sport is all about” and this super book would make the perfect prezzie for any sports fan.

I enjoyed Twenty Ways AI is Changing Our Lives, here on Expresso this morning. No doubt at all that robots are clanking ever faster from the screens of science fiction into our actual lives and Canbury Press has the perfect guide to our robot future: Hallo Robot: Meet Your New Workmate and Friend (978 1912454051, £14.99, pb). It's illustrated, very readable and an ideal present for a techie teenager or a curious adult.

That’s all for now folks! More next week!

Thursday, 25 October 2018

Compass Points 280

Many congratulations to Edinburgh University Press, Historic Environment Scotland, Saqi and Birlinn, who all feature on the shortlists for the 2018 Saltire Literary Awards which were revealed at an event hosted at Waterstones in Edinburgh on Monday evening. The winners of all the awards will be formally announced on 30th November. You can find out more and see the full shortlists on the Saltire website here. Leila Aboulela's wonderful Elsewhere, Home; published by Saqi, a collection of short stories that draws the reader into the lives of immigrants at home and abroad as they forge new identities and reshape old ones is up for the Scottish Fiction Book of the Year while two Birlinn titles are up for Scottish Non-Fiction Book of the Year. Alan Taylor's Appointment in Arezzo, a memoir of encounters and letter exchanges with Muriel Spark, published to celebrate the 100th anniversary of her birth; and Angus Roxburgh's Moscow Calling which is a memoir from the former correspondent and media consultant to Putin's Kremlin. Up for the Scottish Research Book of the Year Award is Early Cinema in Scotland, a fascinating collection of essays by John Caughie, Trevor Griffiths and María A. Vélez-Serna, published by Edinburgh University Press. Cairns Craig's The Wealth of the Nation: Scotland, Culture and Independence (Edinburgh University Press), a study of how Scottish culture defined itself within the British Empire and Les Wilson's The Drowned and the Saved (Birlinn), telling of two ships carrying American soldiers were sunk off the coast of Islay in 1918, are both up for the Scottish History Book of the Year. And finally – best of luck to Birlinn, and Historic Environment Scotland who are both up for Scottish Publisher of the Year – Birlinn being the reigning champions of course!

Compass Points was off to the Science Museum this week for the supersonic launch of Mission Moon 3-D (hb, £30, 978 1999667405). Brian May and David Eicher blasted off this hardback in great style with a riveting presentation of the astonishing 3D pics from the book, some stellar moon cocktails and a Skype interview with Apollo 16 Moonwalker Charlie Duke (who’s written the foreword) from his home in the US. I think everyone found the Q&A with him very exciting, and indeed moving. For those of us not fortunate enough to have been to the moon (and only twelve have, only four are still alive) he confirmed that the 3D pics “are amazing and give a good approximation of what it’s really like to be there.” Earlier the same day I had heard Brian May and David Eicher give a barnstorming promotion for the book to Craig Charles on the Big Show on Radio 2. This show has eight million listeners – and I defy anyone who heard Brian and Craig talking enthusiastically about it “the book is fascinating, it’s brilliant, it’s so well produced” not to have immediately wanted to rush out and buy it! You can listen to that interview here, it’s 2hrs 26 mins in.

I caught Alastair Campbell talking on the Jeremy Vine programme about the latest volume of his diaries - very interesting! His story has now reached one those memorable moments that many of us remember very well! Having succeeded Tony Blair as Prime Minister, Gordon Brown wants Campbell at his side, but Campbell resists as a general election looms and Brown's indecision and fluctuating moods suggest the Labour administration is seriously threatened by the Tory posh boy, David Cameron. The intensity of the months leading up to 6 May 2010 is as dramatic as any screenplay, with Campbell chronicling Brown's struggle to win over a disillusioned nation and then his dignified departure from the main stage. Who remembers “bigot-gate” – you can remind yourselves here! Campbell is all over the airwaves at the moment, championing the People’s vote – which shouldn’t do the sales of Volume 7: From Crash to Defeat, 2007 – 2010 (£25, hb, 978 1785900853) just out from Biteback any harm at all!

A very moving piece in the Mail here about some heart-wrenching letters sent to the grieving parents of three brothers killed in the First World War which have just been sold at auction to the National Trust for £1,200.This reminds me to tell you about Having a Go at the Kaiser: A Welsh Family at War (£14.99, pb, 978 1786833471) by Gethin Matthews which is published in November by University of Wales Press. This book is based on more than a hundred letters sent home by three Swansea soldier brothers during 1916–18. Richard, Gabriel and Ivor’s letters written to different members of their family allow us to build an extraordinary picture of what the brothers thought on a range of different issues and of how their beliefs and ideas evolved. Full of sibling rivalry and affection, and dealing with such issues as identity, masculinity and duty, this is a detailed and fascinating collection.

