WH Allen acquires new book from historian Dr Rory Cox in major pre-empt

WH Allen, an imprint of Ebury, has acquired a new book from Dr Rory Cox in major pre-empt. Jamie Joseph, publishing director at Ebury, acquired world all-language rights to Solar from Trevor Dolby at Aevitas. Solar charts the “incredible, intricate relationships humans have had with the Sun throughout history, ranging from ancient sun gods, myths, empire, calendars, astronomy and climate change”. 

Rory Cox is an associate professor in history at St Andrews, who completed his PhD at Oxford. His previous academic books have won numerous awards and Solar is his first book for the trade.

Joseph said: “This proposal had me immediately transfixed by the fascinating stories, the sweep and range of the writing, and the power of the argument at its core. Rory is clearly a star in the making and this will be a book I know will excite readers everywhere. I can’t wait to publish it.”

Cox said: “History doesn’t get much bigger or more exciting than exploring the Sun’s fundamental influence on the course of human civilisation. The star that created the Earth and nurtured life is at the root of so many things we take for granted: from where we live to what we eat, from religious beliefs to the technologies that power our societies. The Sun holds the secrets of our past and the keys to our future, and I’m absolutely thrilled to be working with Jamie and the rest of the team at Ebury Publishing to bring this amazing solar story to life!”

Solar is due to publish in 2027, and there has already been significant rights interest with pre-empts attempted in a number of territories.