Anne McCaffrey: April 1, 1926—November 21, 2011

It is with great sadness that Del Rey Books and Random House report the passing of beloved author Anne McCaffrey. Anne McCaffrey was best known for her award-winning and immensely popular Dragonriders of Pern® novels. McCaffrey died at her home in Ireland on November 21st shortly after suffering a stroke. She was 85 years old. She is survived by her two sons and daughter. Following is a message from her family:

Anne McCaffrey ended a long and enormously successful life early Monday evening, November 21, at her home in County Wicklow, Ireland. Surrounded by the reassuring presence of family and close friends, her passing was swift and without suffering. We, her children, are hugely comforted by the outpouring of sympathy flowing now from all over the world. Our Mother’s talent was known to countless fans. Yet her greatest gift to us all has to have been her enormous heart. That she was able to touch so many with her tender and loving heart is the greatest source of pride we will forever enjoy. Words cannot express how grateful we are to the universe of her admirers, whose heartfelt condolences beguile us in our grief, which pales beside the joy we know Anne McCaffrey brought to so many people.

POLITICO, the nation’s leading source for political news, and Random House, Inc., the largest English-language trade book publisher, announced today the creation of ‘POLITICO Bookshelf,’ an online bookstore designed specifically for POLITICO’s audience of Washington’s most influential leaders and the millions of people consuming political news around the country on a daily basis. Learn more here.

Congratulations to Julian Barnes, winner of the 2011 Man Booker Prize for his novel The Sense of an Ending. This prize is one of the world’s most prestigious and renowned literary honors. Read more about it here.

Crown Publishers and RealClearPolitics announce a publishing partnership to cover the 2012 Presidential Campaign as it unfolds. The series will consist of three short-form e-book originals that will be released at different stages of the campaign and one full-length book that will include all three e-books as well as new material. The full-length book will be published in both physical and digital formats following the 2012 election. Learn more here.

Former President Bill Clinton has written a new book about America’s future that will be published by Knopf in November. Click here for Knopf’s announcement.

Congratulations to A.D. Miller, author of Snowdrops, which has been shortlisted for the 2011 Man Booker Prize for Fiction. The winner of the prize will be announced on October 18. Read more here.

Congratulations to Carol Birch, whose novel Jamrach’s Menagerie made the shortlist for the 2011 Man Booker Prize for Fiction. To find out more, click here.

Congratulations to Julian Barnes, whose novel The Sense of an Ending was shortlisted for the 2011 Man Booker Prize for Fiction. The winner of the prize will be announced on October 18. Read more here.

The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., the largest English-language trade book publisher, announced today a new joint venture with POLITICO, the leading source for political news, to publish a series of four instant digital books on the 2012 Presidential Election. Read the full press release here.

The Random House Publishing Group, part of Random House Inc., is reviving its former Bantam Books-originated Loveswept imprint, a groundbreaking romance publishing line of the eighties and nineties, which helped launch the careers of such bestselling authors as Sandra Brown, Suzanne Brockmann, Janet Evanovich, Tami Hoag, Iris Johansen, and Kay Hooper. The 2011 Loveswept publishing program will be a digital-exclusive imprint, comprised of original, newly written e-books, as well as beloved Ballantine Bantam Dell romances and classic Loveswept titles. In addition to Loveswept, Random House will launch a new website, RomanceAtRandom, hosted by Sue Grimshaw. Read the full press release here.

Check new titles that are available this week!