Publisher says it was forced to withdraw Wendy Doniger's book The Hindus because of law threatening jail for insults to religionPenguin India has said "intolerant and restrictive" Indian laws forced it to remove a book from sale after it tried to defend an American author's religious history against objections from a conservative Hindu group.The publisher's decision this week to withdraw and pulp all copies of the historian Wendy Doniger's The Hindus: An Alternative History shocked writers and intellectuals in India, with some worrying it was a sign of rising intolerance against dissent in the country.Doniger defended Penguin India in a statement, saying the publisher had battled for four years against a lawsuit filed by the Hindu group Shiksha Bachao Andolan Samiti (Save Education Movement).The group objected to the book's description of mythological texts as fictional and said it hurt "the religious feelings of millions of Hindus", according to the lawsuit, which also named Doniger and the New-York-based arm of the publisher Penguin Group Inc as defendants.Penguin India said it "believes, and has always believed, in every individual's right to freedom of thought and expression, a right explicitly codified in the Indian constitution", according to a statement from the company released on Friday.It warned, however, that India's penal code would "make it increasingly difficult for any Indian publisher to uphold international standards of free expression".The code,... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2014-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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L.A. Times Festival of Books: Joyce Carol Oates, Carol Burnett, Lemony Snicket and Jamaica Kincaid are among the 500 authors appearing at this weekend's festival for readers of all ages.Since background-check legislation was voted down in the Senate on Thursday, Adam Winkler, author of... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-04-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The books series cited as being most often subject to complaints in 2012, as determined by a study by the American Library Association, wes Dav Pilkey’s Captain Underpants books. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-04-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This week's London Book Fair saw a return to the hectic fair auctions of pre-recession years... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The first book printed in America is expected to fetch up to $30m (£20m) when it goes under the hammer in New York later this year. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2013-04-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As World Book Night approaches again, a list of rankings shows where volunteers – who give away free books on April 23 – are most heavily clustered in the US. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-04-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Books with first hand accounts of life in North Korea are rare, so John Sweeney's Zombie Nation and Jang Jin-Sung's Crossing the Border are generating unique buzz at the London Book Fair. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-04-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sales of printed books jumped more than £1m last week, after the value of the market hit a... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The most-challenged book series of 2012 was the 'Captain Underpants' books by Dav Pilkey. Former list-toppers 'ttyl' and 'The Hunger Games' are missing from the list entirely. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-04-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Pulitzer Prize for fiction has been won by author Adam Johnson for his novel based in North Korea, The Orphan Master's Son. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2013-04-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon’s quest for industry domination is “scary” and it could have the ability... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book publishing has been famously slow to embrace technology, but some industry executives are hoping it's never too late to change. Taking a page from the tech community, an independent publisher and a top talent agency will announce Monday that they have joined forces to host the first-ever... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2013-04-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The new James B. Hunt Library at North Carolina State University shows what can happen when you marry a library with cutting-edge technology and interesting design--plus an automated librarian. In a digital age where many commentators tolled the death knell for the book-bound library, we’ve... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2013-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With ebook and total digital sales posting steady—if generally smaller—increases in 2012, sales of print books held up fairly well across the book trade and at most major houses. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ten fiction titles and six poetry collections finalists have been announced as the finalists for this year's Best Translated Book Awards. The winners will be revealed May 3rd. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin imprint Hamish Hamilton has bought the next novel from Man Booker Prize-shortlisted... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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E-books are affecting bargain books, like everything else in the publishing industry. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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"The Office" writer B.J. Novak signed a two-book deal with Knopf. The first title will be a collection of stories based on some of his previous performances. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Years of quiet sacrifice boil dry as a father in his late 50s fears he's losing everying, including his beloved daughter."Parental love is the sacrifice made in silence," says Jorgen Hofmeester, the protagonist of "Tirza," Arnon Grunberg's latest translated novel. In "Tirza," the quiet martyrdom... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book sales at W H Smith dropped 6% like-for-like in the six months to 28th February, according to... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Actress Joanna Lumley is among the names lined up for the 10th Borders Book Festival in Melrose later this year. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2013-04-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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