Two Rivers from a Common Spring: The Books Council of Wales at 60

A volume celebrating sixty years since the establishment of the Books Council of Wales, comprising sixteen chapters by various scholars and contributors in the field. A Welsh companion volume is available: O Hedyn i Ddalen (9781914981005).

Table of Contents:
1 Wales. Helgard Krause on charting our book trade through a pandemic and towards a pluralistic Wales 2 The Historical Background Rhidian Griffiths 3 Laying the Foundations Rheinallt Llwyd on Welsh-language publishing up to the seventies 4 The Growth of the Mustard Seed Gwerfyl Pierce Jones on the sixties and up to 2010 5 Cloudbusting Elwyn Jones on how Welsh-language publishers and publishers in Wales worked together to respond to financial cuts during a period of recession 6 Two Rivers from a Common Spring M. Wynn Thomas on how the Council became, and remains, pivotal to the service of a vibrant publishing industry working within two linguistic landscapes 7 Appealing to the Young D. Geraint Lewis on publishing for children and young people 8 Encouraging Reading for Pleasure Siwan M. Rosser on the Survey of [Welsh-language] Books for Children and Young People of 2017 9 From Fax to Gwales.com Phil Davies on how philosophy and systems underpin an online hub for customer, bookshop, librarian and publisher 10 In the Hands of Readers Bethan Hughes on libraries and reader development 11 Hand-picked, Hand-delivered, Here to Stay Eirian James on how small independent bookshops are for life, not just a pandemic 12 The Creative Partnership Alun Jones on the author and the editor 13 New Voices, New Formats Richard Davies on his publishing house, Parthian 14 ‘I Suddenly Felt Very Black and Very Welsh’ Lisa Sheppard on how the empathy that fiction teaches can facilitate a more inclusive society 15 Putting Yourself Back into ‘the Other’ Elgan Rhys on developing, with young people, a series of diverse Welsh-language novellas 16 Hearsay, Mis-history and the Bear’s Head Hanan Issaon editing the diverse essay collections Just So You Know and Welsh

Review :
Two Rivers from a Common Spring celebrates the sixtieth anniversary of the Books Council of Wales, which was established (as the Welsh Books Council) in November, 1961. It is far more than this might suggest, however, because essays by sixteen contributors span the history of publishing in Wales from the sixteenth century to the present day, covering almost every aspect of the industry. Although its remit has expanded to include Welsh books in English, the Council was initially established to support Welsh-language publishing, and this is quite rightly foregrounded in the essays, with substantial contributions from Rhidian Griffiths, Rheinallt Llwyd and Gwerfyl Pierce Jones, tracing the history of Welsh-language book production. M. Wynn Thomas takes this further in a discussion of the Council’s increasing support for English-language publishing which, in the 1930s, barely existed at all. The vision and energy of Meic Stephens, first literature director of the then Welsh Arts Council, played a big part in this, but as Wynn Thomas indicates, the Arts Council’s role in publishing was gradually transferred to the Books Council, until today it administers grants to publishers, offers vibrant design and editorial services, and perhaps most important of all, a Distribution Centre supplying bookshops throughout Wales and beyond. Books in Welsh for children and teenagers that can compete with the challenge of books from English publishers in this field are discussed by D. Geraint Lewis and Siwan M. Rosser; Bethan Hughes examines the role of public libraries in reader development; while Phil Davies outlines how technology has driven change in the way the Books Council operates — from the days of the trade magazine Llais Llyfrau to the comprehensive website Gwales.com. These, and other essays in the collection, indicate how far the publishing industry has advanced in recent decades. At the same time, it is striking how little has changed, in that publishers face the same problems as did their forebears in the nineteenth century. Publishing houses in both languages are small, run by a few dedicated individuals, and are dotted about the country in towns and villages; publicity is still a problem, as is visibility. Every reader will have had the somewhat depressing experience of going into Waterstones or Smiths to seek out the ‘Books of Welsh Interest’ section, tucked away in a corner. Independent bookshops remain the best outlets for Welsh books, and they have been under pressure during the pandemic. It is also true that most publishers, and certainly all the literary magazines, would go under without grant-aid distributed through the Books Council. Nevertheless, Welsh publishing is ‘yma o hyd’ — still here — in Dafydd Iwan’s words, with publishers as disparate as Y Lolfa, Parthian, Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, and Seren, producing a wide range of books in both languages to an increasingly high standard. Two Rivers from a Common Spring itself illustrates this trend. Beautifully designed by Olwen Fowler, each chapter is prefaced with a striking linocut by Molly Brown, making the book a pleasure to handle. It may not be a book for the general reader, but it is essential reading for anyone who has an interest in the history of publishing in Wales and concern for its future. There is a sister volume to it in Welsh: O Hedyn i Ddalen: Dathlu’r Cyngor Llyfrau yn 60.