Manderley Press

31/12/2024

We are delighted that our edition of Joan Aiken’s ‘Tales of London Town’ was a favourite of Books on the Hill St Albans - not least because it is one of our all time favourite bookstores! Happy new year and thank you 🙏 📚🌈

Wishing everyone a fabulous New Year 📚

***we are now closed until Saturday 11th January***

Some of our favourites this year have been:

Stoner by John Williams
My Friends by Hisham Matar.
The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden.
Our Evenings by Alan Hollingshurst.
Lie with Me by Philippe Besson
Mother Naked by Glenn James Brown
Wendy Cope Collected Poems
James by Percival Everett
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
Tales of London Town by Joan Aiken

Also randomly I have to shout about the podcast The Rest is History and the five part Nelson series is absolutely phenomenal.
Also the episode where Tom and Dominic are at the Royal Albert Hall, with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and the Philharmonia Chorus, conducted by Oliver Zeffman, they explore one of the most famous musical figures of all time: Mozart. So good.

Last but not least our favourite haunt is and their menu is all delicious but they have a truffle cheese which is actual witchcraft. I’m off to buy more, it’s perfect snack for reading, all the best📚📚📚

31/12/2024

A new edition of China Court by Rumer Godden, first published in 1961 and now re-issued by Manderley Press, with an introduction by Linda Grant and illustrations by Emily Maude. Spellbinding, powerfully evocative, shocking – a stay-up-until-2am kind of a book China Court is the story of the hours

31/12/2024

Well this was a superb way to round off the year!

I had a fantastic time chatting with for this feature in last week’s .

It’s been just over three years since I published the very first Manderley Press book - as a tentative experiment - and I can hardly believe all the amazing things that have happened since then. Never in a million years did I imagine being interviewed for a piece like this. I am delighted (also still pinching myself, again!).

2024 has been an incredible year - for me and for Manderley Press, and for my family too. It’s shot past in a flash but I’m so proud of everything we’ve achieved, and I am so grateful for the support of friends and relations (a special shout out for my sister here), and all you readers, booksellers, wholesalers, printers, designers, proofreaders, agents, literary estates, posties, reviewers, illustrators, artists and last but not least, authors too. Oh gawd, I’m so sorry for anyone I have left off the list - I know I will have.

Thank you all for taking a chance on Manderley Press - it’s been a joy to have you on the journey.

And for this particular article, huge thanks also go to for the gorgeous photographic portrait above and to Yvonne, aka for the beautiful dress too. Two uber-talented women whose own unlimited creativity is a true inspiration.

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I’ve taken a short break over the festive period because next year I aim to start with a bang and a half. I’ve got so many plans and projects to share with you, and I’m delighted to be working with two of the very best bookish professionals out there to help turn all this into what is basically, at the end of the day, a dream come true! and - welcome to the team - I can’t wait for 2025.

In the meantime, wishing you all a very happy new year. I’m raising a glass in gratitude and astonished happiness - see you on the other side!

Rebeka x

#2025

30/12/2024

This year we celebrated a century of the magical life and works of master storyteller Joan Aiken.

So it was wonderful to read this warm-hearted - and riveting - essay in last week’s all about Joan: her background, history, inspiration and legacy. I thoroughly recommend heading over to the online version of the paper where you can find the article (by novelist ) in the section on children and teenagers.

It was amazing to see our new book by Joan Aiken mentioned here - bringing this collection of her stories set in a magical “other” London back to life has been such a rewarding adventure in its own right. Let alone the honour I have felt in republishing one of my favourite childhood authors during such a special celebratory year for her family.

Coordinating this publishing project has offered me the very unique opportunity to join forces with Joan’s wondrous daughter and make some wonderful new bookish friends. Without further ado, I must thank , and all at .m.heath, plus of course the amazing dreamteam that is and whose magical contributions helped to create a beautiful new edition, introduced and illustrated to perfection.

Thanks also to all those booksellers and reviewers who helped to promote the book (off the top of my head, and many many more) - a huge thanks from a very grateful indie publisher!

22/12/2024

The ultimate publishing Venn diagram (for me at least) will always include books, coffee … and cats.

This is Jeremy - office cat, editorial assistant, mood enhancer.

It’s been a very VERY busy past few months (and a huge thanks to all of you for making it so!), so I’ve collapsed on the sofa in readiness for Christmukkah next week. It’s a wonderful feeling to sit down, even if it’s a bit strange not to be wrapping and packing books.

Jeremy keeps me company when I’m working at home, and can always be relied upon to guard piles of book boxes, close my laptop with one paw if I’m not looking, challenge my editorial decisions and of course, photo-bomb anything creative I’m trying out with a camera.

