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Yesterday the CIA released a trove of historical documents from the organization’s predecessor, the OSS.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
No Potter Film Tie-in This Year
Warner Bros. has decided not to release their film version of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince this November, debuting it on July 17, 2009 instead. Warner president Alan Horn says the film would have been ready as scheduled but they want to take advantage of the “relative dearth” of big films next summer (as a result of the production lag from the writers strike). “It feels like we have an opportunity in the summer,” Horn said. As the LAT notes, “the shift in schedule is already roiling Potter fans, who are among the most intense devotees in contemporary pop […]
Wikipedia Dropped from Agent's Suit
In Barbara Bauer’s lawsuit alleging defamation and intentional interference with prospective economic advantage against 22 plaintiffs, a judge has dismissed the Wikimedia Foundation from the case, citing the Communications Decency Act.Ars Technica