I think we can all agree that we live in highly uncertain times at present – and for those in business, the future looks especially undefined. The book they need is Leading Through Uncertainty: Emotional Resilience and Human Connection in a Performance-Driven World (£17.99, pb, 978 1788600194), of which Professional Manager magazine has just declared “If you only read one management book in the near future, let this be it.” The rapid advancement of technology has fuelled fast-paced change in business, creating a high-performance culture that requires leaders to be resilient and agile. But the increased level of insecurity and an ever-expanding workload often create stress and fear. Leadership expert Jude Jennison overcame her fear of horses six months before she bought her first one and the process of overcoming those fears and the lesson she learned about leadership are the subject of this refreshing management book. This is a call to return to the core of humanity to find the natural human characteristics of communication, connection, compassion and community. As Professional Manager went on to say “Jennison’s work is a tribute to partnership…let your eyes be opened and see if you can overcome your own fears.” It’s out now from Practical Inspiration.

A good review for That Summer Feeling by Mark Hodkinson (pb, £9.99, 978 1904590323), in The Crack magazine here “I like books that ramble on, that are like someone talking to you or you’re hearing thoughts. When I meet someone or just see them around I always think: what are you like? What’s happened to you?” That’s the 20-something hero of Mark Hodkinson’s latest explaining to the tutor of his creative writing course what sort of books he likes. It would be a fitting description for this 2004-set novel, although any rambling on is done in the most amiable way.” It goes on to compare Mark’s novel to Billy Liar – “engaging” and “sharply intelligent”.

Super to see Happy By Design (978 1859468784, £20, pb) by Ben Channon included in a promotion by the Welcome Trust entitled Living With Buildings. This is a fantastic little book exploring the links between happiness and architecture. Given that we spend over 80% of our time in buildings, shouldn't we have a better understanding of how they make us feel? This book explores the ways in which buildings, spaces and cities affect our moods and reveals how architecture and design can make us happy and support mental health, and explains how poor design can have the opposite effect. Presented through a series of easy-to-understand design tips and accompanied by beautiful diagrams and illustrations, Happy by Design is a great resource for architects, designers and students, or for anybody who would like to better understand the relationship between buildings and joy. It’s just been published by RIBA.

The Flag: The Story of Revd David Railton MC and the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior (hb, £20, 978 1612004471) is set to be the Book of the Month in December for the magazine Britain at War. Reverend Railton served as a chaplain on the Western Front during World War. He supported the soldiers in their worst moments, he buried the fallen, comforted the wounded, wrote to the families of the missing and killed, and helped the survivors. He also received the Military Cross for rescuing an officer and two men under heavy fire on the Somme. It was Railton’s idea to bring home the body of an unidentified fallen comrade from the battlefields to be buried in Westminster Abbey, and on Armistice Day 1920, his flag covered the coffin as the Unknown Warrior was laid to rest with full honours. This is the first book to explore David Railton’s life and war, drawing on his letters and unpublished papers. It’s published by Casemate.

There was a great, big, really enthusiastic review from Bel Mooney of What a Hazard a Letter Is (£14.99, hb, 978 0993291173) in the Daily Mail this week! “Caroline Atkins delves through history and literature to uncover a series of unsent letters written by notable individuals including Virginia Woolf, Beethoven and John F. Kennedy … Unsent letters provide essential devices in fiction, as well as being part of the tragedy of life … a gloriously varied collection…fascinating…intriguing.” You can read the whole piece here, it really is a superb bit of publicity for this book which has just been published by Safe Haven.

A lovely review in Sunday Express for Under The Wig ((hb, £16.99, 978 1912454082); "an eloquent and riveting memoir by one of this country's leading murder case defence lawyers. William Clegg revisits some of his most notions cases, from the acquittal of Colin Stagg for the murder of Rachel Nickell to his defence of the first Nazi war criminal to be tried in Britain, and the burglar given a life sentence because of an ear print." Canbury Press have already sold out of the first print run of this title and its only just been published! The reprint has just arrived and I suggest you order it pronto, as all the reviews have been terrific (“Gripping” The Times, “Fascinating” The Secret Barrister) and it’s the ideal Christmas crime read!

That’s all for now folks! More next week!

Friday, 19 October 2018

Compass Points 279

Who saw Brian May on Lorraine this week – you can watch it here. She opens the interview by picking up Mission Moon (hb, £30, 978 1999667405) and saying “this is a cracker” – then goes on to wave around Queen in 3D (hb, £30, 978 1999667429) to the cameras saying “this is a remarkable book!” Please, oh please can all book publicity be as targeted and fabulous as this! With blockbuster films First Man and Bohemian Rhapsody both out this autumn (and remember Queen in 3D has been updated to include scenes from the making of the film photographed on set in 3D by Brian May) both of these titles are really set up now to be HUGE bestsellers!

