Cover Stories: Mandela snapped up; Kidman profiled

It's a long time since publishers have been swept up in the chase for the "book of the fair" at Frankfurt - which is just as well, since most of them have turned out to be turkeys.

It's a long time since publishers have been swept up in the chase for the "book of the fair" at Frankfurt - which is just as well, since most of them have turned out to be turkeys. This year, though, the fair opened with news of a genuinely exciting and inspirational title: an authorised celebration of the life of Nelson Mandela. PQ Publications, the company responsible for the lavish tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales that has just been published in the UK by HarperCollins, signed the contract with all the president's men only last weekend. Scheduled for next autumn, the book will include more than 400 photos chronicling the struggle of Mandela the man and South Africa itself.

* Nicole Kidman created something of a stir, too. Not in person, but in the form of a biography by the much-respected David Thomson, author of more than a dozen quality film books. The writer fairly leapt at the idea when it became clear that a serious study was required - not the usual collection of celebrity clippings. A modern icon, Kidman is now, apparently, fast friends with Lauren Bacall.