Description

'The nearest thing British publishing has to a cult' The Observer

Persephone Books began in a room above a pub in the spring of 1998. Founder Nicola Beauman?s original concept was to publish a handful of 'lost' or out-of-print books every year, most of them inter-war novels by women. The name Persephone was chosen as a symbol of female creativity, as well as of new beginnings (the daughter of Zeus is associated with spring).

The company was initially run from a basement office in Clerkenwell and the first book published was 'William ? An Englishman' by Cicely Hamilton, with an endpaper named 'Pamela' designed by the Omega Workshop.

After three years in the basement, Persephone book no. 21, ?Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day? by Winifred Watson, became a word-of mouth bestseller (and later a film starring Amy Adams and Frances McDormand).

Now, all 145 of their books are intelligent, thought-provoking and beautifully written, chosen to appeal to busy people wanting titles that are neither too literary nor too commercial. 

In 2021, the whole business moved from London to Bath.

Description

The Wharf,

Bude,

Cornwall,

England,

EX23 8LG.