Autumn 2019 SPRING 2019 HIGHLIGHTS Pure Rose Cartwright 978-1-78352-736-6 £8.99 The Sewing Machine Natalie Fergie 978-1-78352-748-9 £8.99 21st-Century Yokel Tom Cox 978-1-78352-739-7 £9.99 Common People Kit de Waal (ed.) 978-1-78352-745-8 £9.99 Don’t Hold My Head Down Lucy-Anne Holmes 978-1-78352-621-5 £14.99 How to Come Alive Again Beth McColl 978-1-78352-719-9 £14.99 The Life of Death Lucy Booth 978-1-78352-710-6 £9.99 inside2019.indd 1 05/02/2019 14:09 Unbound Unit 18 Waterside 44–48 Wharf Road London N1 7UX Tel. 020 7253 4230 For a full list of contacts visit www.unbound.com Trade Sales & Marketing Manager Julian Mash [email protected] Online Accounts Manager Brian Martin [email protected] Head of Rights Ilona Chavasse [email protected] Head of Publicity Amy Winchester [email protected] To order any of the books in this catalogue, please contact your PGUK rep. If you’re unsure who that is, contact Julian Mash at [email protected]. Dear Reader, Welcome to the latest instalment of our catalogue, where you will find a full list of our new titles published between July to December 2019, along with a wealth of interviews, extracts and exclusive content. July sees the publication of Razia, a fast-paced thriller set in contemporary London, the latest novel from Abda Khan, an author and lawyer who works with victims of domestic violence. You can read about her experience of traditional publishing and the bias she encountered on pages 52-54. Later that same month we are excited to publish the latest in our series of ground-breaking anthologies – Rife. From the creative minds behind Rife magazine, this anthology of twenty-one voices, all under the age of twenty-four, holds a mirror up to the experiences of young people in the UK today, with essays on money, mental health, sex, gender, inequality, education and the future, edited by Nikesh Shukla of The Good Immigrant. As we move into the autumn, September sees the publication of Henrietta Heald’s Magnificent Women and their Revolutionary Machines, a centenary tribute to a group of female pioneers, Britain’s early women engineers. In 1919, in the wake of the First World War, a group of extraordinary women came together to create the Women’s Engineering Society. They were trailblazers, pioneers, boundary breakers, but many of their stories have been lost to history – until now. In October Tom Cox returns with Ring the Hill, a book of unclassifiable non-fiction, written in his inimitable voice and studded with his trademark humour. This is the third book that Tom has crowdfunded with us (once again in record time) and it echoes 21st-Century Yokel in its discursive style. Each chapter takes a type of hill – whether it be knoll, cap, cliff, tor, mump or even mere hillock – as a starting point from which Tom will explore an experience or idea, taking in an array of topics from acid folk to wild swimming. Later in October the hilarious Effin’ Birds hits the trade, based on the hit Twitter account: a compact field guide featuring more than 200 of the rudest and most hilarious sweary birds. And yes, it really is effin’ hilarious – everyone I have shown this book to has laughed very, very hard. If you are looking for a gift book this autumn, then look no further. In terms of gift ideas, we have another corker for you in the form of Cain’s Jawbone. In 1934, the Observer’s crossword writer, Edward Powys Mathers (aka Torquemada), released a novel that was simultaneously a murder mystery and one of the hardest and most beguiling word puzzles ever published. The 100 pages of the book were printed and bound out of order, asking the reader to reorder the pages to solve the mystery and reveal the murderers. Now, Unbound and The Laurence Sterne Trust are re-issuing the book in a custom-made box so that readers can physically reorder the pages for themselves. We are also offering a £1,000 prize for the first person to solve the mystery within a year of publication! This autumn we are thrilled to be publishing Fuck Yeah, Video Games, the most successful book in UK crowdfunding history. Fuck Yeah, Video Games is a memoir by YouTube sensation Daniel Hardcastle (OfficialNerdCubed), told through his encounters with the most remarkable games of the last thirty years. It is also a love letter to the greatest hobby in the world. From God of War to Animal Crossing, SSX 3 to The Sims, each chapter looks at a different game and is crammed with as many jokes, obscure references and personal stories as will fit. You can find all these books in your local bookshop or from the usual places online. Happy reading! Julian Mash, Trade Sales and Marketing Manager. CONTENTS