Single word slip in book costs Penguin $20K

Wellington, Apr 19 (ANI): Misprinting of a single word has cost Australia”s Penguin group thousands of dollars.

The publishing company was had to pulp and reprint 7000 copies of Pasta Bible last week after a recipe called for “salt and freshly ground black people” – instead of pepper – to be added to the tagliatelle with sardines and prosciutto.

And the error will cost Penguin 20,000 dollars, said Bob Sessions, the head of publishing.

However, the company will not recall stock from bookshops because it would be “extremely hard” to do so, said Sessions.

Copies remain on the shelves in Australian bookshops, selling for 20 dollars.

Sessions has said that he could not understand why some readers had found the slip offensive.

“We”re mortified that this has become an issue of any kind and why anyone would be offended, we don”t know,” Stuff-co.nz quoted him as saying.

“It”s called the Pasta Bible, almost every recipe has ground black pepper in it, mostly in the same place [on each page].

“In one particular recipe [a] misprint occurs which obviously came from a spell checker. When it comes to the proofreader, of course they should have picked it up, but proofreading a cookbook is an extremely difficult task. I find that quite forgivable.

“We”ve said to bookstores that if anyone is small minded enough to complain about this very … silly mistake then we will happily replace [the book] for them,” he added. (ANI)

Single word slip in book costs Penguin $20K

Wellington, Apr 19 (ANI): Misprinting of a single word has cost Australia”s Penguin group thousands of dollars.

The publishing company was had to pulp and reprint 7000 copies of Pasta Bible last week after a recipe called for “salt and freshly ground black people” – instead of pepper – to be added to the tagliatelle with sardines and prosciutto.

And the error will cost Penguin 20,000 dollars, said Bob Sessions, the head of publishing.

However, the company will not recall stock from bookshops because it would be “extremely hard” to do so, said Sessions.

Copies remain on the shelves in Australian bookshops, selling for 20 dollars.

Sessions has said that he could not understand why some readers had found the slip offensive.

“We”re mortified that this has become an issue of any kind and why anyone would be offended, we don”t know,” Stuff-co.nz quoted him as saying.

“It”s called the Pasta Bible, almost every recipe has ground black pepper in it, mostly in the same place [on each page].

“In one particular recipe [a] misprint occurs which obviously came from a spell checker. When it comes to the proofreader, of course they should have picked it up, but proofreading a cookbook is an extremely difficult task. I find that quite forgivable.

“We”ve said to bookstores that if anyone is small minded enough to complain about this very … silly mistake then we will happily replace [the book] for them,” he added. (ANI)

Romance of books key in digital age, says Penguin CEO

MUMBAI (Reuters Life!) – With the excitement around the launch of Apple’s iPad and the growing popularity of other digital devices, it is a challenge to retain the romance of the printed book, according to the head of publisher Penguin.

Lifestyle

The iPad, a cross between a smartphone and a laptop, is helping foster a market for tablet computers that is expected to grow to some 50 million units by 2014, and with it, also expand the market for e-books, which has been hard to crack.

So far, book publishers like Penguin, owned by Pearson, have struggled to find an online model that works successfully in terms of content and the consumer’s propensity to pay, said John Makinson on a visit to India.

But with the iPad, book publishers see a new chance to get their electronic offering right and win more bargaining power if the iPad emerges as a viable rival to Amazon’ Kindle.

“Large screen digital devices are opening up bigger opportunities for us: opportunities for interactivity with readers, and around social networking,” said Makinson.

“There are opportunities not just in a marketing sense, but for actual content and new material,” he said.

It is not just a younger demographic of readers drawn to the cool applications and greater interactivity that are flocking to digital devices, but also older readers who like the ability to for example, increase the font size, said Makinson.

While there is huge potential in India, the world’s fastest-growing wireless market with more than half a billion mobile subscribers, rising levels of literacy also means that appetite for newspapers, magazines and books is still strong.

Penguin, which was the first international publisher to also publish in Indian languages including Hindi and Marathi, is keen to tap that opportunity, Makinson said.

“The printed product still has a very lively future in India,” said Makinson, who launched a new imprint in India, Shobhaa De Books, a line of celebrity memoirs, commercial fiction and biographies focused on lifestyle and cinema, picked by writer and former beauty queen Shobhaa De.

People often compare the book industry to the music industry, where digital sales have overtaken sales of CDs, but there is an emotional connection to books, said Makinson, who studied English and history at Cambridge and began his career as a journalist.

