The 'Luton News' newspaper's Business Monthly supplement (12 May 2010) covered the launch of the Limbury Press with an article and interview with writer and LP founder Paul Adams. An abridged version has been posted below:
GHOST WRITER FINDS NICHE FOR SERIOUSLY HAUNTING WORKS
Paul Adams describes himself as a 'paranormal historian'. An architect by day, in his spare time the 43 year-old set up a publishing company earlier this year geared towards "the serious spiritualist and paranormal reader".
"I sent a few titles to publishers and didn't have any joy so decided to set something up myself," said Paul, who runs Limbury Press from his home in Neville Road, Luton. "Mainstream publishers seemed to be more interested in more celebrity stuff. They wanted spooky entertainment books. I felt there was a niche for more short-run, specialist books. I wanted to publish material that no other publishers were interested in."
In fact last year Paul did have one of his books - 'The Borley Rectory Companion' - published by The History Press. But the first book sent to the Limbury Press is not one of his own. On April 26 the company published 'Two Haunted Counties - A Ghost Hunter's Companion to Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire' by Tony Broughall, a former member of the Society for Psychical Research and the Ghost Club.
"He was active as a ghost hunter in the 70s and often appeared in the Luton News, referred to as The Ghost Man" explained Paul, who named Limbury Press after the Luton suburb. Originally from Luton but now retired and living in Norfolk, Tony compiled the account of his psychical investigations during the 1970s. Now it has been updated and revised and is being issued for the first time with a Foreword by writer and ghost hunter Peter Underwood, a long-time friend of the author.
The work uncovers Tony's investigations with the late Rose Gladden who was a medium and healer from Letchworth, and their visits to locations they believed to be haunted, including Chicksands Priory, the Downs garage, Dunstable and the Fox & Duck pub at Therfield. Set out in an A-Z gazetteer style format, there are entries for more than 150 haunted locations throughout Beds & herts including several well known Luton haunts.
This local interest book is the first of several Paul hopes to publish, sources through his network of ghost enthusiasts. "The intention is to issue between three and four books a year covering various paranormal-related subjects including ghosts and hauntings, poltergeist phenomena, Spiritualism and physical mediumship as well as the history of parapsychology and psychical research," he said. "I am hoping that within a year's time I will be in a position where Limbury Press can advertise for submissions for manuscripts."
It may sound like a niche market but Paul is confident of its appeal. "I think there has been a resurgence of interest in this type of thing, generated by TV programmes like 'Most Haunted'. There is more of an open mind for these things these days."
At the same time, he hopes to offer something more "scientific" than programmes like 'Most Haunted' in which presenter Yvette Fielding investigated purported paranormal activity. "I consider that psychic entertainment. I cannot see much interest in people running around in the dark screaming. I don't think it advances our knowledge of these things. I wanted to do books that educated rather than entertained. There are some great ghost stories which I enjoy but I think there is a serious side and that what I wanted to focus on."
Paul's passion for anything ghostly began in the mid 1970s with the case of Borley Rectory in Essex, dubbed 'the most haunted house in England'. "I am interested in the history of psychical research and paranormal phenomena," he said.
Paul's next book [by Peter Underwood] to be published in June will trace the history of the Ghost Club. And he hopes to publish some re-issues of books that have gone out of print.
'Borley Rectory Companion' Website
'Borley Rectory Companion' on Amazon UK
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