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News stories from the book world in July 2004

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July 2004

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'The planet's biggest and best literary party'

26 July 2004

There's still time to book for most of the 650 events at the world's largest annual literary and cultural showcase, the Edinburgh International Book Festival, which runs from 14th to 30th August.  Read more

Reading at risk

19 July 2004

Reading at Risk, a survey by the National Endowment for the Arts involving 17,000 people, paints a dismal picture of a decline in reading in the US. Defining 'literary reading' as novels, short stories, plays and poetry read not for work or study, i.e. leisure reading of fiction, the study shows a sharp and continuing decline amongst all sectors of the population.   Read more

Second-hand books boom

12 July 2004

A recent article in Publishing Trends, the newsletter of US consultants Market Partners International, has reopened the debate about the effect of used book sales on new books. Second-hand books have always possessed a resale value and been a way that people with less money can feed their reading habit.  Read more

Hodder Headline on the block

5 July 2004

Troubles at high street giant W H Smith may now affect its publishing arm, Hodder Headline. Under its new chief executive, Kate Swann, Smith's has been struggling to reinvent itself whilst dealing with a takeover bid from Permira.  Read more