“We need to keep the emphasis on the reader’s emotional relationship with the book. It’s still important to produce a well-designed, beautifully printed book that looks good on a shelf, and that you can gift to a friend,” he said.

“And the challenge is not to lose sight of the main act, which is still the book. The definition of a book itself is set to change, but there is a tradition, a romance to a book that is essential to retain,” he said.

(Editing by Miral Fahmy)

Clancy’s heroes team up to fight terrorism

American espionage writer Tom Clancy is bringing all his fictional characters together into one novel about modern terrorism.

Dead Or Alive, Clancy’s first book in seven years, will be published in December.

“This is Tom Clancy for the first time bringing all his all-stars together, including Jack Ryan,” said Ivan Held, president of Penguin’s GP Putnam’s Sons.

Held said the novel will take in the last quarter century of Clancy’s literary characters.

“They will be going after modern terrorism,” he said.

The 62-year-old bestselling author is best known for his books Patriot Games, The Hunt For Red October, Clear And Present Danger and The Sum Of All Fears.

All were later turned into films.

Climate change good for little penguins

Research shows that climate change could be good for the little penguin populations in Bass Strait.

A public forum at Ulverstone in north west Tasmania has heard that coastal erosion and climate change will destroy the habitat of many sea birds such as hooded plovers and red-necked stints.

But Peter Dann from the Phillip Island Nature Park in Victoria says penguins that breed in northern Tasmania, Victoria and the Bass Strait islands may benefit from climate change.

“Some of the predicted climate change is actually going to be positive,” he said.

“Penguins, for example, we think are going to breed earlier and probably more successfully if sea surface temperatures in Bass Strait increase.”

Mr Dann says more work needs to be done to investigate the sea birds.

“Even the climate is something that hasn’t been completely established yet, what the predictions are for the next 100 years,

“But for birds, at least, we don’t have as good information on the birds as we do on the climate, even so there’s a lot of speculation necessary, unfortunately.”

Book returns to South Yorkshire library 45 years after it was borrowed!

London, March 19 (ANI): Librarians at the Dinnington Library, South Yorkshire, were surprised when a book borrowed 45 years ago was sent back in an unnamed parcel.

The Penguin first edition copy of Quatermass and the Pit, by Nigel Kneale, was borrowed in September 1965.

The borrower will, however, not be penalised since the Rotherham Council does not fine anything above 6pounds a book.

The library currently fines a reader 15p a day for overdue books so, without the 6pound limit the borrower would have had to pay a fine of nearly 2,500pounds at today”s rates.

””I thought at first it was just a normal return, until I saw the colour of the pages, they were very brown around the edges,” the Telegraph quoted principal library assistant Alison Lawrie, who opened the package, as saying.

She went on: ””Then I noticed it was an early Penguin book. It was a real surprise, even more so when I looked inside to see the date of return.

””It”s true that some people like to take their time with a good book but 45 years is an incredible amount of time.””

Staff believes the book was loaned out by the old Dinnington Library, which opened in 1936 and is close to the new library, which was inaugurated in 2000.

Lawrie said: ””It still has the original paperwork inside.

””This includes the label with the library name on it along with the five rules for borrowing books and the date label. It was due back on October 15, the length of borrowing at the time was 21 days, so it would have been taken out on loan on September 24 1965.””

The identity of the borrower remains undisclosed even as it is clear the package was posted from somewhere in Sheffield.

And there are no records since paper paperwork from the 1960s was destroyed during computerisation.

Lawrie said: ””The person who posted it back to us would not be in any trouble whatsoever.

””In fact I would really like to know where the book has been living all those years – in a loft or garage, in someone”s bedroom or in storage. They”ve obviously taken care of it. Other than the natural browning on the pages, it”s in unbelievable condition.

””There was no letter or note with the book, so obviously the person didn”t want us to know who they were.

””It”s a fantastic mystery in itself and has become a real talking point for visitors to the library.”

She added: ””We have no idea why they decided to return the book after so long but it may be that the person who originally borrowed it has passed away and the family may have found it when they emptied the house, someone may have been tidying up their loft and come across it, or perhaps they thought we would just enjoy the mystery.”” (ANI)

Surf Lifesaving election promise

The State Government has promised more than $2 million to surf life saving clubs across Tasmania.

