Speaking of political books, Karl Rove’s COURAGE AND CONSEQUENCE, publishing March 9, is the latest book to have its embargo busted–though it also seems to fit into that category of books that are embargoed even though they aren’t packed with otherwise newsworthy revelations. Apparently he judges Bush’s accomplishments as president “impressive, durable and significant.” Among the many things he defends are the administration’s handling of Hurricane Katrina (he “blames state and local officials for botching recovery efforts”). The Washington Post says it “takes Rove’s defense of the Bush legacy to a new and more detailed level” and is “focused squarely […]
New Releases/Forthcoming
Blair Memoir Set for September
Random House will publish former British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s book TONY BLAIR: THE JOURNEY this September, via Hutchinson in the UK and Knopf and Knopf Canada in North America. The company says rights have been sold in twelve territories. (They acquired rights in October 2007.) Random UK ceo Gail Rebuck promises in the announcement that “his book is frank, open, revealing, and written in an intimate and accessible style. As an account of the nature and uses of power, it will have a readership that extends well beyond politics, to all those who want to understand the challenge of […]
Finding Further Problems, Holt to Pull Hiroshima Book
Holt announced yesterday afternoon “with deep regret” that they have discovered further problems with Charles Pellegrino’s THE LAST TRAIN FROM HIROSHIMA and will not print, correct or ship copies of the book. Both consumers and accounts can return the book for full credit. The publisher says they printed approximately 18,000 copies, and sales as tracked by Nielsen BookScan are approximately 7,000 copies. Holt says that “in the wake of the discovery” of the discredited source, additional “questions about other sources and the author’s credentials arose.” Two of those disputed sources are a priest quoted in the book, Rev. John MacQuitty, […]
Pellegrino to Change Hiroshima Book
Holt announced Monday afternoon that Charles Pellegrino will rewrite the passages in LAST TRAIN FROM HIROSHIMA that featured inaccurate information from one of his sources, the late Joseph Fucco, reported in the New York Times. Publisher Steve Rubin says that, “Despite his due diligence [Pellegrino] was deceived by one of his sources; he and we will do everything in our power to set the historical record straight as soon as possible. The total changes will amount to less than five pages of text and one illustration.” Pellegrino is speaking with the family of the late flight engineer James R. Corliss […]
Important Source for Hiroshima Book Discredited
Yesterday’s NYT page one explained that the late Joseph Fuoco–the source behind two important accounts in Charles Pellegrino’s recently-published THE LAST TRAIN FROM HIROSHIMA–is apparently an “impostor.” Fuoco, and in turn the book, claimed to be a last-minute substitute on a plan that accompanied the Enola Gay on its famous bombing run over Hiroshima. He said there was a “secret accident” with the bomb that caused radiation poisoning and reduced the bomb’s power. Pellegrino “now concedes that he was probably duped. In an interview on Friday, he said he would rewrite sections of the book for paperback and foreign editions. […]
Rice's Book Announced for October
Condoleezza Rice’s book Extraordinary, Ordinary People: A Memoir of Family has been set for an October 12 release by Crown, accompanied by ebook and audio versions, along with a young adult version from Delacorte. Rice says, “After I left Washington, it seemed important to write about how my very special parents, my extended family, and so many mentors shaped me for the challenges that lay ahead. I decided that was the story I wanted to tell first.” Separately, St. Martin’s has moved up the release date of Andrew Young’s tell-all about former boss John Edwards, THE POLITICIAN, to January 30.