Publisher’s Wife Works In Firm

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30076, 9 March 1963, Page 2

Publisher’s Wife Works In Firm

Though the sale, of paper-back books has greatly increased in recent years, there will always be hard-backed editions of good books available, believes Mrs W. A. R. Collins, wife of the British publisher. Yesterday, she was asked to comment on reports that within a few years all books would be published only in paper-back editions.

“Paper-backs have a great value because they improve people’s reading,” said Mrs Collins. A wide variety of books was displayed for the casual reader, and people were quite willing to spend a few shillings on a book about a new subject where they would hesitate to spend a pound or more, in case they did not enjoy the book, said Mrs Collins. But once a person who cared about books found a work he enjoyed, and wanted to re-read and refer to over the years, then he wanted a good, hard-back edition of that book, Mrs Collins said. Many books that had been brought out in paper-back editions had improved their hard-back edition sales. Also, people giving books as gifts did not usually choose paperback editions, she said. Mrs Collins has been impressed by the standard of children’s books available in New Zealand. "Children here are very lucky. Librarians are very selective and careful to choose good books for the libraries. The taste for good-quajity children’s books in New Zealand is really remarkable,” said Mrs Collins. The standard of children’s books being published had risen a great deal over the last five years, Mrs Collins said. There had been a definite upward swing after a number of years when the quality had not been very high. Modern children perhaps preferred more factual and documentary books than those of other generations, but any good story was popular. One recently published fantasy, “The Phantom Toll Booth,” by Norma Juster, was having a "tremendous sale.” Though very interested in thildren’s books, Mrs Collins’s main job in the Collins publishing company is running the religious department She reads manuscripts and decides on wrapper designs for the paper-back editions. A great deal of research went into each wrapper illustration, she said.

The Collins publishing company is very much a family concern. Both Mrs Collins’s sons are in the business, and before their marriages her two daughters were also connected with it One of her sons-in-law has had a book accepted and published by the firm.

Mr and Mrs Collins travel a great deal, and their present 10-day visit to New Zealand is a business trip. While they are here they are taking the opportunity of meeting some of their New Zealand authors.

“We had the honour of publishing the novel which won the Otago Centennial Prize,” said Mrs Collins. “Very often none of the works entered for this kind of prize are worthy

of the final award, but this was not so in the case of the Otago Prize,” she said. "Both ‘Affairs of Men,' by Errol Brathwaite, of Christchurch, and ‘Long Night Among the Stars,’ by Pat Booth, of Auckland, were really excellent novels,” Mrs Collins said. Both authors were working on new books. “New Zealand,” by Kenneth Malvern, was also a fine work, she said.

New Zealand’s Outstanding Fashion Susan Dexter’s Observations People are still talking about the visit of Mrs Susan Dexter, for this lovely model is news wherever she goes. Working with top London designer, Mr Hardie Amies, has developed Mrs Dexter’s inherent fashion sense and it was interesting to have her candid comments on New Zealand clothes. Mrs Dexter gave generous praise for the up-to-the-minute style and finish of our New Zealand Fashions, particularly in the detailing of the new season's coats and suits, which she said were a joy to wear and more than comparable with their overseas counterparts. With regard to colour, Susan Dexter preferred the lovely orangy-reds, tawny golds and rusts, which are the hallmark of high fashion this season both here and overseas. Quick to praise the London took of a distinguished grey flannel suit we included in our parade, Mrs Dexter confirmed that grey flannel was enjoying top billing in both England and America, closely followed by a new neutral, camel. Our Accessories? Summarising briefly, Mrs Dexter applauded the slightly mannish millinery of the moment, the trilbies, homburgs, and softened bowler shapes; the stylish shoes and magnificent bags (notably one in Persian lamb and another of real crocodile); the so fashionable gilt jewellery and the availability here of the inexpensive wig-hats which in London have proved such a useful fashion accessory. All the outstanding garments and accessories so much admired by Mrs Susan Dexter are typical of Hay’s latest fashions now available in any of their stores. —Advt.