Cover Love: Ox-Tales collection from Profile Books
June 30, 2009 by Rob
Filed under Cover Love, Feature Story
While it’s always nice drooling over any of the books in a Cover Love feature, it’s especially nice when the books featured have been published with a worthy cause in mind. And that’s exactly what the delicious looking four-book collection in this latest Cover Love feature have been created for.
Working in collaboration with Oxfam, Profile Books and the Hay Festival, 38 of the UK’s top authors (the identity of some are revealed by looking closely at the covers above), have come together to create Ox-Tales, a four-book collection of short stories and extracts, which will raise money in support of Oxfam projects around the world.
Launched at the end of this week (July 4th) and costing £5 per volume (with a minimum of 50p going directly to Oxfam), the stories and extracts in the Ox-Tales collection are all new and unpublished, and based, as the covers so beautifully suggest, on a loose framework of one of the four elements – earth, air, fire and water, which highlight the work of various Oxfam projects:
- Earth (Livelihoods) – Oxfam’s Agricultural Programmes are helping thousands of small-scale farmers and producers globally to improve their lives through better production and marketing of goods, including cotton in India, vegetables in Honduras, rice in Tanzania
- Air (Climate Change) – Many of Oxfam’s Disaster Preparedness Programmes around the world aim to assist those most at risk of climate change related disasters. For example, floods and cyclones in Bangladesh are addressed by developing early warning systems, building helters, raising homes and wells; and increasingly drought-prone East Africa Oxfam is adapting mechanical boreholes so they use solar panels or wind turbines instead of diesel pumps.
- Fire (Conflict) – Oxfam helps victims of conflict by providing clean, safe water and emergency shelters; promoting peace building programmes and campaigning for better rules on arms control.
- Water – Oxfam primarily provides life-saving water and sanitation in emergency situations: they currently provide water and sanitation for around half a million people in Darfur and Chad, 230-000 in Somalia, and 100,000 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Oxfam also establish long-term and sustainable safe water supplies and sanitation facilities to improve health through building wells and latrines.
Not only are all of the 38 authors generously donating their work to Oxfam, but some are also taking part in launch events for Ox-Tales, around the UK, which also ties in with the first ever Oxfam Bookfest (July 4th-18th). On July 3rd (5pm) in the Oxford Playhouse, Oxford, Mark Haddon will be joined by Joanna Trollope and other contemporary writers. In the Bloomsbury Theatre, London on the 7th July (7.30pm) Jonathon Coe, Vikram Seth, Victoria Hislop and Marina Lewycka will come together to support the launch. And on the 9th July at the Playfair Library, Edinburgh (6.30pm) Kate Atkinson and Michel Faber will be appearing, together with pre-recorded presentations from Alexander McCall Smith and Ian Rankin.
So an exciting start to July for fans of UK authors and lovers of beautiful covers alike, and all in aid of such a worthy cause. So perhaps the last word should go to Oxfam UK director Barbara Stocking, who has this to say of Ox-Tales:
This is a major initiative for Oxfam and we are delighted to have so many great writers involved as contributors. The money raised through the sales of Ox-Tales books will help us work to support people living in poverty around the world
Ox-Tales Earth | July 2009 | £5.00 | PAPERBACK | 208 PP | ISBN: 9781846682582
Ox-Tales Air | July 2009 | £5.00 | PAPERBACK | 208 PP | ISBN: 9781846682612
Ox-Tales Fire | July 2009 | £5.00 | PAPERBACK | 206 PP | ISBN: 9781846682599
Ox-Tales Water | July 2009 | £5.00 | PAPERBACK | 208 PP | ISBN: 9781846682063
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Rob, a self-confessed bibliophile, is without any hope of rehabilitation. He gets unnaturally excited over anything book-shaped, and if book sniffing were a crime then he would have been locked up years ago (which wouldn't bother him in the slightest provided his cell were lined with books)
Already popped over to Book Depository to order. Not only drool-worthy as you suggest, this whole effort speaks to me as well-conceived and delivered in such a clever way that I hope it is well appreciated (and funded). If you don’t mind, I will include the info in my Sunday Salon post this week with a link back to you. Many thanks!
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I’m happy that you find them as covetable as I do Frances. And I’d be delighted if you did mention Ox-Tales in your next Sunday Salon. The more that know the better.
Warmest
Rob
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These are amazing! Found you from a link on the BDR. This looks like an incredible series, I really want to pick them up! Thanks for spreading the word!
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These are beautiful and I want them! but, I don’t want to order them from amazon.co.uk…. Rob, do you know of any indie bookstores over there that sell stuff online?
(or would you be willing to pick up a set and mail them to me if I pay you with PayPal?)
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Hi Michael,
Nice ot hear from you. What about direct from the Oxfam shop – http://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/content/books/books_oxtales.html (click on the book covers to go to individual order page).
I’ve no problem with picking a set up for you but this may be a more direct route
Warmest
Rob
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apparently, Oxfam will only deliver the books to a UK address… If you’re still willing, let me know!
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Blast! Ok, no worries Michael I’ll see if my local branch has them. Don’t worry I’ll be back in touch ASAP (day or two)
Warmest
Rob
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I think the Book Depository is what you need, Michael. Free delivery, too.
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Michael – Stewart has put up another option for you (Thanks Stewart
)), but that depends on whether you see them as ‘indy’ or not, or a less ‘evil’ incantation of Amazon 
). Regardless I can certainly pick them up and ship them over. So if you want me to just go ahead and do that then no problem.
Let know either way, whenever you can
Warmest
Rob
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Thanks for the info Stewart! I can’t believe they offer free shipping to the US!!
I’ll order these as soon as I get back from vacation. (You’re off the hook, Rob!)
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Glad you found a solution Michael, and thanks Stewart for offering that solution.
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