Cover Stories

Free books for Independent readers - and all thanks to the philistinism of Oxford University Press. When OUP swung the axe over its poetry list, it left a stockpile of "homeless" volumes by its authors: no second-rate stuff, but the finest recent collections by leading poets such as Peter Porter, Fleur Adcock, Sean O'Brien, Moniza Alvi, Hugo Williams and George Szirtes. Now the Poetry Book Society has rescued these titles. To benefit from this poetic windfall, call the PBS on 020 8870 8403 or email them on info@poetrybooks.co.uk. Quote "Independent Offer" to receive one of the saved OUP books by post, free of charge. The PBS will also send you information about how to order further titles for p&p alone: only £1 per book UK; or £1.50 overseas. All titles are subject to availability.

Free books for Independent readers - and all thanks to the philistinism of Oxford University Press. When OUP swung the axe over its poetry list, it left a stockpile of "homeless" volumes by its authors: no second-rate stuff, but the finest recent collections by leading poets such as Peter Porter, Fleur Adcock, Sean O'Brien, Moniza Alvi, Hugo Williams and George Szirtes. Now the Poetry Book Society has rescued these titles. To benefit from this poetic windfall, call the PBS on 020 8870 8403 or email them on info@poetrybooks.co.uk. Quote "Independent Offer" to receive one of the saved OUP books by post, free of charge. The PBS will also send you information about how to order further titles for p&p alone: only £1 per book UK; or £1.50 overseas. All titles are subject to availability.

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Warm congratulations to Leila Aboulela, who won the inaugural Caine Prize for African Writing under the medieval fan-vaulting of the old Divinity School in Oxford on Monday night. Her winning story, "The Museum", appeared in Opening Spaces (Heinemann). Named after the late Booker plc chairman, Sir Michael Caine, the prize boasts his widow, Baroness Emma Nicholson, as chair, while Ben Okri presides over the judges. Sudanese by birth, Leila Aboulela now lives in the torrid, tropical city of - Aberdeen. So she'll need all the warmth she can get.

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Publishing folk are beginning their journeys to Tuscany and the Dordogne. But this week there was a brief burst of musical chairs: Victoria Barnsley may have accustomed herself to the CEO's office at Harper-Collins, but the firm's sales director, David North, has announced he is off to Macmillan. He had a sojourn there under the leadership of Ian Chapman, whom he replaces as MD. Chapman left in January for Simon & Schuster, and has now poached Fourth Estate marketing director James Kellow. That leaves Barnsley with two empty spaces on her chessboard.

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Lord Olivier described Kenneth Tynan, who died in 1980, as "one of the finest dramatic critics of the 20th century". Tynan's journals, bought by Bloomsbury for publication next year, cover the last ten years of his life and are described as "compulsive, funny, sad, inspiring, disgusting, painful, truthful". Meanwhile, Sheridan Morley has signed with Hodder for the authorised life of the late Sir John Gielgud. Morley got the nod from the great man seven years ago. John G., based on exclusive access to his files and papers, and on more than 200 interviews, will arrive next spring.