I love this tweet from author and blogger Laura Pearson. She’s right – which bookshop needs more categories than these! She writes:

Publishing: My 4 year-old has listed all book genres. You’re welcome.

Adventure

Love

Spooky

PJ Masks

Fairytales

Nursery rhymes

Desert

Sea

Inside people

Space

In a cottage in Normandy, Lina Rose is writing to the daughter she abandoned as a baby. Now a successful author, she is determined to trace her family’s history through the two world wars that shaped her life. But Lina can no longer bear to carry her secrets alone, and once the truth is out, can she ever be forgiven? Clar Ni Chonghaile weaves a complex narrative in The Reckoning (£8.99, pb, 978 1787198142) which has just been published by Legend, covering conflict, secrets, judgement and what it takes to sever family ties. There’s a wide-ranging blog tour coming up for this which includes Page Turners Nook, Anne Bonny Book Reviews, Jo’s Book Blog, My Bookish Blogspot, Buttercup Review, Reminders of the Changing Time, Mad Book Love, Novel Delights, Short Book and Scribes, Writing.ie, Varietats, Over the Rainbow Book Blog, Madhouse Family Reviews and Random Things Through My Letterbox.

Publishers tend to have plenty of cracking tales to tell about their famous authors – most of which are usually only heard in the bar after a sales conference. Happily, independent publisher, Jeremy Robson has decided to share the best of his in a marvellous new memoir, Undercover (978 1785904097, hb, £25). In it, he looks back at times spent driving Muhammad Ali around Britain, coping with Michael Winner, joyously laughing with Maureen Lipman and Alan Coren, undertaking an exciting poetry reading tour with Ted Hughes, and lots of stories of life-long friendships with poets and writers; including Spike Milligan, Alan Sillitoe, Laurie Lee and Yevgeny Yevtushenko. The Mail are running a serialisation of this book tomorrow – which promises to be highly entertaining! It is packed full of terrific anecdotes – which sadly I can’t quote to you direct until the Mail extract has happened – but trust me, it’s well worth a read and well worth selling! Matthew Parris said it has “jollity, diversity and colour” as well as telling “another story: the struggle to survive and thrive as a small independent publisher in an age of amalgamations and growing corporate size.” Which is very definitely a story worth shouting about.

We're so pleased to tell you that Phoebe Power has been shortlisted for the 2019 TS Eliot Prize with her brilliant debut collection, Shrines of Upper Austria. The collection was a Poetry Book Society Recommendation, and also won the Felix Dennis Award for Best First Collection at the Forward Prizes earlier this year - so huge congratulations to Phoebe! The T S Eliot Prize Shortlist Readings are the largest annual poetry event in the UK and will be hosted once again by Ian McMillan on 13 January, in the Royal Festival Hall. You can read more about the prize and see the full shortlist here.

The famous French architect Le Corbusier once said, “I prefer drawing to talking. Drawing is faster and leaves less room for lies.” Le Corbusier would have loved Draw a Better Business: The Essential Visual Thinking Toolkit to Help Your Small Business Work Better (£14.99, pb, 978 1910056639) by Cara Holland which is an illustrated practical guide for freelancers and business people who want to tap into their innate creativity and gain the business benefits. Cara has worked with companies such as TimeWarner, Google and the NHS, and shares empowering tips, tools and insights that will bring the power of working visually to your business. Business leaders are super-enthusiastic about this one, Google’s creative director said “There’s hardly a soul who wouldn’t benefit from the ideas in Cara’s book” and the founder of the Black British Business Awards said it was full of “innovative solutions that will engage your audience and transform your business.” There will be a feature on Cara in the January issue of Diva magazine’s Women on Top section, as well as articles in Mollie Makes, Biz Rocks and the Design Trust. It’s just been published by Practical Inspiration.

“Motherhood” and “childhood” are social and cultural constructions that have their origins in prehistoric times. A new volume in the Childhood in the Past series from Oxbow; Motherhood and Infancies in the Mediterranean and Antiquities (pb, £40, 978 1789250381) explores images of maternity and infancy, and the identification of women and womanhood in prehistoric and classic societies. Aspects such as socialization, the impact of infant death, the figure of the mother queen, the rules on parental rights, the transgressions of traditional motherhood and the emotional aspects of the mother-child relationship are analysed to gain a deeper understanding of the diversity of women’s agency through history. Oxbow ran a social media promotion for this one this week which got a great response with lots of likes, comments and shares and this is an important contribution to a fascinating subject.

