Sort of Books is an independent British publishing house started in 1999 by Mark Ellingham and Natania Jansz, founders of the

Rough Guides Rough Guides Ltd is a British travel guide book and reference publisher, which has been owned by APA Publications since November 2017. In addition to publishing guidebooks, the company also provides a tailor-made trips service based on custome ...

travel series. The company publishes both original and classic fiction and non-fiction titles: "The sort of books eaderswill want to discover and re-discover."

Background

The launch title of Sort of Books in 1999 was ''Driving Over Lemons: An Optimist in Andalucia'', a memoir by Chris Stewart (original drummer of the band Genesis), which went on to sell more than a million copies. The company has "hand-picked three or four titles each year since", specializing in contemporary fiction, nonfiction, and popular science, among other categories. Sort of Books is credited with having "spearheaded" a revival of interest in

Tove Jansson Tove Marika Jansson (; 9 August 1914 – 27 June 2001) was a Swedish-speaking Finnish author, novelist, painter, illustrator and comic strip author. Brought up by artistic parents, Jansson studied art from 1930 to 1938 in Stockholm, Helsinki and ...

, creator of the

Moomins The Moomins ( sv, Mumintroll) are the central characters in a series of novels, short stories, and a comic strip by Finns, Finnish writer and illustrator Tove Jansson, originally published in Swedish language, Swedish by Schildts in Finland. The ...

, by bringing out a range of books by and about her, from 2012 onwards. Other authors include

Kathleen Jamie Kathleen Jamie FRSL (born 13 May 1962) is a Scottish poet and essayist. In 2021 she became Scotland's fourth Makar. Life and work Kathleen Jamie is a poet and essayist. Raised in Currie, near Edinburgh, she studied philosophy at the University ...

Jonathan Buckley Jonathan Buckley (born 1 January 1992) is a Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) politician who has been a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for Upper Bann since 2017. Early life Buckley grew up outside Portadown Portadown () is ...

Lore Segal Lore Segal (born March 9, 1928), née Lore Groszmann, is an American novelist, translator, teacher, short story writer, and author of children's books. Her novel ''Shakespeare's Kitchen'' was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2008. Early lif ...

, Simon Lewis,

Sophie Hannah Sophie Hannah (born 1971) is a British poet and novelist. From 1997 to 1999 she was Fellow Commoner in Creative Arts at Trinity College, Cambridge, and between 1999 and 2001 a junior research fellow of Wolfson College, Oxford. She lives with h ...

, Stefan Zweig,

Alexander Baron Alexander Baron ( – ) was a British author and screenwriter. He is best known for his highly acclaimed novel about D-Day, ''From the City, from The Plough'' (1948), and his London novel ''The Lowlife'' (1963). Early life Baron's father was B ...

, Robert Kunzig, Wallace Broecker,

Jane Bowles Jane Bowles (; born Jane Sydney Auer; February 22, 1917 – May 4, 1973) was an American writer and playwright. Early life Born into a Jewish family in New York City on February 22, 1917, to Sydney Auer (father) and Claire Stajer (mother), Jane ...

and

Paul Bowles Paul Frederic Bowles (; December 30, 1910November 18, 1999) was an American expatriate composer, author, and translator. He became associated with the Moroccan city of Tangier, where he settled in 1947 and lived for 52 years to the end of his ...

. The company's website also notes: " are delighted to keep in print

Peter Blegvad Peter Blegvad (born August 14, 1951) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, writer, and cartoonist. He was a founding member of German/English avant-pop band Slapp Happy, which later merged briefly with Henry Cow, and has released many so ...

's unique ''

Leviathan Leviathan (; he, לִוְיָתָן, ) is a sea serpent noted in theology and mythology. It is referenced in several books of the Hebrew Bible, including Psalms, the Book of Job, the Book of Isaiah, the Book of Amos, and, according to some ...

'' – a genre-defying comic strip collection of wordplay, puns and ideas. We love this book and owe Peter a debt, having called our company after the first record he made with his band,

Slapp Happy Slapp Happy was a German/English avant-pop group, formed in Germany in 1972. Their lineup consisted of Anthony Moore (keyboards), Peter Blegvad (guitar) and Dagmar Krause (vocals). The band members moved to England in 1974 where they merged w ...

." In 2020, Sort of Books was named on a global list of "7 Publishing Presses Introducing New Talent", selected by Wiki.ezvid.com, where it was noted: "The big publishing houses may have all the resources and money, but they hardly have the last word when it comes to releasing great literature to the public; the smaller, independent presses are just as worthy, and often have even more unique and interesting catalogs of titles. The ones included here, operating around the world, are helping to bring compelling works from talented authors to market." In 2022, a novel published by Sort of Books was for the first time chosen for the Booker Prize longlist: Sri Lankan writer

Shehan Karunatilaka Shehan Karunatilaka (born 1975) is a Sri Lankan writer. He grew up in Colombo, studied in New Zealand and has lived and worked in London, Amsterdam and Singapore. His 2010 debut novel '' Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew'' won the Commonwe ...

's '' The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida'', described by Charlie Connelly in ''

The New European ''The New European'' is a British pan-European weekly political and cultural newspaper and website. Launched in July 2016 as a response to the United Kingdom's 2016 EU referendum, its readership is aimed at those who voted to remain within t ...

'' as "part ghost story, part whodunnit, part political satire ... a wonderful book about Sri Lanka, friendship, grief and the afterlife". It was subsequently announced on the Booker shortlist, going on to win the prize, which was presented on 17 October 2022 at a ceremony held in

The Roundhouse The Roundhouse is a performing arts and concert venue situated at the Grade II* listed former railway engine shed in Chalk Farm, London, England. The building was erected in 1846–1847 by the London & North Western Railway as a roundhous ...

. Sort Of Books is by some way the smallest independent publisher to have a Booker prizewinner. The publishing company had earlier won the

Aventis Sanofi S.A. is a French multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare company headquartered in Paris, France. Originally, the corporation was established in 1973 and merged with Synthélabo in 1999 to form Sanofi-Synthélabo. In 2004, Sanofi-Sy ...

Science Book of the Year (now the Royal Society Science Books Prize), in 2001, with Robert Kunzig's ''Mapping the Deep: The Extraordinary Story of Ocean Science''.

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Publishing companies established in 1999 Book publishing companies based in London Small press publishing companies 1999 establishments in England