Block That Book!

I don't know if this is a case of content censorship or favoritism to a local industry.

Store pulls children's book off shelves due to anti-seal hunt stance

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - A Newfoundland author claims she is being censored after the province's largest local book distributor refused to stock her children's book because of its critical portrayal of the seal hunt.

Littleseal, written by Morgan Pumphrey, tells the tale of a harp seal pup born on the ice floes off northern Newfoundland.

During the first three weeks of his life, Littleseal survives encounters with an ecotourist and a hungry polar bear, as well as separation from its mother. But he's killed after a "blinding, crunching, thud" at the hands of a seal hunter wielding a hakapik.

Pumphrey, a longtime opponent of the hunt, said she was disappointed but not surprised when the Downhome Shoppe and Gallery, a well-known store in downtown St. John's that sells locally made crafts and products, refused to carry her self-published book.

"The way I see it, going against the seal hunt is like going against the cod fishery in Newfoundland," Pumphrey said Wednesday in an interview.

"It's a motherhood issue and I've got to expect 99.9 per cent of the population to be against me, and it looks like they are."

Seal hunters and the federal government vigorously defend the hunt as sustainable, humane and a vital source of income for fishermen in Atlantic Canada and Quebec. But animal rights groups have just as vigorously called for the hunt to be banned, arguing it is cruel and provides little economic benefit.

Grant Young, president of parent company Downhome Inc., said Pumphrey's book was rejected because it wouldn't suit its customer base.

"The seal industry needs a few people on its side," said Young, who comes from a family of seal hunters.

"We don't call it censoring so much as making a decision. Do we want a product that fits our retail mandate and our company mandate?"

Young said the book was refused also due to an anticipated lack of demand.

"It's not going to be a powerful piece of literature that we're going to hold back from society," he said.

Department Store Publishing

This is creepy--a department store creates a book and tries to draw kids in as lifelong shoppers.

Stores use lure of children’s literature

By Lauren Beckham Falcone

Since 1947, the holiday movie “Miracle on 34th Street” has helped build brand awareness for Macy’s. What can other department stores do to appeal to kids - who in a few short years will have charge cards of their own?

Pen a children’s book.

Both Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue have introduced new holiday picture books that may make loyal consumers out of the kiddies. Neither department store appears within its own tales, but the cross promotion is dizzying.

Saks is the exclusive seller of “Snowpeople” (HarperCollins, $16.95), a 21-page picture book starring a bunch of snow folk who want to express their individuality through - wait for it - trendy clothes. The chain is also featuring the characters in its window displays, hand-painted ornament collection, greeting cards and more.

The Great Snowpeople Hunt - think of it as Where’s Waldo meets the Wicked Wealthy - challenges customers to count the hidden snowpeople in the Saks holiday catalog. Players who submit their guesses online or in-store are eligible to win a 21-day cruise to Antarctica.

Nordstrom’s “Once Upon a Holiday” (Chronicle Books, $16.95), which was written by Nordstrom copy editor Randy Schliep, features a little girl named Sophie, who teams up with a cow, an owl and the moon to save Christmas. The book is available at Nordstrom stores nationwide, and the art inspired the chain’s 2007 holiday decor.

Book Notes

In India: Help for the visually impaired:


Guwahati: For visually disabled persons in the northeastern States, listening to books in English or in the regional languages by a writer of their choice that would be read aloud in a Talking Book Library may be a dream that will come true soon, courtesy the National Federation of the Blind (NFB).

A Talking Book Library equipped with a compact disk recording studio is one of the three projects identified by the NFB aimed to make the learning process easier for visually disabled persons of the region and to provide them skill development training to ensure gainful employment.


And a librarian tells his story

Amazon's Newest Idea

Newsweek looks at Amazon's latest ideas about delivering books.

Nothing will replace the joy of holding a book in your hands but that doesn't mean there aren't other ways of delivering stories.

The Future of Reading

Amazon's Jeff Bezos already built a better bookstore. Now he believes he can improve upon one of humankind's most divine creations: the book itself.

Young Author Tops the List

Young Author Strikes It Rich
BEIJING, Nov. 7 -- Young Chinese author Guo Jingming earns more than any other writers in China, according to the latest list of writer millionaires.

The annual list, which triggers controversy every year among both authors and readers, is based on interviews with major bookstores and publishers throughout the country. The 24-year-old Guo tops this year's list with 11 million yuan (US$1.48 million) in copyright royalties.

Guo's latest novel, "The River of Sorrow," hit shelves in April and sold a record high of one million copies in the first two weeks.

Book Swap

The folks at Paperbackswap.com are going to be expanding their offerings to include DVDs, possibly by the end of the year. This is a wonderful site for readers who don't want to spend a fortune. Check it out.
How it works: Book swaps aren't limited to paperbacks. Members order books from each other--members ship at their expense but then get a credit, which can then be used to purchase books from another member.

Toni Morrison

Lots and LOTS of Reviews

Over at Metafilter, readers are debating the talent and ethics of Harriet Klausner, Amazon's top-ranked reviewer.

Books on eBay