Transworld scoops Rogers in a six-figure pre-empt

Transworld has signed Up: A Scientist’s Guide to the Magic Above Us from engineer and "bubble scientist" Dr Lucy Rogers in a six-figure pre-empt. 

Publishing director Susanna Wadeson acquired world all-language rights from Tom Killingbeck at A M Heath. Up will be published under Transworld imprint Doubleday in early 2026. 

Up will "explore everything from the unexpected beauty of a spider drifting on a silk parachute, to the cunning design of a condor’s feather, the physics that keeps a hot air balloon in flight and the amazing coincidence of a solar eclipse". The publisher added: "Rogers will work her way from what’s in the air at eye level to the sky and then deep space so as to explain the science behind the phenomena we see above us." 

Rogers commented: "Bubbles, rainbows and rockets have always delighted me. But how often do we marvel at these without really understanding them? As an engineer and scientist, I’m curious as to the how and why of these spectacles. I aim to bridge this gap and bring the wonders of the sky closer to everyone. I want to inspire curiosity about the world above us and encourage the reader to look up. I am excited to work with Susanna and her team and would like to thank Tom for all his invaluable help and advice." 

Wadeson added: "We’ve had books focused on clouds and snow and weather systems generally, about birds and planes and rockets. But this is the first to consider the world above our heads as a habitat – what’s in it, how it works, how it is connected and what that means for all of us on the ground. Lucy’s enthusiasm, her thirst to discover the mechanics of it all is fantastically infectious. This book is just full of wonder and astounding facts you will long to pass on to whoever will listen."