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Shire gets geed up

20.03.08 Tom Tivnan

Shire Publications, the local history and heritage specialist acquired by military publisher Osprey last September, is ramping up its publishing programme and revitalising its backlist.

Shire will launch 24 new titles in 2008, after publishing six to eight titles annually for the past few years. It is also rejacketing new editions of a further 48 backlist books. Shire aims to publish about 25 new titles each year, with a continued revamp of selected backlist.

The list will continue to focus on eclectic subjects for enthusiasts, including topics as diverse as prisoners of war, ­privies, fossils and allotments.

Shire publisher Nick Wright was hired by Osprey in the autumn from Crowood Press to revitalise the publishing programme. He said: “Alongside a continuing commitment to the unusual and underpublished, is a greater attention to wider interests within history, and a real dedication to quality and presentation.”

New titles (all £5.99, ­p/b) in the spring list include: The British Soldier of the First World War (April), Peter Doyle’s look at everyday life for the British tommy; Perambulators, Jan and Geoff Swift’s history of the British baby carrier (May); David J Eveleigh’s examination of Privies and Water Closets (June); and MG (May), a look at the iconic sports car by Jonathan Wood.

Rebecca Smart, Osprey m.d., said the relaunch was part of a three-year plan to position Shire as a leading niche publisher. She added: “It is an amazing job that Nick Wright has done, going from a standing start to 72 new and relaunched books. It’s a real revitalisation of the list.”

Shire was founded in 1962, has published more than 1,000 titles and has about 450 titles in print. Since the acquisition, it has been integrated into Osprey, with its staff relocating from Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire to Osprey’s Oxford office. Physical distribution and customer service has moved to Grantham Book Services.

A Shire transactional website is scheduled to go live in June, and the company has launched a provisional site at www.shirebooks.com.

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