How we got into the business of resurrections

AS FAR as gestation periods go, this must rank alongside the African bush elephant, if not quite that of the black alpine salamander. Certainly, its incubation has been a lot longer than any self-respecting magpie would ever take.

It was about 16 months ago when we decided to start a venture to bring back to life the countless fascinating stories lying forgotten and unloved in the archives of newspapers, magazines, journals and book publishers. Our mission is to produce well-edited, interesting books that give people insight, knowledge and pleasure.

We spent a long and enjoyable lunch at one of our favourite country pubs (The Hurstwood in East Sussex, if anyone is interested), kicking around the potential ideas.

We could do anthologies of famous people’s obituaries, I said - like composers, authors, tycoons or soldiers, taken from various sources. We could reprint interesting books, she said, like an Elizabethan cookbook or a 19th-century tome on keeping bees. We could do a compendium of interviews with great historical figures, I said, like Gandhi, Churchill, or Mandela. We could do gruesome crimes and infamous criminals through the ages, she said, from pirates and highwaymen to Jack the Ripper and the Yorkshire Ripper.   

We left the pub filled with enthusiasm. During my 30-plus years on British national newspapers, there was once an old news editor who used to make light when his news list was poor by joking: “There are a million stories out there - the only problem is that we don’t have any of them.” It was different for us this time: there were a million stories out there and we had the means of accessing them all; the only problem for us was which ones to choose first.

We’ve not (yet) achieved all of our early ambitions dreamt of that afternoon in that Sussex pub - and it’s been a much more tortuous process than I envisaged - but I’m delighted and relieved to be able to announce that our baby has (finally) been born: Blue Magpie Books has taken flight. It’s been quite a journey. I’ve learned a lot of interesting stuff about archives, copyright laws and e-book publishing in the process, and far too much for my mental health about such things as VAT, licences for fonts, and configuring printers.

Why the name Blue Magpie? Well, Magpies are extremely smart and curious (they possess the intellectual capacity to recognise themselves in a mirror, can make and use tools, mimic human speech, grieve, play games, and work well in teams). They also have a reputation for finding shiny objects to adorn their nests (although scientists have recently cast doubt on this long-held belief). Thirdly, the Blue Magpie itself - found in several variations in various locations across Asia - is a thing of beauty, with its bright plumage, red bill and a long, striking tail. So, all in all, it seemed a fitting name for us, as we try to dig up those gems and create beautiful books.

Our philosophy is simple: to find the forgotten, the overlooked, the unloved, and breathe new life into them. Initially, we are concentrating on using material that is out of copyright, but we will soon seek to start using more recent archive material. Our mission is to produce well-edited, interesting books that give people insight, knowledge and pleasure.

When I told one of my friends about the venture, he joked that he’d never thought of me having quite the right attributes for resurrections. He’s right (and amusing), of course, but there is something very gratifying about the nature of what we do, of unearthing gems, polishing them and re-presenting them; we hope they bring you as much satisfaction and pleasure.

We have launched with three books. The first, published at £6.99, is Explorers, a collection of 14 eyewitness - and eye-opening - accounts detailing the pioneering journeys of great explorers, adventurers and conquerors, stretching across 600 years. Many of these journeys had an immense impact, helping to shape the world we live in today.

The other two are unique collections of the original obituaries of 101 of the world's greatest composers. Maestros Vols 1, 2 each priced at £3.99, reveal how contemporary audiences regarded musical giants such as Bach, Beethoven, Handel, Wagner and Liszt, and many others.

Update: Maestros Vols 3, 4 and Tycoons - Original Obituaries Of 50 Pioneers Of Business are now available.

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Thanks for your time.

Richard