ATGthePodcast 118 - Conversation with Trevor Naylor, The American University in Cairo Press

Against the Grain - The Podcast

In today's episode we will feature audio from an interview of Trevor Naylor, Sales and Marketing Director, The American University in Cairo Press. The interview was conducted by Matthew Ismail, Editor in chief of the Charleston Briefings and Conference Director at the Charleston Conference.

Trevor began working in a bookshop when he was 18 years old, and has lived in Cairo for 12 years. He says the AUC Press recently celebrated its 100 year anniversary, but it wasn't until the 1960's and 70's that they saw a publishing need at the University and then that side of the business took off. The press now has a very interesting and varied role and is a small and targeted business which allows Trevor the opportunity to be involved and to touch almost every part of the publishing process. He calls himself a "non-academic expert on Egypt" due to osmosis from the publishing industry there.

Trevor also talks with us about his work with nobel prize winner Naguib Mahfouz, known as the "Dickens of Egypt," and how the AUC publishing his book, Palace Walk, and the subsequent world wide demand for this book led to a great increase in their publishing overall. The AUC Press also started the Creswell Collection of Islamic Arts. He says the AUC Press publishes books on Egyptology, Islamic studies and the Middle East for academic use and also for the curious public, and now some children's books.