With apologies to all you dog enthusiasts out there - there’s nothing better than an office cat, and so this post is my homage to Jeremy, and all the books he will help me to publish, wrap and post, one way or the other, next year!

Happy holidays to you all, and all your feline friends too 🐾🐾🐾

Rebeka x

21/12/2024

“Time and tide wait for no man,” said Chaucer, once upon a time.

Perhaps when he realised he’d run out of time to finish his Christmas shopping?

If you have too, let us help out with our e-gift card. It can be sent directly - and immediately - to you or a friend via email.

So if you still have last-minute Christmas presents to find but no time to post them - we can help!

Manderley Press e-gift cards are available in denominations of £25, and are redeemable at manderleypress.com - all you need to do is enter the gift card code at checkout.

You or your recipient can use the e-gift card to pay for any product on our website, from books, art prints and greetings cards to gift wrap, dvds and all bundles too.

Finally, to paraphrase another Chaucerian saying (with sincere apols to the great man!) - all good things need NOT come to an end … for our e-cards never expire!

DM us with any queries. And enjoy the last few days of pre-Christmas verve.

Happy holidays,
Rebeka x

20/12/2024

Sometimes I walk past my office at night (aka my old kitchen table) and have to pinch myself.

Three years ago I had only just begun my Manderley Press journey and now there are 11 titles and a whole wide world of new bookish adventures stretching out ahead of me.

It’s been an honour, and an utter joy, to have republished so many of my favourite authors; to have commissioned some of my literary heroes; and to have worked with the very best illustrators and designers.

And I’ve met so many wonderful people along the way - from agents, editors, reviewers and booksellers, to posties, warehouse teams, sales and marketing gurus, printers and publicists - extraordinary, all of them.

Thank you to absolutely everyone who has been part of the Manderley Press journey - and to all those of you have supported my publishing venture. I’m not exaggerating when I say that none of it would have been possible without your support.

Once upon a time I dreamed of my ideal job, and now it’s a reality.

Sometimes all it takes is a casual nighttime glance on your way to tuck in the kids that can make you stop and smile.

Tonight I am grateful, glad - and giddy! I’m prepped for the last few days of Christmas packing. And I can’t wait for everything that next year already promises. Bring on 2025!

Rebeka x

19/12/2024

Warm yourself this winter, with a little help from Robert Louis Stevenson.

His book Edinburgh: Picturesque Notes was a ‘sort of Bible’ to all Scots in the 19th century, and was inspired by his own memories of growing up in Edinburgh.

We launched Manderley Press with a new edition of this literary gem, introduced gloriously by , who shares a love of the city.

Shaped by his interest in social history, legend and myth, Stevenson leads the reader on a journey through the city, visiting memorable houses and picturesque areas, bringing to life its most engaging characters and landmarks.

Many of the buildings, places and people he describes went on to inform the settings of his timeless adventure novels, such as Kidnapped, Treasure Island and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

But it is perhaps the weather that dominates the chapter I draw from today - Winter and New Year. But from the cold winds and the “inclemency of heaven” comes a love of words, music, and good hot food!

“The Scotch dialect is singularly rich in terms of reproach against the winter wind. Snell, Mae, nirly, and scowthering, are four of these significant vocables; they are all words that carry a shiver with them; and for, my part as I see them aligned before me on the page, I am persuaded that a big wind comes tearing over the Firth from Burntisland and the northern hills; I think I can hear it howl in the chimney, and as I set my face northwards, feel its smarting kisses on my cheek.

The inclemency of heaven, which has thus endowed the language of Scotland with words, has also largely modified the spirit of its poetry. Both poverty and a northern climate teach men the love of the hearth and the sentiment of the family; and the latter, in its own right, inclines a poet to the praise of strong waters. In Scotland, all our singers have a stave or two for blazing fires and stout potations: – to get indoors out of the wind and to swallow something hot to the stomach, are benefits so easily appreciated where they dwelt!”

With the huge thanks to for her stunning photography

18/12/2024

It’s not too late to order books for Christmas delivery!

Head over to manderleypress.com to place orders and we will ship pre-wrapped parcels straight to you - or the recipient of your choice.

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Christmas in New York!

As described by Helene Hanff, in her collection of letters written for broadcast on Radio 4’s n the 1970s and 80s (which we have reprinted in a brand new edition - Letter from New York).

Here’s an excerpt to whet your whistle:

“I have eight people and two dogs coming for Christmas dinner and, since studio apartments have small refrigerators, you have to work out the logistics in advance. You make your pies, cranberry sauce and sweet-potato casserole ahead of time and then distribute them around the building in other people’s refrigerators, since the turkey, hors d’oeuvres, vegetables and eggnog bowl are all you’ll have room for in yours.

