Mirror Books pre-empts memoir of first NHS baby

Mirror Books is set to publish a memoir by Aneira Thomas, the first baby born on the NHS.

Jo Sollis, executive editor at Mirror Books, aquired world rights to Hold On, Edna! direct from the author. The title is set to publish in hardback on the 12th March 2020. 

Hold On, Edna! tells the life story and family history of Aneira "Nye" Thomas, the first baby born on the NHS. The memoir follows the family in the present day and back through generations before, taking a look at the impact that launch of the National Health Service has had on society. 

The author said: “I’m so delighted that the story of my family–my own birth–and the birth of our national treasure the NHS is being told. It is the story about a family from the quiet little village of Cefneithin in Carmarthenshire, but it could easily be the story of so many families.”

Sollis added: “Her account of the ups and downs of her family in a South Wales mining village–before the NHS existed–compellingly illustrates a time when the value of your life came down to the weight of coins in your pocket. This is a hugely enjoyable human drama while also being a fierce defence of this nation’s greatest achievement.”