Sandi Toksvig to publish 'charming' almanac with Trapeze

Toksvig’s Almanac 2021, "an eclectic meander through the historical year" from the writer and broadcaster Sandi Toksvig, has been acquired by Trapeze to publish this November. 

The "charming" book, described as "a day-by-day guide to the fascinating figures you didn’t learn about at school", was inspired by the "VoxTox" YouTube videos Toksvig has recorded during the coronavirus lockdown. Pippa Wright, publishing director at Trapeze acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Cathryn Summerhayes at Curtis Brown Group Ltd. 

Pitching the book "as witty and entertaining as it is instructive" and "an essential companion to each day of the year", the publisher's synopsis reads further: "From the pope who gave birth during a papal procession, to the inventor of Scrabble, to pioneering civil rights activist Ida B Wells, who refused to give up her seat on a train decades before Rosa Parks was born, the almanac shines a light on the neglected corners of history." It is a one-book deal with a vision for a recurring series.

Toksvig said: "This is a book where you learn everything from who invented wallpaper to where you can attend the best turkey testicle food festival in the world. What’s not to love?"

Wright said: "Like so many I have been captivated by the daily videos Sandi’s recorded during lockdown, which introduced me to mysterious Flemish linen starchers, celebrated mistresses, and the elusive inventor of chicken soup. The chance to turn this into a book was irresistible, and Toksvig’s Almanac is just the sort of charming, erudite and reassuring view of the world, and our place in it, that lifts the spirits and soothes the soul."