On Christmas morning, once your turkey’s in the oven, you go and get everything back. And the logistics consist in remembering whether the casserole is in 4-F or 16-B, and did you get the keys to 8-E-up-the-hall, because Shelley and Susan have gone skiing in Vermont for Christmas, with your pies in their freezer. ”

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This new edition is marvellously introduced by Helene’s cousin, the best-selling author , and illustrated to perfection by the New Yorker cartoonist .

By popular demand - who could resist these gorgeous B.E.K. hand-drawn illustrations - we created a matching art print (signed by the artist of course) and greetings card to accompany the book.

All can be found on our website - manderleypress.com

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Letter from New York was commissioned by the BBC following the success of Helene’s book 84, Charing Cross Road - which, incidentally, you can find as a very special edition from the good peeps at .

With warm mulled-wine best wishes,

Rebeka x

16/12/2024

🕯️ Reading by candlelight 🕯️

A tale of Christmas past, from the final pages of our historical novel for children by master story-teller Rosemary Sutcliff - set in Tudor London on the banks of the River Thames…

“The snow snowed itself out in the night, and when the sun rose in the morning of Christmas Eve, all the City was clean and sparkling in its white furred gown. The streets were unmarked by any tracks yet awhile, and the sunny sides of the steep roofs were scattered with sparkling points of light as bright as stars, and every window flashed in the sunrise so that once again London was a City with golden windows.”

🕯️

We brought this book back to life for a whole new generation of readers - young and old.

Lara Maiklem (.mudlark) has introduced this new edition to perfection, and we loved the new cover and illustrations by graphic novelist so much that we created a range of matching paper products to accompany the book.

These include:
-a signed A3 art print of the front cover illustration
- a greetings card to match
- wrapping paper inspired by the individual chapter openers and endpapers

(All to be found on our website - manderleypress.com)

🕯️

This week we celebrated the birthday of Rosemary Sutcliff (born in 1920), who wrote books for those aged 9 to 90, and is perhaps most well-known for her meticulously researched historical novels for children, offering generations of readers a “magic carpet into the past”.

We like to think that each of our books for children is equally as appealing - they were all inspired by a building, house or city, and transport the reader to different time and place, whether read for the first time as an adult or child, rediscovered later in life, or shared aloud by candlelight, around the fireside, between generations.

With my warmest festive best wishes,

Rebeka x

14/12/2024

I absolutely love wrapping books and posting them out to readers.

As the last posting dates before Christmas draw closer, this is a gentle reminder to place any orders you’d like me to send out - either to you or to your friends and family.

All our books, prints and stationery are posted to you snugly in specially designed sturdy postal packaging, and can also be sent as a gift to the recipient of your choice.

It’s very simple, all you need to do is include your gift message and the postage address at checkout and we will carefully hand-write a gift note and dispatch the parcel for you.

Ordering from us direct makes a huge difference to our independent press, allowing us to reinvest in future titles and exciting literary projects (there are lots to come - more news soon).

As a thank you, we hand-wrap each book in tissue paper tied with a silk ribbon. And every title includes a matching bookmark, created exclusively for manderleypress.com readers. All free of charge and designed to make your festive gift-giving as easy and stress-free as possible.

Finally! Free UK postage on orders over £35 throughout December…

We are delighted to offer free UK postage and packing on all website orders over £35, throughout the whole month (with apologies to our international customers - we are looking into options for discounted shipping in the New Year).

Simply apply the following discount code at checkout and postage will be automatically deducted from your order: FREEP&P

Rebeka x

06/12/2024

In case you missed our exciting news - we have just received advance copies of a brand new book - it’s due out in April, but Washington Square has landed early in London and all pre-orders have been popped in the post, wrapped and beribboned, with matching bookmarks.

I know I’m biased but this one is glorious.

With thanks to all the usual suspects - especially Colm Tóibín - who has introduced this new edition to perfection - and who has surely created a new literary icon with this gorgeous front cover.

“Washington Square is a work of great genius”, said Rebecca West.

We could not agree more!

Happy Friday one and all,
Rebeka x

05/12/2024

Here in Ye Olde Shoppe, we love nowt more than a beaut series/collection of books …

Ta-da 🤗

£18.99 each

29/11/2024

A Manderley Press Christmas Pop Up

We are delighted to announce our first ever pop up shop - in South London - to be hosted by the beautiful independent .gallery in Carshalton.

Please join us for a very special in-person evening event on Thursday 12th December from 7 till 9 pm and grab yourself some last minute Christmas presents.

We will be there with all our books, greetings cards, gift wrap and art prints. There will probably be some special offers and you’ll also be able to get your hands on our brand-new title too – Washington Square by Henry James.

