Cats and pigeons, scones and cream

     Goodness me. Judging by the reaction to yesterday's post, the cat has been set well and truly amongst the pigeons. The comments on Less is more reveal the strength of feeling. Dovegreyreader speculates that Max Clifford will be brought in for a damage-limitation exercise, Random Jottings has stripped herself of her fabric endpaper epaulettes, the word "petty" abounds, and there are references to biting the hand that feeds, and shooting oneself in the foot.

     The teacups are rattling, and it's all rather reminiscent of the snobbery so evident in Marghanita Laski's The Village (published by ....), or the goings on in Tilling so memorably depicted in the wonderful Mapp and Lucia. When Miss Mapp and Mrs. Lucas first meet, one provides the other with a sharply drawn sketch of her neighbours which E.F Benson describes as "the inhabitants of Tilling [being] plucked and roasted".

     'Plucked and roasted'  - in a four-oven Aga, of course - neatly sums up the feelings of bloggers and blog-readers to the remarks made in the fateful Persephone Letter. Will there be, as Dovegrey suggests, a peace-offering of scones and cream, will humble pie be served at afternoon tea, or should we, as Lucia says, "breathe harmony and loveliness again"?

     Pass the smelling salts, Georgie!

Comments

[Lisa W]

Absolutely delightful Karen! You have me laughing out loud. "Endpaper epaulettes" and "rattling teacups" - I think you've just added another (slightly wicked?) dimension to your blog. Now I must go find a copy of Mapp and Lucia!

[Peter the flautist]

Dark Puss was so excited, he thought this posting was all about him!

Silly vain thing!

[dovegreyreader]

Oh would you believe it, I left a complete and pristine set of Mapp & Lucia's behind in the second-hand bookshop today...did I do wrong? I have one very tatty old edition which has never quite appealed but I know they have a huge following around the blogs.
As for the peace offering I'm quite sure Max has already recommended a big Forgive and Forget party at LC-HQ,flagons of Madeira and cream teas, all bloggers invited and party bags to take home.
Dorothy Whipple would have suggested it.Richmal, Monica and Marghanita would have insisted on no less from their publisher,who is now their voice after all.
It's a done deal!

[natalie]

I'm not a book-blogger-er, nor an expert in literature, I don't
really feel qualified to comment on the publishing world and the way
it operates (or doesn't).
On the other hand, having started an entirely web-based business in
September last year, I am testament to the power of the blog. I have
never advertised, nor tweaked my site for it's google-ability. Most
of my growth has come from word-of-mouth blogger to blogger.
I think this is fundamental to the way I operate. I am very, very,
very aware that good service will be rewarded by happy bloggers
telling the world all about me, and this is EXACTLY how it should be.
I am equally aware that the contrary is true and that this is also as
it should be.
Large powerful companies don't like freelance bloggers, hence the
rise of those bloggers who are paid to promote products as they
blog... I'm sure there's even a special name for them.

[Elaine]

Received such a heated email from somebody today about all this that my laptop (which has already been repaired once) went into meltdown and is now lying nice and quiet in the bedroom with a cold compress on his megadrive and a bottle of madeira close at hand. I am baking him some brownies for his tea..

[rosie]

Hmm, methinks this letter is nought but a "viral marketing campaign" designed to get Persephone's brand bruited far-and-wide in a "today Cornflower and Dove Grey Reader, next weekend the broadsheets" way... Dumbing up, anyone?!

With a millstone's weight of academic qualifications and experience around my neck (and a husband who has written for the TLS), I am delighted that I can read for pleasure these days, and thrilled to take recommendations from anyone who enjoys books. Yammering? Erudtion? If it leads me to a new book I love, then I really don't mind.

But I do think that someone at Persephone is deliberately courting controversy in a disingenuous way.

Unless a "troll" has hijacked the website. Maybe it is time for some Scanidavian titles on the list. What would Pippi Longstocking make of all this?

[Barbara]

I just caught up with this story yesterday evening when I read Fidrabooks' blog. No wonder Vanessa was cross. I am cross, when I think of all the nice things I have said about Persephone Books. If anyone would like a 1st edition with dw Dorothy Whipple rather than buying the Persephone copy, I am selling one on eBay now, she sa shamelessly.
Karen's post yesterday pointed out very well the difference between a review which requires a lot of background knowledge and reading (a book on a historical subject, for instance) and a review of a novel. I am feeling rather sick of literary back scratching in the press and am happy to be given new reading ideas by highly intelligent bloggers.
Dovegrey: you made a mistake in that bookshop.

[dovegreyreader]

Drat, I knew it Barbara!
Hmm, Rosie, you have a point, no such thing as bad publicity but it does all perhaps fit in with idea of the cult following.Bit like strafing your party faithful to pick off the less desirable elements and maintain standards and discipline.Could it be all about control?

[SUSAN HILL]

Always beware when a publisher tries to make itself more important than the books it publishes.. people say 'Persephone Books' and talk about the covers and the endpapers.. when they should be talking about the novels and the writers...; who are mainly dead so can`t shout up for themselves. Virago was guilty of this at the beginning but Persephone is far worse... a brand is a fine thing until it starts to become more important than the product (to use horrible corporate marketing jargon..)

[Tui M.]

Dovegreyreader, if I were down to my last six books, they'd be the six of the Mapp & Lucia series. > ok, it will never happen.

And now we have a conspiracy theory. Having abandoned her shot feet to their fate, has La Beaumann crawled off to bake scones or to cash her cheque from Persephone?