Trading Statement

Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
09 January 2003

                           Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
                        Pre-Close Period Trading Update

London, 9 January 2003: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc ('Bloomsbury' or 'the Company
') is pleased to announce that it expects the Company's results for the year
ended 31st December 2002, which will be announced on 20th March to be slightly
ahead of market consensus expectations.

Christmas trading proved strong for both Bloomsbury and its subsidiary, A & C
Black. In Bloomsbury, bestsellers included Donna Tartt's The Little Friend, and
Schott's Original Miscellany, which was widely acclaimed as the publishing
sensation of 2002. BUSINESS: The Ultimate Resource, launched in September 2002,
has exceeded expectations in both book sales and licensing revenues. New titles
from the database are due out in 2003. The film of Harry Potter and the Chamber
of Secrets was released on November 15th 2002 and sales of the books in the
series increased in line with our expectations in the UK and export markets.

In October the recently acquired Whitaker's Almanack was published for the first
time under the A&C Black imprint. Sales for 2002 exceeded both our budget, and
2001 sales levels. A three-year electronic licensing deal has also been agreed
for Whitaker's Almanack which will be published on-line through the ProQuest
information management service, KnowUK, used by public libraries and educational
institutions around the world.

On 2nd January 2003 A&C Black acquired the educational business of Andrew Brodie
Publications ('ABP') for £520,000 and an additional £220,000 payable, dependent
on targeted turnover for 2003. With approximately 60 titles in print, ABP has
been publishing photocopiable resource books for teachers, and workbooks for the
school and home market since 1992. Jill Coleman, A&C Black's Managing Director,
said 'We are delighted with this acquisition, the company's fourth in 12 months.
The list has an excellent reputation and will sit very well alongside our own
educational publishing, strengthening our backlist.'

Nigel Newton, Bloomsbury's Chief Executive, said 'We are delighted with the
progress that has been made across all divisions of our business, and especially
in reference. The focus of the group is identifying properties with long-term
backlist potential. With the five acquisitions we have made in the last twelve
months and the strength of our publishing list we will continue to build a
valuable library of content that will generate cash for the business for many
years to come.'

For further details, please contact:

Impact Consultancy Ltd
Kirsty Black 020 7479 4775


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