Stuart Kells Stuart Kells i(A138874 works by) (a.k.a. Stuart S. Kells)
Gender: Male
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BiographyHistory

Stuart Kells is a Melbourne-based author and book-trade historian who has written and published on many aspects of print culture.

In 2019, his book with Ian Gow, The Big Four: The Curious and Perilous Future of the Global Accounting Monopoly, won the 2018 Ashurst Business Literature Prize, and his Shakespeare’s Library: Unlocking the Greatest Mystery in Literature was shortlisted for the Queensland Literary awards (Non-Fiction).

Most Referenced Works

Personal Awards

2020 commended Victorian Community History Award History: Small Publication for 'The Convent: A City Finds Its Heart'.

Awards for Works

y separately published work icon The Library : A Catalogue of Wonders Melbourne : Text Publishing , 2017 12164378 2017 autobiography

'Libraries are filled with magic. From the Bodleian, the Folger and the Smithsonian to the fabled libraries of Middle Earth, Umberto Eco’s mediaeval library labyrinth and libraries dreamed up by John Donne, Jorge Luis Borges and Carlos Ruiz Zafón, Stuart Kells explores the bookish places, real and fictitious, that continue to capture our imaginations.'

'The Library: A Catalogue of Wonders is a fascinating and engaging exploration of libraries as places of beauty and wonder. It’s a celebration of books as objects and an account of the deeply personal nature of these hallowed spaces by one of Australia’s leading bibliophiles.' (Publication Summary)

2018 shortlisted Prime Minister's Literary Awards Non-Fiction
2018 longlisted Mark and Evette Moran Nib Award for Literature
2018 shortlisted New South Wales Premier's History Prize New South Wales History Prize General History Prize
y separately published work icon Penguin and the Lane Brothers : The Untold Story of a Publishing Revolution Melbourne : Black Inc. , 2015 8877163 2015 single work biography

'An intimate partnership of three brothers – Allen, Richard and John Lane – lay at the heart of Penguin Books, the twentieth century’s greatest publishing house. In a spirit of daring and creative opposition, the brothers issued quality books on a massive scale and at minuscule prices – and achieved a revolution in publishing.

'The Lane boys did their best thinking together in bathroom board meetings, where at least one director would always be ‘mother naked’. They innovated in countless ways – in the early years, a church crypt served as their office and warehouse. Penguin was an unconventional upstart, bringing literary giants such as Agatha Christie, George Bernard Shaw, Virginia Woolf and Graham Greene to vast new audiences, and it seemed unstoppable.

'Yet the 1942 death of John Lane brought the troika to a halt. Allen, the enthusiastic frontman who relied on his younger brothers to drive Penguin’s success, became more erratic and suspicious over time. Ultimately, he would force Richard out of the company he had cofounded and built.

'A portrait of a remarkable family and a publishing powerhouse, Penguin and the Lane Brothers also explores the little known story of Richard Lane – the heart and backbone of Penguin, and its strongest influence. Richard’s experiences as a youth in Australia shaped his character and outlook; his dedication to the business was matched only by his devotion to his brothers.

Relying on unprecedented access to Lane family sources, including Richard’s diaries, Penguin and the Lane Brothers sheds new light on the relationship of Allen, Richard and John, so crucial as a driver of Penguin’s spirit and success. By turns hilarious and tragic, moving and insightful, this is a groundbreaking counter-history of an unlikely publishing triumph.' (Publication summary)

2015 winner Ashurst Business Literature Prize
Last amended 3 Nov 2020 08:26:34
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