The water safety election policy also includes $350,000 to assist children who take part in water activities.

The Premier, David Bartlett says that money will be allocated in $100 vouchers for children to buy equipment such as goggles and bathers.

“Essentially those vouchers will be redeemable at any accredited water orientation course, like the ones run by surf lifesaving clubs, like the ones accredited by the Royal Lifesaving Society, and when those vouchers are presented, the government will make good on them,” he said.

10 local surf life saving clubs will share in the majority of the funding to undertake repairs, extensions and maintenance works.

Clifton Beach and Penguin Clubs have been promised the biggest share – $500,00 each.

MJ’s new signature dance move, Penguin, set to sweep fans

London, September 19 (ANI): Michael Jackson’s completely new signature dance move in a new footage while rehearsing for his comeback concerts may soon become a rage amongst his fans.

The King of Pop, in the move, being called as the Penguin, was seen flapping his right arm up and down very quickly as his body shimmied while standing on the spot.

Jackson was spotted doing the hilarious Penguin in the video, thought to be from the This Is It movie rehearsal footage, as renowned choreographer Kenny Ortega coached and watched him over, reports the Sun.

The move was due to expand his signature repertoire of dance steps including the legendary Moonwalk, Anti-Gravity Lean, and Crotch Grab.

It would be no surprise if kids and adults tried to ape the Jackson Penguin, which West End star Ricko Baird said was not easy to imitate.

He said: “Michael was just so talented and he made it all look so easy. Some of his moves like the Moonwalk – and now the Penguin – are actually very difficult and need a lot of practice.”

Business analyst Christian Severina, 35, London, said: “I love Michael Jackson and I love his dancing. But this was really tricky to do it with the same grace and speed he does it. I ended up looking like I was having a fit.”

Hannah Turner, 16, of Essex, added: “Oh my god I look like such a wally. Only Michael Jackson can make that look cool.” (ANI)

Ruskin Bond celebrates his 75th birthday

Mussoorie, May 20 (ANI): Ruskin Bond, a stalwart of children’s literature, celebrated his 75th birthday with children here on Tuesday.

The famed writer who wrote more than hundred short stories, essays, novels in his writing career of forty years, chose a bookstore to celebrate his platinum birthday.

School children from various schools have presented Bond with flower bouquet and many other gifts. In return, Bond blessed them with autographs.

School children were delighted on being a part of the birthday function of Bond, who has written more than thirty books for children.

“We felt very nice. We have gathered here to celebrate Ruskin Sir’s birthday,” said Himani, a student.

On the occasion, Bond also revealed about his upcoming book.

“I am writing “Diary of the School Master”. Its is a funny book, ” said Bond, whose stories are predominantly set in Garhwal.

Born in 1934, Bond is known for writing simple, calm, humourous and satirical stuff.

His most famous books include “A Flight of Pigeons”, “Delhi Is Not Far” and “Vagrants in the Valley”.

Whereas his acclaimed short stories collection include “Time Stops at Shamli”, “Night Train at Deoli” and “Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra”.

Besides this, Bond has also edited two anthologies, “The Penguin Book of Indian Ghost Stories”, and “The Penguin Book of Indian Railway Stories”.

Bond was awarded the Padma Shri in 1999 for his contribution to children’s literature. (ANI)

Faridabad girl shares stage with PM, IT icon

New Delhi, April 20 (IANS) Mansi Bhatia, a cute seven-year-old girl from Faridabad, was briefly the cynosure of all eyes at the prime minister’s residence at 7, Race Course Road Monday evening after she figured on the jacket of a book authored by IT icon N. R. Narayana Murthy.

Mansi, a class 2 student, was not only invited for the function with her parents, but was introduced to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after he released the book ‘A Better India, A Better World’ (Penguin Books-India).

A shy Mansi first shook hands with the prime minister, who put his arm around her as photographers clicked away furiously. Then, much to the delight of the select audience, including many diplomats, at the Panchvati, the wood-panelled hall where such functions are held, Mansi seated herself on the chair besides the prime minister and Narayana Murthy on the stage, enjoying every moment in the spotlight, as her parents beamed.

According to the publishers, Mansi featured on the cover of the book because Narayana Murthy felt that since much of his book is devoted to young India, it would be nice to have a little girl feature on the book jacket, asking a question in class, as ‘she is a citizen of tomorrow and represents its power and innocence’.