An absorbing new biography of George V by historian Alexandra Churchill reveals that Balmoral Castle nearly became home to Tsar Nicholas II after the Russian Revolution. The royal retreat was considered as a possible residence for the Romanovs after they were overthrown by the Bolsheviks in 1917, but King George thought the Highland estate was too chilly and remote for the Russian royal family and the idea was abandoned along with his offer of asylum in Britain. You can read more about this in the Daily Record here and the book, The Eye of the Storm: George V and the Great War (978 1911628262, £25, hb) has just been published by Helion. There will be an interview with Alexandra on Dan Snow's popular history podcast and hopefully a forthcoming article in the Sunday Times. This in-depth biography reveals how George V went from being a largely unknown entity to both his ministers and his people at the outbreak of war in 1914, to the most visible and accessible sovereign in British history by the end of the decade. Pioneering modern public relations, he had not only established the House of Windsor in name, but in the hearts of his people; establishing a blueprint for the modern monarchy that is still followed today. Published to mark the 100th anniversary of the Armistice, the King’s war legacy is examined in full. He played a key role in the introduction of the two-minute silence and the unveiling of the cenotaph and was the chief mourner at the burial of the unknown soldier. He also became the ﬁrst battleﬁeld tourist when he toured the Western Front in the company of those that won the war. This is a flawless account on the life of a man who has been highly misunderstood and wrongly vilified.

Lola Ridge's Manhattan is the Poem of the Week in The Guardian this week. I encourage you to have a read – there is also wonderful analysis of it by Carol Rumens. An intensely dynamic vision of New York in the early 20th century, Manhattan captures the excitement of a dynamic modern city as well as raising questions about its gilded allure. The poem is taken from her 1918 first collection, The Ghetto and Other Poems, which you can read online. To the Many: Collected Early Works by Lola Ridge has just been published by Little Island Press (pb, £14, 978 0993505645) and there’s a great review of it here saying “It is to be hoped that this publication will hasten the process of recovery and re-evaluation of her work and her place in the interweaving stories of modernism, leftist political poetry and poetry by women.”

Some terrific reviews for Kathy Page's Dear Evelyn (£10, pb, 978 1911508281), as well as successful appearances by Kathy on her recent UK tour (Battersea Library, Birmingham Literature Festival and Nottingham's Five Leaves Bookshop.) Kathy has also just been shortlisted for the prestigious Writers Trust Awards in Canada and the winner of this $50,000 prize will be announced 7 November. The Guardian Review last weekend described Dear Evelyn as “a love story, a coming-of-age story, and a brilliantly evocative sketch of Britain in the 20th century”; the Times Literary Supplement called it “disconcerting, profoundly convincing” with “the tautness of a thriller” and the Daily Mail praised it as “quietly devastating.”

A super launch event and display from Waterstones Deansgate (thanks guys!) for Manchester: Mapping the City (£30, hb, 978 1780275307) by Terry Wyke, Brian Robson and Martin Dodge which has just been published by Birlinn. Manchester is one the world's most iconic cities and this this sumptuously illustrated cartographic history uses historic maps and unpublished and original plans to chart its dramatic growth and transformation from the late 18th century, through periods of boom and bust in the Victorian period, and its post-industrial transformation in the 20th century. As Waterstones said; this is “an endlessly fascinating and truly beautiful book”.

Well – like it or not, the dreaded C word is on its way – and the festive suggestion here from Microwave Mug Cakes (978 0754831365, £9.99, hb) was included in Homestyle Magazine this month. This irresistible book will transform the way you bake, showing you that all you need is a microwave and a mug! The results are remarkably moist and delicious and you can have a lemon drizzle, a carrot, salted caramel, chocolate or the Christmas Pudding cake featured here, all in a matter of moments! It’s published by Lorenz.

Revolutionary feminism is resurging across the world. But what were its origins? In the early 1970s, the International Feminist Collective began to organise around the call for recognition of the different forms of labour performed by women which paved the way for an influential and controversial feminist campaign. A new Pluto title, Wages for Housework: A History of an International Feminist Movement 1972-77 (£19.99, pb, 978 0745338675) by Louise Toupin looks at the history of this movement, drawing on extensive archival research and highlighting the power and originality of the campaign which encompassed rich theoretical traditions, including autonomism, anti-colonialism and feminism, whilst also challenging the mainstream women's movement.

We started with Queen, we’ll finish with Queen. We in the book trade all know and love Michael Rosen. But until recently I had no idea that he had an entire fan-base among today’s teenagers for his hilarious rap memes – of which this (rather rude) version of Bohemian Rhapsody is one of the finest!

That’s all for now folks! More next week!