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Cornerstone Press has triumphed in a seven-way auction for a "pioneering exploration" of the connections between the arts and our health and wellbeing by researcher Daisy Fancourt.
Editorial Director Anna Argenio acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to Art Cure from Will Francis at Janklow & Nesbit, and the book will be published in hardback, e-book and audiobook in early 2026.
In her debut book, Fancourt explores how the arts can be as important as diet and exercise for our health. The synopsis says: "By sharing the remarkable science of how making and consuming art impacts our brain, mind, body and behaviour – as well as looking at the individual and social blockers that stop us from engaging with the arts and how we might overcome them – Art Cure aims to change the way that we see art from a pleasure usually reserved for the elite to an essential and regular part of our everyday."
Fancourt runs a research group at UCL and is the director of the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre on Arts and Health, a member of the WHO Technical Advisory Group on Cultural Insights and an Advisor to the UK Government on arts, culture and heritage.
She said: “The ways the arts impact our health are one of the greatest untold stories in science. I’m excited to work with the team at Cornerstone Press to reveal the discoveries that have been taking place over the last few decades.”
Argenio added: “I am delighted to be welcoming Daisy to Cornerstone Press. She is a pioneer in her field and her book presents an incredible opportunity to spread her considerable knowledge far and wide, and help so many people understand the importance of the arts in their everyday life. I can see it sparking a crucial conversation when we publish in 2026, offering a visionary and accessible new way of thinking about health.”