BfK News: November 1988
The Federation of Children’s Rook Groups
‘A Tale is a tale .. however it’s told…’
21st Annual Conference
31st March – 2nd April 1989 at Brighton Polytechnic, Falmer, East Sussex
Entitled A Tale is a tale … however it’s told…, this lively gathering will be considering the many ways of storytelling, from the oral tradition to television, with the underlying theme that the quality of the story and its telling are all-important. Speakers will include Celia Berridge, Berlie Doherty, Grace Hallworth, Rosemary Stones and Wes Magee. A full residential weekend for non-members is £65, for members £60. Daily rates are also available. Closing date: 3rd February 1989. Further information from: Diana Rogers, 48 South Way, Lewes, East Sussex BN7 1LY (tel: 0273 474964).
BfK Annual Subscription Price Increase
For the past eight years we have managed to keep our price increases more or less bang on the prevailing rate of inflation. This coming year, 1989, we are putting the annual subscription up by 16% which is well above the current rate of inflation for two reasons. Just over a third is taken up with the normal rises in the costs of production and postage; the rest is to help us produce a better, larger magazine. At the moment we average 28 pages per issue. In 1989 we shall attempt to average 32 pages, perhaps the year after another four pages. The subscription rates therefore for the coming calendar year are as follows:
UK Annual Subscription: £8.40 (Single copy £1.40)
Europe and surface worldwide: £12.00 (Single copy £2.00)
Airmail Rates on application
These new prices will come into effect from 1st January 1989.
Survey of Comics and Magazines for Children and Young People
‘Only 17% of young people read books for pleasure at the age of 15 … 98% read comics and/or magazines.’ So says a survey (quoting other sources) produced by Camden Libraries and Arts Department for its own use and which looked at over 160 publications covering a wide spectrum of ages, interests and cultures. Includes reviews, recommendations, publishers and circulation figures. Available from: The Children and Young People’s Librarian, Swiss Cottage Library, 88 Avenue Road, London NW3 3HA; £4.95 (inc. p&p); cheques and POs made payable to the London Borough of Camden.
Sotheby’s Sale of Illustrated Books, Children’s Books and Related Drawings
Sotheby’s, London (tel: 01-408 5168) 1st-2nd December 1988
Not, we suspect, for us ordinary punters but fascinating nonetheless to report, Sotheby’s expect this auction to fetch in excess of £250,000! There’s a private American collection of English and American children’s books of about 350 titles (valued at £130,000-£160,000) which include the first account in English of The Pied Piper dated 1605, a number of mint-condition first editions including an English version, dated 1848, of Shock-Headed Peter. Besides these there are also drawings by Tenniel (the original illustrator of Alice), Ardizzone and Kit Williams (Masquerade). Let us know how your biddings go.
Children’s Book Promotion Posters
From Peters Library Service, 28-32 Thorp Street, Birmingham B5 4AX (tel: 021 622 4380/1730).
‘The pleas for attractive promotional posters are continuous and loud but sadly there have been few publishers prepared for, or aware of, library requirements.’ Right on, we’ve been telling ’em (i.e. our publishing friends) for years now but they’ve got this thing about posters only being used by booksellers, you see, who very often don’t have the space or sometimes the inclination. All the more pleasing, therefore, to see a bookseller, Peters Library Service of Birmingham, doing their bit. They’ve just launched a series of A3 size children’s book posters featuring full-colour pictures from books illustrated by Emma Chichester Clark, Mick Inkpen, and Sita Jucker. The cost is 90p for a set of three or, for an additional £1.45 per poster, Peters will mount them on 5mm foam board which is reasonable value for money. Send off for details, if you’re interested.