And of course, there will be some festive drinks and nibbles, which we look forward to sharing with you, alongside some seriously bookish chat as well.

Established in 2007, the Corner Gallery (3 Gordon Road Carshalton, SM5 3RG) boasts a superb collection of art work (which will also be on sale during the event).

It is practically next door to Carshalton Beeches station and trains run frequently and regularly from there to London Bridge and Victoria station too.

Any questions, please do contact me at [email protected] - we can’t to celebrate some festive cheer with you!

And now I’m off to prepare for the imminent arrival of Washington Square - more details soon! Have a great day,

Rebeka x

26/11/2024

A little something to pique your literary taste buds this morning…

Next summer we are DELIGHTED to be republishing two children’s stories by Raymond Briggs in one gorgeous new edition.

The Strange House and Midnight Adventure were inspired by Raymond’s own childhood in Wimbledon and are fabulously illustrated throughout each page of the whole book.

The title will be beautifully illustrated, inside and out, using original art work (the image above is of the first 1960s cover).

Who will introduce it I hear you ask!? I can’t wait to reveal more very very soon, but suffice to say it will be the perfect and most wondrous contributor! I’m about to sign contracts and will share the exciting news straight away (publisher manically searches for some wood to touch).

Sign up to ur newsletter for all the news about this book (and more) including events, advance pre-orders and special projects too. I don’t want to wish away time, but next year is going to be epic!

And now … coffee. Have a great day,

Rebeka x

15/11/2024

The opportunity to meet and work with a series of wonderful living writers has been one of the very best things about setting up Manderley Press.

Rewind a year or so to the day I found a copy of Kathrine Kressmann Taylor’s on the shelves at .

I knew in an instant that I had to republish this gem of a book and rushed to to see if I could find inspiration or ideas for someone to introduce the book.

It needed to be an author with links to Florence, a strong sense of place, and an interest in art, writing and history...

A helpful bookseller drew my attention to Angels of Mud - a novel about the very floods detailed in Kathrine’s diaries - by Vanessa Nicolson. It seemed too perfect to be true, but a quick online search led me straight to herself, and the rest, as they say, is history.

So to round off the ideal publishing and bookselling circle, and to complement Vanessa’s superb introductory essay to Florence: Ordeal by Water, I am delighted to have copies of Angels of Mud now in stock in the manderleypress.com bookshop (link in profile above), each signed by Vanessa, and ready to be posted in tissue and ribbon and with a bookmark from our own Florence publication.

Vanessa grew up in Florence and London, the daughter of an Italian mother and British father, and has worked as an art historian, curator and journalist.

Angels of Mud is her first novel (following on from two memoirs, ‘Have You Been Good?’ and ‘The Truth Game’) and is a captivating story of women’s lives across three generations.

The story pivots around Florence, and the catastrophic floods of 1966 which attracted many international volunteers – dubbed ‘Mud Angels’ by local journalists. They became symbols of humanity’s determination to help those afflicted by disaster and to value the reparative power of art.

If you loved Florence: Ordeal by Water and Still Life by Sarah Winman, then this novel is the perfect next-read.

We have a limited number of copies, so it’s a ‘while stocks last’ situation!

14/11/2024

Stop press - a brand new Manderley Press title!

Washington Square by Henry James is a classic tale of love, betrayal and stifling societal pressures, set in the heart of 19th-century New York.

It will be republished in April 2025, but a limited number of advance copies are available exclusively from Manderley Press from this December.

Pre-orders are already open and you can reserve copies on our website (link in bio above).

The book will retail at £19.99 at publication but we are offering it at £18.99 for all orders placed through manderleypress.com

Each website pre-order will be wrapped in tissue and tied with a silk ribbon, and will include a bookmark designed to match the stunning front cover - all illustrated by the exceptionally talented NYC-based artist , who has brought this novel back to life for a brand new audience.
“Washington Square is a work of great genius”
- Rebecca West

To showcase this gem of a book, we commissioned the internationally acclaimed best-selling writer Colm Tóibín to pen a new introduction.

Shortlisted for the Booker Prize for his novel about James’s life, The Master, Tóibín is perfectly placed to take a fresh look at this well-loved classic: he is an expert in the life and works of Henry James and has re-examined the novel in light of the author’s connections to its New York setting.

Washington Square was first published in 1880 and has since become one of the best-loved and most widely admired novels by Henry James, inspiring writers, artists and playwrights for nearly 150 years.

It is the only work of fiction James ever wrote that was named for an actual place – he grew up close by at 21 Washington Place – and this new edition will evaluate how far this iconic location directly influenced the setting of the novel.