THE ROUNDUP from PW

Publisher Apologizes for Omitting Israel: Scholastic announced Wednesday that it will cease shipments of a popular children’s book that omits Israel on a map of the Middle East. Thea Stilton and the Blue Scarab Hunt, which is part of the Geronimo Stilton series, includes a map of Egypt that shows other surrounding countries, including Libya, Sudan, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

Thrilling Round of Literary Jeopardy : On Monday night, downstairs at the McNally Jackson bookstore, author and Jeopardy champion Tom Nissley m.c.’ed a round of Literary Jeopardy, featuring contestants Lorin Stein, editor of The Paris Review; Edwin Frank, editor of NYRB Classics; Ruth Franklin of The New Republic; and Eric Banks, the former editor of Bookforum and now the director of the Institute for the Humanities at N.Y.U.

Catton Lands Governor General's Award: Ontario-born author Eleanor Catton has followed up her Man Booker Prize with a Governor General's Literary Award. The Canada Council for the Arts announced that the 28-year-old is the winner in the fiction category for her novel, The Luminaries.

Ten Terrific Reading Nooks : While bookish types can generally read anywhere and at any time, there’s something magical about having your own little nook for the purpose. It should be heavily cushioned, well-lit, and preferably with somewhere to put your mug. Here are ten excellent reading nooks, for use in your someday-house.

Food Section Faces Demise in SF : The San Francisco Chronicle is planning to eliminate its stand-alone food section and integrate it into a single lifestyle section — tentatively titled “Artisan” — with material from other parts of the newspaper, including the home section, according to employees who have been told of the plans.

PRH Makes Donation for Typhoon Relief
In a letter to the Penguin Random House staff, CEO Markus Dohle announced that the company will be making a substantial donation to the Red Cross for Philippine typhoon relief aid. The initiative was sparked by concern for the nearly 1,400 PRH employees in the Author Solutions division who work in Cebu, an area very near where the greatest devastation has taken place. more »

HC Canada Awards New Lit Prize
This week, HarperCollins Canada announced the inaugural winner of a new annual literary prize it created this year in honor of the 50th anniversary of Canada’s largest and most prominent creative writing program. The publisher also acquired a debut novel in the process. more »