Penguin Press pre-empts Dr Kate Wiles book in six-figure deal

Penguin Press pre-empted Lost Voices: The Languages of Britain by début historian Dr Kate Wiles in a six-figure deal.

Fourteen publishers met with the author, before the auction turned into a tale of four "warring" pre-empts, Patrick Walsh at PEW Literary told The Bookseller. Allen Lane editorial director Tom Penn finally securing UK and Commonwealth rights from Walsh for six figures.

Wiles is a historical linguist and a historian of medieval manuscripts. Senior editor of History Today magazine, she is an associate fellow at the Institute for Historical Research, University of London. She was the historical languages consultant for the History Channel/MGM drama “Vikings”, and a judge of the 2019 PEN Hessell-Tiltman History Prize.

The synopsis reads: "Opening with the Syrian community of South Shields in AD60, Lost Voices is the 2,000-year story of how the changing languages of Britain reflect the way we have connected to the world. There are the languages that have been brought over by conquering troops in army baggage-trains, much as Norman French did when it arrived in 1066 and spread through all levels of society. In turn there have been languages brought back when the British have turned conquerors, such as Igbo or Powhatan, which have been ignored or silenced at the expense of English.

"Far from being a monolingual nation, England has always been home to countless other languages, across a spectrum from Yiddish to Dutch to Old Norse and British Sign Language, spoken by ordinary people who were born or settled here. Lost Voices is therefore not only a story of migration, and of the languages that came to Britain, but a story of global politics and shifting powers."

Wiles said: "The idea for this book has been developing for several years now and has felt increasingly relevant. I couldn't be more excited to finally see it happen and to be able to do so with Thomas Penn and Penguin Press."

Walsh said: "Who knew that there was a Petran community in South Shields in AD60, or that the speakers of British Sign Language have signing accents, or that in the 16th century half the population of Norwich spoke French and Dutch as their first languages?"

He described the book as "the most astonishing corrective to the idea that English has always defined Britain". Walsh added: "It’s completely original, and Kate Wiles is herself the most wonderful new voice."

Penn added: "A brilliantly original retelling of our island story, Lost Voices reveals that Britain’s linguistic history is far richer and more diverse than we tend to assume. This is a major contribution to our understanding of how Britain’s peoples through the ages wrote and spoke, and Dr Kate Wiles is a major new talent. We’re thrilled to welcome her to Penguin Press."