Laurie Hertzel introduces herself to readers as the new book editor at the Minneapolis Star-Tribune: “My plan, over time, is to revamp these pages, giving them a slightly broader focus — not just book reviews of the most recent offerings, but an engaging weekly homage to the joy of reading. We’ll still run reviews, of course — here on Sunday, as well as every Monday and Wednesday inside Variety. But we’ll also run newsy columns, essays, book excerpts and tons of recommendations — many, I hope, from you. “I want to cover not only the newest and most interesting and […]
Archives for August 2008
Lunch Weekly for Monday, August 18
Deal Reports Just e-mail to deals@PublishersMarketplace if you aren’t using the online form linked below. Report a deal using the online form The Key As usual, the handy key to our Lunch deal categories. While all reports are always welcome, those that include a category will generally receive a higher listing when it comes time to put them all together. “nice deal” $1 – $49,000 “very nice deal” $50,000 – $99,000 “good deal” $100,000 – $250,000 “significant deal” $251,000 – $499,000 “major deal” $500,000 and up FICTION Debut Jesse Bullington’s THE SAD TALE OF THE BROTHERS GROSSBART, about medieval […]
Obama Reply: Unfit for Publication
The Obama campaign has produced a forty-page reply to Jerome Corsi’s book in a PDF titled Unfit for Publication. Among other coverage, Timothy Noah looks at scholarly publisher Mary Matalin: “Simon & Schuster and the other big publishing houses have started conservative imprints, at arms’ length and with noses held, because they recognize them to be a gold mine…. But part of the deal, clearly, is that conservative imprints aren’t required to adhere to the same standards of truth as the grown-up divisions. If an Erwin Glikes or even an Adam Bellow is available to edit your conservative fall list, […]
Debate over Chronological Bible
Leaving aside the unsubstantiated (and incorrect) characterization of ” the midst of a Bible-publishing boom,” USA Today has a long piece looking at Thomas Nelson’s forthcoming CHRONOLOGICAL STUDY BIBLE. “The latest edition rejiggers the order of books, psalms, and Gospels in an effort to provide a historical framework for a text most scholars consider chronologically challenged.” But some scholars regard the exercise as non-productive and even confusing: “For some biblical accounts, such as the Israelites’ exile to Babylon, there are historical accounts to support the narrative. Other stories require a leap of faith, however. Scholars say trying to rearrange individual […]
Child's Other File
Yesterday the CIA released a trove of historical documents from the organization’s predecessor, the OSS. Among the documents was Julia Child’s application to serve: “Child’s file shows that in her OSS application, she included a note expressing regret she left an earlier department store job hastily because she did not get along with her boss, said William Cunliffe, an archivist who has worked extensively with the OSS records at the National Archives.>AP
Rushdie on Jones Novel
Salman Rushdie tells the AP via e-mail about Sherry Jones’s THE JEWEL OF MEDINA: “I am very disappointed to hear that my publishers, Random House, have canceled another author’s novel, apparently because of their concerns about possible Islamic reprisals. This is censorship by fear, and it sets a very bad precedent indeed.”AP