Fogg leads new HC list Mudlark

HarperCollins is launching Mudlark—a boutique imprint mixing "quality" memoir, polemic and narrative non-fiction—in February, led by Jack Fogg, Harper Fiction and NonFiction publishing director, who promises that "every book will showcase an interesting, original writer with a distinctive voice, addressing a subject with both commercial and literary appeal".

"Mudlark" refers to the people who scoured the Thames’ banks at low tide in the 18th and 19th century seeking objects they could sell, as well as the small, magpie-like bird. The imprint will release about 12 titles a year.

Its eclectic launch-year list includes heart surgeon Stephen Westaby’s The Knife’s Edge, a look at what it takes to be at the top of his profession; Vice columnist Joel Golby’s collection of essays, Brilliant, Brilliant, Brilliant Brilliant Brilliant; and Scottish comedian Limmy’s memoir, Surprisingly Down to Earth and Very Funny.

HarperCollins executive publisher Kate Elton said: "It’s been incredibly exciting to see the growth in both reader and retail demand for intelligent, quality, high-end non-fiction. The Mudlark list is a way of curating a segment of Harper NonFiction’s publishing with a specific focus on that."