New limits to Antarctic tourism

London, April 18 (IANS) Countries with ties to Antarctica have adopted US proposals to limit tourism in the region, in a bid to protect the fragile ecosystem of the continent, BBC reported Saturday.

Parties to the Antarctic Treaty agreed to limit the size of cruise ships and the number of tourists taken ashore at a meeting in the US city of Baltimore.

Limiting tourism has taken on urgency due to a surge in visits and a number of cruise ship accidents.

Antarctic visits have risen from 6,700 in 1992-93 to over 45,000 last season.

The agreed limits will only become legally binding once ratified by each of the 28 nations who have signed the Antarctic Treaty, launched in Washington 50 years ago.

The restrictions do not set out an enforcement mechanism or penalties, but require member countries to prevent ships with more than 500 passengers from landing in Antarctica and to allow a maximum of 100 passengers on shore at any given time.

Another resolution adopted at the meeting places a mandatory safety code on vessels operating in the region, while a third enhances environmental protection for the entire Antarctic ecosystem.

Two cruise ships ran aground during the 2008-09 season, and officials documented several incidents which carried a risk of major contamination.

The most high-profile accident in the region was the sinking of the M/S Explorer cruise ship in November 2007.

Antarctica is the unique home to several varieties of penguin, an important base for others such as seals, and a vital feeding ground for whales.

New limits set to tourism in Antarctica to save its ecosystem

London, April 18 (ANI): At a meeting in the US city of Baltimore, parties to the Atlantic Treaty have adopted proposals to limit tourism in Antarctica, in a bid to protect the fragile ecosystem of the continent.
According to a report by BBC News, the parties agreed at the meeting to limit the size of cruise ships visiting Antarctica and the number of tourists taken ashore.

Limiting tourism has taken on urgency due to a surge in visits and a number of cruise ship accidents.

Antarctic visits have risen from 6,700 in 1992-93 to over 45,000 last season.

The agreed limits will only become legally binding once ratified by each of the 28 nations who have signed the Antarctic Treaty, launched in Washington 50 years ago.

The restrictions do not set out an enforcement mechanism or penalties, but require member countries to prevent ships with more than 500 passengers from landing in Antarctica and to allow a maximum of 100 passengers on shore at any given time.

Another resolution adopted at the meeting places a mandatory safety code on vessels operating in the region, while a third enhances environmental protection for the entire Antarctic ecosystem.

Two cruise ships ran aground during the 2008-09 season, and officials documented several incidents, which carried a risk of major contamination.

The most high-profile accident in the region was the sinking of the M/S Explorer cruise ship in November 2007.

Antarctica is the unique home to several varieties of penguin, an important base for others such as seals, and a vital feeding ground for whales. (ANI)

‘Lolita’ novelist’s last work to be published

London, Apr 18 (ANI): An unfinished final work by Vladimir Nabokov, the author of ‘Lolita’, is to be published by Penguin later this year.

The Russian-born American novelist wrote The Original of Laura on 138 index cards, each of which will be reproduced with a transcript of their text on the facing page.

Nabokov left instructions after his death in 1977 that the unfinished work be destroyed. His son took the decision to publish last year.

Dimitri Nabokov apparently did so because his father also wanted Lolita, his most well known book, to be burned, reports The Telegraph.

According to The Bookseller magazine, Alexis Kirschbaum, editor at Penguin Classics, bought the book and rights to continue publishing the Nabakov backlist in a six-figure deal.

The Original of Laura will be published as a Penguin Classics hardback on November 3, priced 25 pounds.

It is narrated by a man infatuated with his promiscuous wife, thinking back to the start of his obsession when they were youths.

Kirschbaum, who described the book as both dark and comic, said: “In this novel he is also very interested in psychology and in what it means to hate yourself and want to disappear.” (ANI)

King Penguin Properties, LLC Adds to Planned Distressed Real Estate Team

NEW YORK, April 15 /PRNewswire/ — King Penguin Properties, LLC (KPP) is
pleased to announce the addition of David Riehl to its distressed real estate
team. Mr. Riehl joins a distressed real estate fund that will focus on
acquiring assets in the five boroughs of New York City.

Mr. Riehl most recently worked as a distressed debt analyst for Cedarcrest
Fund, LP in New York where he analyzed and purchased troubled bank loans from
US banks, The FDIC and The National Credit Union Administration. He has
performed extensive due diligence on distressed commercial properties located
in the New York metro area and in other major cities across the United States.
He has experience with the overall start-up process of a private investment
fund including legal formation, fundraising, asset acquisition, financial
reporting and fund management.

