Blog
Another One (sadly) Bites the Dust
6 April, 2015
I was saddened to see the news that the Forest Bookshop in the Forest of Dean will shortly close it’s doors after 40 years of match-making readers and books. In an article in The Bookseller, owner Douglas McLean said ‘the past 40 bookselling years have seen the happiest of times. We’ve had some wonderful events, […]
Wednesday Cover Story: Alfie Across the Sea
1 April, 2015
Bill Naughton’s well-loved classic, Alfie, has been enjoyed in both book and film forms for generations. Whether you’re a Michael Caine or Jude Law fan, the Casanova will charm and amuse you. It’s always great to see our favourite book covers interpreted by other publishers accross the seas. Take a look at the below, which […]
Authors Respond to Controversial New App
30 March, 2015
In the last week a controversial app has come to the attention of authors and readers alike: Clean Reader. Its purpose is to find ‘offensive’ language within books and replace these words with a milder alternative. With a scale from ‘clean’ to ‘squeaky clean’ even words such as ‘damn’ or ‘vagina’ can be substituted for […]
Go Set a Watchman Covers
27 March, 2015
The literary world has been in delightful uproar since the news of Harper Lee’s follow up to To Kill a Mockingbird was released. Ahead of the publication in July, jackets have been unveiled for the UK and US covers of Go Set a Watchman: I’m not sure I’m enamoured with either of them. I think […]
Pay With a Poem
25 March, 2015
On Saturday, in honour of World Poetry Day, one company in Vienna decided to commemorate the occasion by using poetry as currency for the day. Julius Meinl marked this day with a promotion spanning across 23 countries in their 1100 cafes, bars and restaurants. This included the UK! The thinking behind this ingenious idea was the […]
A Kitchen Maid’s Story
23 March, 2015
There’s been much talk of stately homes and English heritage in the papers recently, and whilst politicians argue it out over mansion taxes and constitutional reforms across the kingdom, we’re finding a little light relief in remembering Britain’s past through the eyes of Flo Wadlow, in her kitchen maid’s story. Over a Hot Stove is a vivid […]
So Your Son is a Centaur
20 March, 2015
The Internet was in hysterics this week when a Reddit user, Obvious Plant, printed a few hilarious fake book jackets and stealthily placed them on existing books in a West Hollywood bookstore. The newly jacketed titles in the self-help section include So Your Son is a Centaur, How to Dress Yourself and my personal favourite, […]
Introducing The Literary Gift Company
18 March, 2015
As a lover of all things book-related my reaction to discovering this gem of a company cannot be overstated. The Literary Gift Company produces innovative and quirky products from novelty grammar mugs (my personal favourite) to library-style, date-stamped t-shirts. Not only this, but their section ‘Books turned into things’ sees old books wonderfully restored and […]
Worlds Apart
16 March, 2015
Do you prefer reading about real, or fictional places? As we learnt the sad news of Terry Pratchett’s death last week, many fans thanked the late author for the world he had created in the legendary Discworld series, and for the magic and escapism it brought to them. But we know from you A&B readers […]
Bibliophilia
13 March, 2015
There’s one creative studio that is always a pleasure to be updated on: Obvious State. Based in New York, Evan and Nicole Robertson, began ‘a small project that used snippets of text as a springboard for an original illustration quickly grew into a creative studio renowned for its wordplay and witty design.’ In short, that means they’ve created beautiful, thought-provoking and […]
All Aboard the Hogwarts Express!
11 March, 2015
Many of us may have already taken advantage of the Harry Potter Warner Bros Studio Experience with the chance to explore, among other things, such wonders as the Great Hall and the Knight Bus. However, it has recently been announced that a new feature will be added to the already expansive exhibition: the Hogwarts Express! […]
Childhood Memories
9 March, 2015
Childhood memories are important to us all and are a topic covered widely in literature. From the happy to the sinister, recollections of sensations, people, places and life-changing events weave in and out of many great stories. Our childhood home holds fond memories for many of us, as Caroline McGhie explored in an article for […]
Spring in your Step
6 March, 2015
I’ve seen daffodils this week, which means it’s nearly time to stop wearing my woollies. I’m enjoying being out and about more now that the evenings are getting lighter and the rain has (for now at least) stopped. And so when I spotted these London audio walking tours on the Guardian website, I decided I’m […]
World Book Day is back!
4 March, 2015
This Thursday welcomes back World Book Day! Many of us will remember being given our £1 book tokens while at school. For me, it is incredibly nostalgic. This year children’s laureate Malorie Blackman, perhaps best known for her ‘Noughts and Crosses’ series is to launch WBD Teenfest (wbdteenfest.com). The site will be live from 4th-5th […]
Harry Potter Secrets to be Revealed
2 March, 2015
My weekend was considerably lightened once again by bookish revelations: further Harry Potter secrets are to be revealed by Philip Errington in his comprehensive work J.K. Rowling: A Bibliography 1997-2013. As well as providing up-to-date bibliographic details of all of Rowling’s work, the author also includes fascinating behind-the-scenes information, gathered by interviewing staff at Bloomsbury and accessing […]
The Bookshop Band
27 February, 2015
How great are these guys! Combining a love of music and books – two things no one ever minds combining – they’ve been performing literary-inspired songs together, for five years. Titles including For an Ending (based on A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness) and How not to Woo a Woman (based on the Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry). […]
Rereading Anthony Burgess
25 February, 2015
Did anyone see the article on Anthony Burgess in last weekend’s Guardian? It reminded us here at A&B HQ, that this brilliant author was not only the creator of two of our favourite fiction titles – ‘Nothing Like the Sun‘ and ‘Kingdom of the Wicked‘, but that somewhere on our archive was a book that […]
Breaking News for Sherlock Holmes Fans
23 February, 2015
My weekend was cheered immensely by the news that a long-lost Sherlock Holmes story has been discovered. Found by historian Walter Elliot, it’s the first unseen Sherlock story unearthed in eighty years. The 1,300-word tale starring the famous detective in a collection of short stories written for a local bazaar. The wooden bridge in the Scottish town of […]
Tube Poetry
20 February, 2015
Travel Better London and TFL are partnering up for a poem competition about travel etiquette in London. Passengers who pen the best poem will see their masterpiece and a cartoon of themselves on a poster in a special campaign across the network. The poem must be 4 – 6 lines long and feature any of the […]
Wednesday Cover Story: Menna van Praag
18 February, 2015
Two beautiful covers to reveal to you today and we really can’t choose between them! A&B are incredibly excited about new author, Menna van Praag’s April release, The House at the End of Hope Street. This is a book for book-lovers, a richly told tale of lives less ordinary, with fantastic, strong female characters. Menna’s second […]
Checking out A&B talent
16 February, 2015
Lists released by the British Library’s Public Lending Right reveal Allison & Busby authors’ books are some of the most borrowed in the UK! Superstar, Anna Jacobs was the sixth most borrowed author (adult fiction) of 2013-14, with Heir to Greyladies a top title. Take a look at the full series here and keep an eye out […]