This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
RICHARD WEBB


I would arrange for, and accompany, these famous authors to TV interviews, and got to meet David Frost, Michael Parkinson, Joan Bakewell and even Michael Caine. Our book launches were star-studded affairs and it was just an amazing experience.” In 1974 Richard returned


to Devon and co-founded, with Delian Bower, their own publishing company in Exeter in 1975. It was naturally named Webb & Bower. the fledgling company received


a manuscript entitled ‘Nature Notes 1906’. Richard renamed it ‘The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady’ and, when published in 1977, it instantly became a publishing and merchandising phenomenon.


Richard with wife Gilly on there wedding day in 1992


Guinness Book of Records for the longest running UK No. 1 Bestseller. our lives were changed overnight.”


“I felt, as so many new


people arrived in Dartmouth knowing only about its beauty, I wanted to open their eyes to the extraordinary history and the people who have lived here before,”


It has just been announced that


Country Diary is the 4th largest-selling book of the past 40 years! Between 1976 and 1992, Webb


“Country Diary’ chimed with the times exactly – it was rural nostalgia with a safe, beautiful look people wanted after the Seventies recession. It sold a massive amount – over three million copies - and we made the


& Bower published over 350 titles including 24 national bestsellers and one international bestseller. They received 14 national awards for design, typography and production and sold over 10 million copies of their books. richard first met Gilly blane White,


co-owner of the Good Food Guide restaurant Billy Budd`s Bistro of Dartmouth, in 1988, became engaged at Christmas 1990 and they got married in Gibraltar in1992. In 1994 Richard returned to


Dartmouth to live – he planned to have a happy semi-retirement as a literary agent. Then in 1999, Kingswear Historian Don Collinson brought Richard a manuscript based on 15 years of research into the Dartmouth Chronicle. “my first thought was: this is unique


and i must publish it,” he said. “i had missed the experience of taking a book from manuscript to final publication and i was delighted to be back in that role.” The Chronicles of Dartmouth 1854-1954 was a huge success, winning the ‘Devon Book of the Year Award’ in 2000. It was the start of a new, second career for Richard. In the next 13 years, he published


a dozen books about the town, its Naval College, its people, food and history, as well as poetry by Kevin Pyne and the second volume of Chronicles (1955 – 2010) by Phil Scoble. His swan-song book on his retirement, aged 70, last year was the lavishly illustrated and highly acclaimed Dartmouth – An Enchanted Place by Joslin Fiennes which he published in association with ACC. This completed a 52 year career with over 365 books published. One for every day of the year! Why did he latterly put so much into his local Dartmouth publishing? “I felt that as so many new people


arrived in Dartmouth knowing only about its beauty, I should open their eyes to the extraordinary history and the people who have lived here before,” he said. “i hoped that the books would help them realise that they were involved with a very special place. “As a teenager I couldn’t wait to get out – but now I think that Dartmouth is amazing. The Flavel, the Music Festival, the Food Festival, the Regatta and all the restaurants make the town a wonderfully interesting and vibrant place to live. It’s a good place to be – and I’m very proud of the books that I have created about my home town.” “I also care passionately about


its environment and was very pleased to have instigated the registration of Sugary Green, above sugary cove, as an official village Green so safeguarding it for future generations.”•


All previously published interviews in this magazine can be found on By The Dart’s website www.bythedart.co.uk


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132