DATELINE 27 April 2013
Between 1968 and 1976 the undisputed highlight of Top of the Pops was its nubile dance troupe Pan's People. In the era before music videos this legendary group and their choreographer Flick Colby filled in for absent bands. In the process they became better remembered than many of the records they danced to.
Now, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Top of the Pops, the girls are going to tell their remarkable story. Babs, Cherry, Dee Dee and Ruth from the classic line-up are currently working with author Simon Barnard on the group's richly illustrated autobiography. Pan's People: Our Story will be published in October.
DATELINE 22 April 2013
Join us at London's Cinema Museum on Sunday 12 May for the launch of Peter Cushing: The Complete Memoirs. The centenary celebration will be lead by film historian Jonathan Rigby, who wrote the introduction to the new book. Jonathan will also be interviewing Bernard Broughton, who was Cushing's friend and assistant for 20 years.Tickets and further details are available from the Cinema Museum’s website.
DATELINE 20 April 2013
Signum's sister company Hysterion Records is launched today. The first release is the vinyl-only 7" EP Sounds from the Inferno, credited to fictional group John Smith and the Common Men. The a side is ‘Three Guitars Mood 2’, the song played in the first episode of Doctor Who almost 50 years ago. The b side comprises 'The Eyelash' and 'Latin Gear', two tracks heard at the Inferno nightclub in the 1966 Doctor Who story The War Machines. This is the only commercial release for this rare library music.Sounds from the Inferno is a numbered limited edition of 1000 copies, available from independent shops as part of this year’s Record Store Day.
DATELINE 27 December 2012
Everyone at Signum Books was deeply saddened that our friend and colleague Gerry Anderson passed away yesterday. Gerry wrote the foreword to Shane Rimmer’s autobiography in 2010 and was an integral part of the Century 21 series of books. He was a remarkable man, and we will miss him terribly. Our love and our thoughts are with his family.
DATELINE 6 November 2012
Peter Cushing was born in May 1913, and we are planning to commemorate the great actor’s centenary with a lavish new book. Since autumn 2012 we have been working with the Cushing estate to compile both his autobiographies together with numerous rare stills and other unseen items from his private collection. Peter Cushing: The Complete Memoirs will be published in April 2013.DATELINE 22 October 2012
Thanks to everyone who came to London’s Cinema Museum for the launch of Eunice Gayson’s autobiography, The First Lady of Bond, on 13 October and the launch of Liz Fraser’s autobiography Liz Fraser... And Other Characters on 18 October. The museum was the perfect venue for our evenings of film clips, lively conversation and book signings. We hope to return in 2013.
DATELINE 16 September 2011
Mark wrote the foreword for Studies in Terror. Photo by Matthew Thomas.
We’re celebrating the publication of Studies in Terror: Landmarks of Horror Cinema with two launch events in London this October.
On Friday 7 October Jonathan will be joined by author and critic Kim Newman at the Cinema Museum in Kennington for a discussion entitled 'From Hammer to Chainsaw: Horror of the Sixties and Seventies'. This will be the first time that Studies in Terror will be available anywhere, and Jonathan will be signing copies during the evening. Tickets are available from the Cinema Museum.
On Tuesday 11 October the Barbican Centre is the venue for a talk and Q&A hosted by Jonathan and Mark Gatiss, the actor and writer best known for Sherlock, Doctor Who and The League of Gentlemen. Jonathan and Mark will be signing copies of Studies in Terror, and introducing a screening of the 1971 vampire film Daughters of Darkness (Les lèvres rouges). Tickets are available from the Barbican Centre.
DATELINE 11 April 2011
We've been hibernating for the winter, working on two new hardback titles which were announced at the London Book Fair today.
Film Review 2010-2011 is the 66th edition of the definitive film guide established by F Maurice Speed in 1944. Now edited by Michael Darvell and Mansel Stimpson, Film Review is still the only guide to appraise all theatrically released films in the UK. The first Signum edition is the biggest yet, with more than 250 pages.
ISBN: 9780956653437
RRP: £19.99 / $29.95
With Studies in Terror, Jonathan Rigby – author of English Gothic and American Gothic – brings his trademark wit and insight to bear on 130 of the key moments in screen horror. His scope is wide, ranging from silent masterworks like Nosferatu and The Cabinet of Dr Caligari to such 21st century milestones as The Descent and Let the Right One In. The result is a history of international horror cinema that’s as entertaining as it is informative.
ISBN: 9780956653444
RRP: £19.99 / $25.95
Both books will be on sale 10 October, available at book shops and online retailers. Limited signed editions will be available for pre-order from the Signum website.
DATELINE 25 October 2010
Signum Books officially opened for business with the launch of From Thunderbirds to Pterodactyls at Fanderson's TV21 convention in Bristol last weekend. Shane Rimmer was interviewed on stage by Marcus Hearn, and then spent more than two hours signing copies of the book for fans. "It was a wonderful start," says Marcus, who adds that although the book sold out over the weekend copies will be available at Shane's signing at Forbidden Planet on Saturday 30 October.
Photo © Glo Thorogood
DATELINE 6 October 2010
Titan has acquired the worldwide distribution rights to Signum Books, the new independent imprint set up by Marcus Hearn, formerly a founding partner of Reynolds & Hearn.
It is planned that the new imprint will publish approximately six books a year, selected and commissioned by Hearn, primarily in the areas of classic film, television and music. The books will be edited by Hearn but will come from a number of different authors.
Hearn's association with Titan dates back some 15 years, having authored the hugely successful The Hammer Story and Hammer Glamour, as well as the upcoming The Art of Hammer and The Avengers: A Celebration – 50 Years of a Television Classic, which will be published under the main Titan imprint in late October 2010.
Nick Landau, Managing Director of Titan Books, says, "We are delighted that Marcus has chosen us as the home for his exciting new imprint. His passion for his projects and his commitment to editorial excellence is well-known in the industry. We very much look forward to working with him on the books he will be selecting."
Marcus Hearn says, "I have always enjoyed a great working relationship with Titan, both as an author and as an in-house editor in the late 1990s. We're on the same wavelength with our traditional subjects and our future direction. I predict a very happy collaboration."
DATELINE 28 September 2010
Shane Rimmer begins a publicity tour to promote his autobiography, From Thunderbirds to Pterodactyls, with a signing at the Forbidden Planet Megastore, 179 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, at 1 o'clock on Saturday 30 October. The tour continues with a talk and book-signing at London's Vin Mag store on 6 November, an appearance at the Bondstars Christmas Party at Pinewood Studios on 14 November, a talk and book-signing at the Media Lunch Club in Mayfair on 19 November, a book signing at the Memorabilia show at the Birmingham NEC on 20-21 November and an interview and book-signing at the FAB Cafe in Manchester on 28 November.If you aren’t able to attend any of these events then signed copies of Shane’s book can be purchased here.
DATELINE 20 September 2010
Signum Books will launch its first title, From Thunderbirds to Pterodactyls, at Fanderson’s TV21 convention on Saturday 23 October. The autobiography of actor Shane Rimmer, the book features a foreword by Gerry Anderson and will be available to convention attendees before it goes on sale anywhere else."We brought forward our plans to launch the new imprint because we wanted to give Fanderson an exclusive for their convention," says Signum's Marcus Hearn. "I've always enjoyed a close relationship with Fanderson and we hope that will continue with some of the fantastic titles we have planned for 2011, Supermarionation's 50th anniversary year."
Signum will be continuing the Anderson-related theme with the relaunch of the acclaimed Century 21 graphic novels in 2011, before diversifying with a broader list of film, television and music titles.
