NatRad has a fascinating interview with Peter Usborne, the guy behind Private Eye magazine and the Usborne books for kids I fell in love with thirty years ago. In my time, my favorite edition was the Spy Handbook. I made my first spy kit in a matchbox at age 12; cyphers, wax pen, Morse string, etc. I knew a dead drop from a false trail.
Alas, kids these days have less free time and space to play. Sticker books are the way ahead for publishers to print some cash, according to the guru. Unlike adult books, children's books seem recession-proof. And they can't get enough of those sticker books.
