The Highfield Mole
Encyclopedia
The Highfield Mole is a book by Roderick Gordon
and Brian Williams which follows the adventures of 14-year-old Will Burrows in a tyrannical underworld to which he has travelled in an attempt to find his father, an archeologist who disappeared down a mysterious tunnel.
and 2,000 softback
copies, financed by the sale of Roderick Gordon's house. The book received some trade press attention before launch and the entire hardback run sold within a day. On 19 November 2005, Barry Cunningham, of Chicken House, announced that he had agreed terms to publish The Highfield Mole and a second book in the series. Cunningham, while working for Bloomsbury in London, famously signed up J. K. Rowling
, and this connection led to the book being branded "the next Harry Potter".
In June 2007, Chicken House announced that the book would be published in the United Kingdom in July 2007, and that they had also pre-sold the publication rights in 15 languages (it has now been sold to 40 overseas publishers). The authors and Barry Cunningham also decided to retitle the book Tunnels
, to reflect that it had been changed by some limited editing. The United States publication would be released on 1 January 2008. With the announcement of the publication date, and press coverage in the UK, the price of the books from the initial self-published run jumped dramatically. A number of the copies are signed by the authors and 80 copies drawn from the 500-copy hardback run were numbered as part of a "Remarque" edition. These 80 numbered copies have a hand-drawn illustration by Brian Williams, an inscription by Roderick Gordon
, and are signed by both authors.
The sequel, Deeper, was released in the UK on 5 May 2008 (in the United States on 3 February 2009), and a third book, Freefall
, was published in the UK on 18 May 2009 (in the United States on 1 February 2010). The fourth book, called Closer
, was published in the UK in May 2010. Then, on September 1st, 2011, the fifth book, Spiral
, was released, and the authors confirmed that one more book would be written, concluding the series as a hexology.
There is also a "Colony Leather Bound Edition" of ten hardbacks, numbered and signed, with a hand-drawn picture by Brian Williams bound into the book. T-shirts, postcards, art prints, and bookmarks which were issued as promotional materials at the time of publication also attract interest from collectors. Also leather-bound is the single copy of the hardback titled "The Book of Catastrophes".
Roderick Gordon
Roderick Gordon is the author of Tunnels, a bestselling children's book and the first book in the Tunnels series by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams.-Biography:Born in November 1960, Roderick grew up in Highgate, North London...
and Brian Williams which follows the adventures of 14-year-old Will Burrows in a tyrannical underworld to which he has travelled in an attempt to find his father, an archeologist who disappeared down a mysterious tunnel.
Plot summary
The book follows fourteen-year-old Will Burrows who lives in a fictitious London borough called Highfield with his family. Will has little in common with them except for a passion for digging, which he shares with his father. When his father inexplicably disappears down a tunnel, Will decides to investigate with his loyal friend, Chester. Soon they find themselves deep underground, where they discover the Colony, a subterranean city in which people have been living since Georgian times. These people have a deep hatred of anyone from the surface, who they call Topsoilers, and they are ruled by a strange and fanatical group called the Styx.Publishing background and history
Although the authors sent excerpts to various publishers under the title The Highfield Mole: The Circle in the Spiral, they did not pursue that avenue as they decided to self-publish the book, which they did on 17 March 2005 with a limited run of 500 hardbackHardcover
A hardcover, hardback or hardbound is a book bound with rigid protective covers...
and 2,000 softback
Paperback
Paperback, softback or softcover describe and refer to a book by the nature of its binding. The covers of such books are usually made of paper or paperboard, and are usually held together with glue rather than stitches or staples...
copies, financed by the sale of Roderick Gordon's house. The book received some trade press attention before launch and the entire hardback run sold within a day. On 19 November 2005, Barry Cunningham, of Chicken House, announced that he had agreed terms to publish The Highfield Mole and a second book in the series. Cunningham, while working for Bloomsbury in London, famously signed up J. K. Rowling
J. K. Rowling
Joanne "Jo" Rowling, OBE , better known as J. K. Rowling, is the British author of the Harry Potter fantasy series...
, and this connection led to the book being branded "the next Harry Potter".
In June 2007, Chicken House announced that the book would be published in the United Kingdom in July 2007, and that they had also pre-sold the publication rights in 15 languages (it has now been sold to 40 overseas publishers). The authors and Barry Cunningham also decided to retitle the book Tunnels
Tunnels (novel)
Tunnels is a subterranean fiction novel by British authors Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams released by Chicken House in 2007. The story follows Will Burrows, a 14-year-old archaeologist, who stumbles upon an underground civilization called The Colony...
, to reflect that it had been changed by some limited editing. The United States publication would be released on 1 January 2008. With the announcement of the publication date, and press coverage in the UK, the price of the books from the initial self-published run jumped dramatically. A number of the copies are signed by the authors and 80 copies drawn from the 500-copy hardback run were numbered as part of a "Remarque" edition. These 80 numbered copies have a hand-drawn illustration by Brian Williams, an inscription by Roderick Gordon
Roderick Gordon
Roderick Gordon is the author of Tunnels, a bestselling children's book and the first book in the Tunnels series by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams.-Biography:Born in November 1960, Roderick grew up in Highgate, North London...
, and are signed by both authors.
Freefall (novel)
Freefall Freefall Freefall (sometimes known simply as Tunnels 3 is the second sequel to the book Tunnels, and is the third book in the series by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams...
, was published in the UK on 18 May 2009 (in the United States on 1 February 2010). The fourth book, called Closer
Closer (novel)
Closer is the fourth book in the Tunnels series, written by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams. Released in the UK by Chicken House on 3 May 2010, its publication in the US by Scholastic Inc. followed on 1 February 2011.-Plot summary:Part 1: RevelationsThe story picks up following the events of...
, was published in the UK in May 2010. Then, on September 1st, 2011, the fifth book, Spiral
Spiral (novel)
is a 1995 Japanese novel, a part of author Koji Suzuki's Ring Cycle series. It is the second in the Ring Trilogy, and a film based on the book, Rasen was released in 1998. The English translation of the book was published by Vertical Press in the United States and by Harper Collins in Britain.-...
, was released, and the authors confirmed that one more book would be written, concluding the series as a hexology.
There is also a "Colony Leather Bound Edition" of ten hardbacks, numbered and signed, with a hand-drawn picture by Brian Williams bound into the book. T-shirts, postcards, art prints, and bookmarks which were issued as promotional materials at the time of publication also attract interest from collectors. Also leather-bound is the single copy of the hardback titled "The Book of Catastrophes".
Sequels
- Deeper (May 5th, 2008)
- FreefallFreefall (novel)Freefall Freefall Freefall (sometimes known simply as Tunnels 3 is the second sequel to the book Tunnels, and is the third book in the series by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams...
(May 18th, 2009) - CloserCloser (novel)Closer is the fourth book in the Tunnels series, written by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams. Released in the UK by Chicken House on 3 May 2010, its publication in the US by Scholastic Inc. followed on 1 February 2011.-Plot summary:Part 1: RevelationsThe story picks up following the events of...
(May 3rd, 2010) - SpiralSpiral (novel)is a 1995 Japanese novel, a part of author Koji Suzuki's Ring Cycle series. It is the second in the Ring Trilogy, and a film based on the book, Rasen was released in 1998. The English translation of the book was published by Vertical Press in the United States and by Harper Collins in Britain.-...
(September 1st, 2011)