 |
|||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
News 23 July 2004
Mainstream
is delighted to be publishing THE SCOTCH WHISKY DIRECTORY by
Phillip Hills. The author of numerous books on whisky, he is one
of few truly independent critics of the Scotch Whisky industry.
In this book he has devised a simple but original way of presenting
the flavour of any whisky as a graphic. The result is a directory
from which the consumer can get accessible, reliable and objective
information about how whiskies taste. It is the definitive guide
that sets a benchmark for all future discussions of spirits of
all sorts. World rights are available.
 |
 |
 |
Rights deals continue to flood in. This week we have finalised the sale of 1001 NIGHTS WITHOUT SEX to a national broadsheet and had a further offer for THE REAL MACKAY. A deal will be finalised on 9th August. Other deals include offers for THE GREAT ESCAPERS for large print rights in the English language and for Portugese translation rights from Brazil.
Diane
Blood's story continues to have international reperucussions
with the news that a court in Japan has ruled that a child born
after IVF using a dead man's sperm is legally the man's child.
When the child's mother tried to register the birth, the local
government refused to allow it. The mother filed a lawsuit to
have her son legally recognised as the child of his father. The
first court ruled against her. Now, the Takamatsu High Court
has just overturned the lower court's ruling.
Closer to home BBC news has just revealed that another British woman is celebrating prospective parenthood after IVF treatment using her dead husband's sperm brought her the pregnancy they longed for. The 44-year-old businesswoman is due to give birth in October. Her husband was diagnosed with lung cancer just under three years ago and passed away in February 2002. This pregnancy is the result of her fifth attempt at IVF, two years to the day after his death.
Many
apologies to Len Murray, author of THE PLEADER,
whose book got a great review on Radio Forth and which I failed
to include in the newsletter. They gave it four stars and said
of it, 'If you like short stories, like realism in your reading
and are interested in crime writing - this is the book to treat
yourself to. This account of Len Murray's life as one of Scotland's
most respected pleaders is witty and humorous but the passion with
which he writes about the high-profile cases he was involved in
gives the reader a sense of the human face behind the lawyer's
wig and gown. Involved in cases such as that of Tony Martin, one
of the last people to be hanged in Scotland; bringing the Nazi
war criminal Antanas Gecas to justice; cheekily defending ex-Beatle
Paul McCartney, who was arrested on drug charges, this is a fascinating
insight into a world that is both very real and normally very secret.
Len's descriptive narrative about the many cases he took part in
and the many characters he came across both on the bench and in
the dock makes for great reading. Through this book Len has given
a real gift to all who have an interest in the legal system and
a rare glimpse into what it means for the lawyers involved.' Reviews
for all our books can be seen on the web site by searching under
title or author surname and clicking on reviews. I don't include
every review in the newsletter but this is a special case!
And Finally...
We are sorry to her that Lizzie Cameron our designer is leaving Mainstream at the end of August and heading for the bright lights of London. If anyone knows of a designer who would like to work with a thriving independent publishing company in Edinburgh please e-mail neil.graham@mainstreampublishing.com If anyone knows of any vacancies for designers in London please e-mail lizzie.cameron@mainstreampublishing.com