Mr. Riehl is a member of the National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees and
The International Debt Buyers Association. He has experience in dealing with
workout attorneys to solve creditor disputes and has been both a secured and
unsecured creditor in a number of bankruptcy cases. He has initiated legal
proceedings in roughly 75 cases and has significant experience with the
foreclosure process. In addition to his workout experience, Mr. Riehl managed
a portfolio of REO properties in upstate New York acquired through distressed
debt investments and oversaw their liquidation for a significant return on
investment.

Mr. Riehl started his career at Merrill Lynch in Washington, D.C. where he
worked on a team of financial advisors. Mr. Riehl holds a Bachelor of Arts
from Webster University, St. Louis and a Graduate Certificate in Business from
Columbia University in the City of New York.

About King Penguin Properties, LLC:

Founded in 1998 and based in New York City, King Penguin Properties owns and
manages multi-family, residential, office, and commercial property in North
America and Europe. For more information please refer to their website at
www.kpp.us.com

SOURCE King Penguin Properties, LLC

Norah Lawlor, Lawlor Media Group, +1-212-967-6900, Norah@lawlormediagroup.com

Jeffrey Archer finds ‘Paths of Glory’ on bestseller list

New Delhi, April 9 (IANS) Aatish Taseer makes his mark on the bestseller list as his ‘Stranger to History’ tops the charts in the non-fiction category this week, while the king of racy fiction Jeffrey Archer tops the fiction category with his new ‘Paths of Glory’.

The top 10 in each group are:

Non-fiction

1. ‘Stranger to History’

Author: Aatish Taseer

Publisher: Picador India

Price: Rs.495.00

2. ‘Curfewed Night’

Author: Basharat Peer

Publisher: Random House

Price: Rs.395.00

3 ‘Descent Into Chaos’

Author: Ahmed Rashid

Publisher: Allen Lane

Price: Rs.495.00

4. ‘Delhi: Adventures in A Megacity’

Author: Sam Miller

Publisher: Penguin Viking

Price: Rs.499.00

5. ‘Imagining India: Ideas for the New Century’

Author: Nandan Nilekani

Publisher: Penguin Allen Lane

Price: Rs.699.00

6. ‘The Inheritance: The World Obama Confronts and The Challenges to American…’

Author: David E. Sanger

Publisher: Bantam Press

Price: pound6.25 (Rs.460.00)

7. ‘A Time of Transition: Rajiv Gandhi to The 21st Century’

Author: Mani Shankar Aiyar

Publisher: Penguin Viking

Price: Rs.599.00

8. ‘My China Diary 1956-88′

Author: K. Natwar Singh

Publisher: Rupa

Price: Rs.395.00

9. ‘Madhavrao Scindia: A Life’

Author: Vir Sanghvi and Namita Bhandare

Publisher: Penguin Viking

Price: Rs.550.00

10. ‘A Place Within Rediscovering India’

Author: M.G. Vassanji

Publisher: Penguin Viking

Price: Rs.599.00

Fiction

1. ‘Paths of Glory’

Author: Jeffrey Archer

Publisher: Macmillan

Price: pound2.99 (Rs.220)

2. ‘The Associate’

Author: John Grisham

Publisher: Arrow Books

Price: pound2.99 (Rs.220)

3. ‘In Other Rooms, Other Wonders’

Author: Daniyal Mueenuddin

Publisher: Random House

Price: Rs.395.00

4. ‘The Immortals’

Author: Amit Chaudhuri

Publisher: Picador India

Price: Rs.495.00

5. ‘Life is Perfect’

Author: Himani Dalmia

Publisher: Rupa

Price: Rs.195.00

6. ‘Salim Must Die’

Author: Mukul Deva

Publisher: Harper Collins

Price: Rs.225.00

7. ‘The White Tiger’

Author: Aravind Adiga

Publisher: Harper Collins

Price: Rs.395.00

8. ‘The Lost Flamingoes of Bombay’

Author: Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi

Publisher: Penguin Viking

Price: Rs.499.00

9. ‘The Story of My Assassins’

Author: Tarun J. Tejpal

Publisher: Harper Collins

Price: Rs.495.00

10. ‘Solo’

Author: Rana Dasgupta

Publisher: Harper Collins