Acquisition

Quarto Group Inc
08 April 2005


                    QUARTO TO ACQUIRE NEW ZEALAND'S LEADING
                        DISPLAY MARKETING BOOKS BUSINESS

The Quarto Group, Inc., the London-based and listed international book
publisher, announces that it has conditionally agreed to acquire Premier Books
Limited, New Zealand's leading display marketing books business.

'Premier Books is an extremely well run business that has long dominated the
display marketing of books in New Zealand. The acquisition complements our
acquisition, of Lifetime Books, in Australia, in November 2004. The two
businesses will be run autonomously, but we anticipate that there will be some
mutual benefits, particularly on the buying side, as both Premier and Lifetime
frequently acquire exclusive display marketing rights, in their respective
countries, to the same titles,' commented Laurence F Orbach, chairman and chief
executive officer of Quarto.

Under the terms of the agreement, Quarto is initially acquiring 70% of Premier's
equity, with the balance being the subject of put-and-call agreements,
exercisable over the next ten years.

The initial consideration is NZ$5.6 million (£2.1 million), payable in cash, out
of Quarto's existing bank facilities, on closing, which is expected to take
place within 30 days, after the completion of the audit of Premier's results for
the year ended March 31st, 2005.

In the year ended March 31st, 2004, Premier made an unaudited pre-tax profit of
NZ$1.0 million, after non-recurring expenses, on a turnover of NZ$9.4 million.
Unaudited net assets at that date totalled NZ$0.66 million.

In the year ended March 31st, 2005, after adding back non-recurring expenses, it
is expected that Premier will make an audited pre-tax profit of over NZ$1.5
million on a turnover of NZ$10.2 million. After payment of a dividend, adjusted
net assets at March 31st, 2005 will total NZ$0.4 million.

Premier's management, led by Grant Letica, 39, the chief executive officer, is
remaining in place, and Mr Letica will retain 20% of the equity in the business.
Premier is based in Auckland, operates through approximately 50 representatives
paid on commission, and has 12 employees.

Laurence F. Orbach concluded: 'In March 2004, following a strategic review,
Quarto announced that the Board intended to grow Quarto substantially through
making selective and significant acquisitions and accelerating organic
initiatives. Premier is Quarto's fourth acquisition since then. Further
acquisitions continue to be sought.'

Notes for Editors:

Quarto is an international book publisher with two principal strands of
activity: it publishes, under imprints owned by the Group, books and art prints
in the US, the UK, and Australia; and it creates books that are licensed to
other publishers for publication under their own imprints in many languages
around the world.

2004 was Quarto's sixth successive year of increase in underlying EPS. Quarto
made three acquisitions in the second half of 2004, in the USA, the UK, and
Australia.

Enquiries:

The Quarto Group, Inc.                                           020-7700 9000
Laurence Orbach (Chairman & CEO)
Mick Mousley (Finance Director)

Bankside Consultants Limited
Charles Ponsonby                                                 020-7444 4166




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