Pearson have sold their stake in Penguin Random House, alarming the publishing world.

Better news according to that same world, perhaps strangely, is the “clarity” Theresa May has brought to Brexit plans.

British authors Zadie Smith, Marion Coutts, Jenny Diski, Nigel Cliff, and Olivia Laing are among the finalists for the (American) National Book Critics Circle Award, given in six categories for the “finest books and reviews published in English”.