From the Shop Floor Much Ado Books 6 Fuck Yeah, Video Games Daniel Hardcastle on smashing his crowdfunding target 8 Effin’ Birds A field guide of sweary birds 10 Others Extracts from an anthology on the subject of otherness 16 Celebs at Home Stars – they’re just like you and me! 21 A Story the Country Needs to Hear Nikesh Shukla on the plight of Britain’s youth 25 Through the Keyhole… Talliston House and Gardens A photographic tour 27 Inside the Mind of Viral Internet Sensation Cyriak Harris Inspiration behind Horse Destroys the Universe 34 Hardcore Gaming 101 Presents: Japanese Video Game Obscurities A peek inside 38 Top Ten Jungle Gems A preview of the young naturalist’s adventure 40 The Magnificent Seven A profile of brilliant female engineers from the early twentieth century 42 Eileen: The Making of Orwell An excerpt from the biography of Orwell’s wife, Eileen O’Shaughnessy 45 Bird Brain Mental health pigeons with a lot to say 48 Girls Like Me Abda Khan, author of upcoming novel Razia, on proving naysayers wrong 52 21st-Century Yokel: A Soundtrack Tom Cox shares his musical inspiration 55 The Joy of Womansplaining Nell Stevens on the value of female friendships 60 New Titles July to December 2019 65 New Titles: Digital July to December 2019 94 Shelfie: Olivia Laing A peek at the writer’s bookshelf 98 Meet the Unbounder: Noelia Jiménez Martínez Head of Data Science and Astrophysics 101 FROM THE SHOP FLOOR: MUCH ADO BOOKS Address: 8 West Street, Alfriston, Polegate BN26 5UX Opening Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday: 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday: Closed Saturday: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sunday: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tel: 01323 871222 Email: [email protected] Tucked away in the picturesque village of Alfriston in East Sussex, Much Ado Books opened its doors at the end of 2003. Founded by Cate and Nash, and staffed by three to five part-time booksellers (plus three chickens), it has been charming visitors ever since with its superbly well curated selection of books. For the past seven years they have occupied a compound that was once a builder’s yard, taking over two floors of a mid-Victorian barn. The entranceway to the yard features old paperbacks and affordable editions with a shepherds hut offering second-hand and vintage books. The main building, which once housed the builders’ offices, has become Prospero’s Project, the home of their social enterprise, currently focused on providing new books for foodbanks. As Nash says, ‘Too many people cannot access books, and we feel driven to try to help in some way, however small. To this end we have developed connections with seven foodbanks in the area, donating new books for their clients. We also support a local community library, a school in special measures, and a community centre. In 2018 we gave more than 3,000 books, as well as less tangible support in the form of administrative help and arranging events and speakers.’ They also offer antiquarian books; a craft workshop or meeting room; a writers room and gallery space. They host a plethora of events all year round, ranging from free craft demonstrations to workshops to book group meetings to author talks for anywhere from 8 to 120 people. They are blessed with a supportive customer base – as Nash says, ‘We love an opinionated customer, and seem to have lots of them! We value their support and loyalty; the word “Amazon” is rarely uttered in our hearing!’ 6 Nash, Founder How long have you worked at Much Ado Books? Since 1983. What book(s) are you currently reading? Cate is reading Jonathan Coe’s Middle England; Nash is reading Anna Burns’s Milkman. What is the strangest thing a customer has ever asked you? Customers want to hold their wedding reception here. And why not? What is your favourite spot in the shop? The first floor of either building. Comfy chairs; a feeling of quiet sanctuary; books all around… If only we could spend more time there! What are some of the most memorable events you have held here? Any events with either Jacqueline Wilson or Bill Bryson are a delight. Jacky charms younger readers; Bill thrills his fans. Why are bookshops important? Bookshops are important for myriad reasons, of course. They are both havens of safety and the starting point for the most extraordinary adventures. They support and encourage ownership of books, which is life-affirming. Bookshops anchor high streets, offering commercial benefits as attractions for readers and as unofficial community centres where people can gather, meet, chat, learn, share and expand their horizons.