White Lion Press Fire emergency and link to order form

	Fire destroys 80 per cent of WLP’s books. Many titles now in short supply.
	All eight Tiny titles are still available but copies of most are now very limited. Subject to insurance we hope to be able to reprint all of the Tiny books, but settling the claim might take a while. So order now to avoid disappointment. Please click on the link above to get to the order form. ________________________

	STOP PRESS: Fire destroys 80 per cent of WLP’s books


	Subject to supplies, throughout the restoration book sales and service will continue as normal. Any queries please email Marie. ______________________

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	Kermarquer, the White Lion Press office in France, before and after the fire.		Starting in our neighbour’s house and travelling under the thatched roof the fire spread rapidly to engulf our house too. In a short time five buildings were destroyed. It was in the attics of this part of the house that all the White Lion Press books were stored. We have some of the Tiny Essentials series at our office in London, but sadly not very many. Our other titles are kept there, so supplies of those are not affected. Luckily the main – not thatched – part of our house survived, though with some smoke and water damage. Thatched houses full of books and ancient beams burn well. More than 40 firemen and 12 trucks took most of the day to get the fire under control. It spread through to our house in minutes. Philippe, our neighbour, was cutting stones – not really a good idea, near thatch...
	Our French house was built in 1655, and had been rather lovingly restored. The fire destroyed the striking thatched roof, all our books, our company and personal archives, files, records, letters, and many much loved treasures. Ironically, the one part of the building that did not burn was...the wood pile. It was sheltered by some stones. The fire extinguisher also survived, with its contents intact. We have to be grateful for that. (As with so many things, Ken now identifies even more with Basil from Fawlty Towers).		The firemen had to climb onto the burning roof to cut the thatch while flames were rising beneath their feet. Some of their boots even caught fire. These are local volunteer firemen and they risked their lives to save our house. We’ll respond more generously next time they call looking for a festive donation... It’ll be next spring at the earliest before the restoration is complete. Sadly, no thatch this time. And we will meantime be trying to find somewhere to keep supplies of WLP books – somewhere without a thatched roof, we think...

			A phoenix rises Not quite finished yet, but getting there. Kermarquer at the end of December 2011. Thank heavens for insurance!