Pre-Close Update

Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
15 January 2004



15 January 2004


                            Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

                             Pre-Close Period Update



Bloomsbury Publishing Plc ('Bloomsbury' or 'the Group') announced that it
expects the Group's results for the year ended 31 December 2003, which will be
announced on 23 March 2004, to be in line with market expectations.

Sales during the fourth quarter were strong, which reflects the balanced nature
of the Group's portfolio. Highlights include Schott's Food and Drink Miscellany
in the Adult division, which was published in November, and reached a high
position in the bestseller list. In the Children's division, Holes, by Louis
Sachar, originally published by Bloomsbury in 2000, significantly increased
sales on the back of the release of the film in November and the Harry Potter
series had its best year to date, in line with our expectations. In the
Reference division Whitaker's Almanac continued to grow following its first
launch within the Group in 2002, with the release of four derivative titles.

Bloomsbury's subsidiary company, A&C Black Publishers Ltd recently acquired
Nautical Data Ltd, the publishers of the Reed's Nautical Almanac series. First
published in 1932, the Reed's Nautical Almanac is a unique compendium of
annually updated navigational and port information, relied upon by tens of
thousands of leisure and professional boaters. The Almanac and its regional
editions, which have annual sales of approximately £0.6m a year, will become
part of A & C Black's Adlard Coles Nautical imprint.

                                      ENDS

Enquiries:
Tim Spratt/Charles Palmer
Financial Dynamics                                    020 7831 3113




                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange