John Baskerville made books that gleam like jet on porcelain — and insisted on being buried standing up. From japanned snuff-boxes to the Cambridge Bible, from wove paper to sharp transitional type, here’s a brisk, book-trade tour of the printer who annoyed London, dazzled Franklin, partnered Mrs Eaves, and prepared the public for Didot and Bodoni.

From the unforgettable scream of "No wire hangers!" to the surreal spectacle of "Piggate," these books dropped bombs on the images of some of the most powerful public figures. This is a look at the moments when books didn’t just make headlines — they remade history.

Boarding school stories endure not because they were ever realistic, but because they offered a fantasy of order—where chaos was dormitory-sized, friendships epic, and growing up happened between cold showers and jam tarts.

Why does the white working-class education gap persist? From lost industries and early language delays to poor attendance and a shrinking reading culture, too many pupils are being failed before they begin. This blog explores the causes, and the practical fixes, that could restore dignity, skills and opportunity.

Look into the world of school stories, from Billy Bunter's misadventures to the classic tropes that still govern the genre. Whether it's overcoming a monster or going on a quest, these narratives hold more than just nostalgia—they hold the keys to understanding class, morality, and personal growth in fiction.

From Queen Victoria’s imagined love children to Princess Margaret’s speculative diagnoses, modern biographies are increasingly blurring the line between storytelling and speculation. But why are journalists letting them?

Ladybird Books taught generations of British children how to read, but the story behind the logo is richer, and more surprising, than you might think. From wartime printing hack to educational empire to bestselling adult spoof, here’s the full Pulp History.

When I began work on The Secret Journal of Victor Frankenstein on the Workings of the Human Body, I wasn’t just adapting Mary Shelley’s classic, I was exhuming it. Shelley, who died in 1851, had no idea her cautionary tale about ambition and monstrosity would spark not just horror films, Halloween masks and bolts-in-the-neck clichés, but an entire mythology. I imagined Victor Frankenstein not as a mad scientist, but as a curious, obsessive student doctor scribbling anatomical

H.E. Marshall’s Our Island Story was once the go-to tale of Britain’s past, kings, queens, and glorious Empire. But in 2025, what kind of story do we really need to tell our children? This blog revisits the 2005 revival campaign and explores what a more inclusive, honest, and compelling national narrative could look like.

The Net Book Agreement kept UK book prices fixed for almost 100 years, allowing local bookshops to thrive and publishers to take risks. But in 1997, it was declared illegal. Was it outdated protectionism - or a cultural safety net we didn’t realise we needed?

From a speakeasy basement in 1920s New York to a marble-and-brass editorial fortress in Berkeley Square, Reader’s Digest defined 20th-century publishing. I began my career at their London offices in 1979, and watched as the world’s most widely read magazine rose, thrived, and slowly faded. This is a story about illustrated books, prize draws, fine art, forgotten founders, and a publishing ethos that might just deserve a second look in today’s AI era.

What happens when a publisher decides the creator of a book no longer matters? When authorship becomes an inconvenience and branding takes centre stage? This article explores why the corporate strategy of erasing origin stories is not just ethically questionable—it’s commercially short-sighted. Books aren't toothpaste. And readers, as it turns out, have very long memories.

The business of books in Britain has transformed dramatically from the 1970s to today. The UK publishing industry of the 1970s would hardly recognise itself in 2025. Back then, cigarette smoke filled offices in London’s West End handled typewritten manuscripts delivered by post to a business dominated by gentlemanly agreements and a fixed book price system.

The Beano and Why Comics Matter Comics have long been the secret weapon of children’s literacy - visual storytelling that hooks reluctant readers, fuels imagination, and delivers complex ideas with clarity and humour. For me, The Beano was not just a comic; it was a portal to mayhem!

Why are publishers rewriting Roald Dahl instead of commissioning new authors? In a world where even the Roman army wasn’t just white and italian, isn’t it time to stop recycling the past and start publishing the future?

"Make America Great Again."Simple. Punchy. Repetitive, like a nursery rhyme or a drumbeat. But pause for a moment - just a moment - and ask:When exactly was America great?And, more importantly:

Donald Trump is at it again. Again.This time, he’s furious that Amazon might (note: might) have dared to show American shoppers how much his tariffs are adding to their bills.How very dare they!

Today, The Great Gatsby is enshrined as the Great American Novel. It's not just literature - it’s a cultural metronome, ticking through the decades with unnerving relevance. Every generation rediscovers Gatsby, and in doing so, sees itself reflected in the mirrored surface of Jay Gatsby’s champagne-soaked lifestyle.

In 1919, as tensions exploded in Amritsar, a young Sikh barrister rode into a furious crowd on horseback to stop the violence. Educated in Dublin during Ireland’s rebellion, Gurdial Singh Salariya risked everything to prevent bloodshed—then was erased from history. This is the forgotten story of a man who stood between empires.

The 1993 Commercial Agents (Council Problems withDirective) Regulations (CARs) were introduced to bring UK law into compliance with the EEC.