Pre-Close Trading Update

Bloomsbury Publishing PLC 11 January 2006 11th January 2006 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Pre-Close Trading Update Bloomsbury Publishing Plc ('Bloomsbury' or 'the Group') announces that trading was good during the last three months of 2005 and accordingly that it expects the Group's results for the year ended 31 December 2005, to be in line with its expectations of a pre-tax profit of not less than £20 million, as previously indicated. Sales of the Harry Potter series including the hard back and audio editions of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince were strong and in line with expectations. Schott's Almanac performed well in the UK as did Schott's Essen & Trinken (Food and Drink Miscellany) in Germany. In A&C Black, Whitaker's World of Facts enjoyed a most successful launch. Walker Publishing Company, Inc, Bloomsbury USA's recent acquisition, had a strong finish to the year with its book on Kakuro, the successor to Sudoku. The preliminary results for the year ended 31 December 2005 will be announced on 4th April 2006. 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