Bookbuyer's

Bookend

Few of the new breakaway publishers can claim the success of the dynamic Mitchell Beazley duo. Within a year of leaving Lord Thomson's Nelson in 1969 they had, with some financial assistance from map specialists George Philip, sold 350,000 copies of a Moon Flight Atlas by Patrick Moore, published a ten-guinea Atlas of the Universe in a first printing of 100,000, and landed what was probably the most valuable contract ever placed in Britain for a single book — a 400,000-dollar commission to produce a sumptuous volume for the Iranian government to commemorate the country's 2,500, year anniversary.

If Mitchell Beazley have a hall mark it is a flair for design combined with an ability to sell international rights.

By 1971 they were in full commercial cry and decided to set up something called Mit chell Beazley Multi Media, to create original illustrative material for print and other media.

Most of the editorial recruits to Multi Media (they now number about fifty) were

employed. on a sort of ' freelance ' basis — that is, they received a regular salary, holidays and space in a cramped office, but had

to look after their own insurance, tax and pensions. Disturbed by what, to them, seemed an uncomfortable lack of security, employees began to join the National Union of Journalists' book division and very soon Mitchell Beazley Multi Media's staff included twenty-nine union members — well over half of those eligible and sufficient, so the chapel thought, to justify official recognition and a house agreement. The suggestion brought a short retort from the directors, and a subsequent promise of a jolly junket on the Thames to thank them for all the work they had done.

Unimpressed by either gesture, and spurred no doubt by the spirit of the times (strike notice a la Penguin and Michael

Joseph would have been virtually unthinkable five years ago) Multi Media's staff went

on a one-day walkout. Most of them were

then working on the preparation of encyclopaedic material for Holland's largest printing

and publishing group VNU who, if you fol low, have a half share in IVR. The Multi Media chapel mentioned its dispute to col leagues in Amsterdam and managed, if it did

nothing else, to provoke an eloquent response from Muld Media's managing director

Peter Kindersley who ended up by informing them: " In the event of any recurrence of this kind of behaviour, we must stress very clear ly that we shall regard it as an irresponsible act not in any way, shape or form in the interests of this company or the people in it and therefore we shall deal with it by instant dismissal of those concerned."

Bookbuyer is not always the most ardent admirer of union officers in publishing, some of whom combine on occasion a propensity for hysteria with a cavalier view of truth and a disinclination to read the Industrial Rela tions Act. At the same time it seems a little

sad to see so young and dynamic a firm rattling sabres in a way which would not have

disgraced Bismarck. Last week Mitchell Beazley Ltd. announced that the Dutch VNU had acquired 25 per cent, of its shares.