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Anova Books has secured the tie-in to James May's forthcoming series "Toy Stories" in a "hotly contested auction". The deal was handled by agent Luigi Bonomi of LBA. According to the publishers, the offer was "not necessarily the highest" but May wanted the title to be published by Anova's specialist military publishing imprint Conway, which is expanding into hobby books.
The series of six hour-long episodes will air on BBC2 this autumn. May will stage stunts using iconic toys, such as creating a plasticine garden at the Chelsea Flower Show and building a full-size house out of Lego. According to Anova "the motivation behind the show is to get children to leave their bedrooms, put down their games consoles and start playing as a family again".
James May's Toy Stories will be published in October as a £20 hardback. It will describe in detail how May and his team of helpers, including celebrities, famous collectors and children, planned and carried out each challenge. The publisher described it as "more than just a traditional TV tie-in", with simple projects and a look at the social history behind each toy.