Styrons' Choice: E-Books to Be Published by Open Road
Random House has apparently softened the hard line it took late last year in claiming e-rights to many books by authors it published before digital editions became an e-reality (Shelf Awareness, December 19, 2009).
The New York Times reported that the publisher is not contesting plans by the estate of William Styron to publish e-book versions of Sophie's Choice, The Confessions of Nat Turner and Darkness Visible, among others, with Open Road Integrated Media, the company founded by former HarperCollins head Jane Friedman and Jeffrey Sharp. (Some of the titles are covered by more recent contracts that include language about e-books.) Open Road promises extensive online marketing efforts that include film clips with members of Styron's family as well as reproduction of material from the author's archives at Duke University. Open Road is also offering the Styron estate a 50/50 profit share on its e-book sales.
Random House spokesperson Stuart Applebaum told the Times that the Styron was "an exception" to discussions Random House is having with other longtime authors or their estates. Still, the move "potentially" opens "the way for other authors to take their e-books away from traditional publishers," the Times said.
Last December Random CEO Markus Dohle wrote an open letter to literary agents saying that the company's older contracts--the kind that referred to "book form" and "any and all editions"--gave Random "the exclusive right to publish in electronic book publishing formats."
Anderson's Bookshop, Naperville, Ill., had a royal treat last Friday. Queen Rania of Jordan came to town and read from her new picture book, The Sandwich Swap (Hyperion), before 350 students at the Highlands Elementary School. The students decorated the gym and sang several songs. After the reading, the Queen accepted questions.
The Creation of Eve by Lynn Cullen (Putnam, $25.95, 9780399156106/0399156100). "The story of Sofonisba Anguissola, the Renaissance painter, has long been forgotten. Michelangelo's tutelage and recommendation send her to Spanish Queen Elisabeth as a lady-in-waiting. While each endures heartbreak from men they love but can never have, Cullen takes us into the world of painting and political stratagems. This masterpiece is beautifully heartbreaking and impossible to put down."--Lauren Denham, the Alabama Booksmith, Birmingham, Ala.
Contested Will: Who Wrote Shakespeare? by James Shapiro (Simon & Schuster, $26, 9781416541622/1416541624). "An excellent scholar and an engaging writer, Shapiro looks at the weird and enduring history of doubting that Shakespeare wrote Shakespeare: When did it start? Who perpetuates it? What does it mean? And what can it tell us about the limits and pitfalls of human imagination? This is a study for all interested readers--guaranteed to be the best broad-interest Shakespeare book of the year."--Mark David Bradshaw, Watermark Books, Wichita, Kan.
Chef: A Novel by Jaspreet Singh (Bloomsbury USA, $14, 9781608190850/1608190854). "Set in war-torn Kashmir, a young Sikh's training to become an army chef is the setting of this hauntingly atmospheric novel. Chef weaves together themes of conflict, duty and allegiance to self, friends and country. Throughout runs the current of food: as art, as love, as teacher and even as weapon. A quietly passionate and beautifully crafted book."--Anne Adare, the Toadstool Bookshop, Keene, N.H.
The Year of Goodbyes: A True Story of Friendship, Family, and Farewells by Debbie Levy (Hyperion Books for Children, $16.99, 9781423129011/1423129016). "Debbie Levy takes full advantage of the power of words, intertwining her lyrical writing style with entries from her mother's journal and autograph album. This book chronicles her mother's last year in 1938 Nazi Germany before departing to the United States. This is a can't-put-down book that will spark discussions among readers both young and old."--Anna Weddington, Pomegranate Books, Wilmington, N.C.
Linda Chalker-Scott's new collection of myth debunking about gardening is a welcome follow-up to her first book, The Informed Gardener, which came out in 2008, just in time to prevent us from piling rocks in the bottoms of pots, thinking it would help drainage (it hinders water movement). She is a landscape-oriented urban horticulturist with a background in plant stress physiology, so she knows what she's talking about, starting with sustainability, a "buzzword that can set your teeth in edge." What she means by sustainability is supporting the natural processes in a garden, choosing plants and products wisely and creating gardens that don't require continual input of packaged fertilizers and pesticides. Accordingly, much of her current book is devoted to soil additives, mulches and understanding how plants work. She offers extensive sidebars about why weeds will always be in our gardens and tips for diagnosing plant problems, and explains why buying ladybugs for pest control is a bad idea. Written in an easy-to-understand manner, with scientific reasoning, both of Chalker-Scott's books are perfect for the novice gardener and the pro.
This stunning book showcases the night photography of Linda Rutenberg, who has captured the mystery and tranquility of 10 remarkable English gardens. The long exposures allow more color saturation, giving the photographs a tonal quality that is difficult or impossible to get any other way. Some photographs use flash, others only moonlight. Some are downright eerie, perfect settings for a vampire or two; others are incredibly romantic, like the roses against a brick wall in the Knot Garden at Hatfield House or the Privy Garden against a peach-colored sky; all are luminous. A "Pink Chiffon" opium poppy glows with an inner fire, a ruined arch evokes centuries of history, willow-weave sculptures seem to be undulating in a field, Silk Road lilies hover like coral lanterns, and a wlldflower meadow shimmers in lavender light. The introduction to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, describes the allure of these secret midnight gardens: "From evening into the deep hours of darkness the landscape seems to breathe a sigh of relief and settle back into itself; it becomes the landscape of royals, plant-hunters, and dreamers again."--
Souls are like athletes that need opponents worthy of them if they are to be tried and extended and pushed to the full use of their powers.--Thomas Merton