CHEATING AT CANASTA
William Trevor Viking $45

There seems to have been a host of wonderful books published this last week, here is another.

What can one say about this great man? He has won almost every literary award known including the Man Booker in 2002, the Irish Times Literature Prize five times, the Whitbread Book of the Year Award, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and a host of others, too many to list here but to view them all and his bibliography go to the excellent British Council website. He was given an honorary CBE in 1977 for his services to literature, and was made a Companion of Literature in 1994.

He is one of the most prolific and highly rated of Irish writers and a new collection of his short stories is reason for celebration.

Amongst this collection are short stories of great poignancy while others are bitter,, thought provoking, ironic, sordid, compelling and remorseful.
Read these and read a master of his craft.

CARPENTARIA
Alexis Wright
Publisher - Giramondo (Addenda in NZ) $38

Surely the most feted, most reviewed and most praised book published in Australia in many a year? And the biggest novel to boot at more than 500 pages.

Here are some of the comments:

Liam Davison writing in the Sydney Morning Herald:

Alexis Wright's second novel is a vast, sprawling affair that extends magically beyond its hefty 500 pages. It takes you outside the expected scope of narrative time to a place that is simultaneously familiar and astoundingly new. So comprehensive is Wright's vision that reading it is like looking at her world from the inside. It's an unashamedly big book - big in scope, ambition and physical size - and well-suited to the Gulf country it sings. It is also an important book.

Alison Ravenscroft writing in The Age:

The novel starts slowly and winds itself up into a fast story of violence and murder, little Aboriginal boys flogged by Bruiser and who then, with no hope, hang themselves in their cells. It is a story of old conflicts over land and belonging. But it is always a story of hope, enduring and enigmatic.
This is the kind of writing in which a reader can put their entire trust in the narrator, put the weight of their doubt in the narrator's hands. It is like being spoken to by someone with a voice you can trust, someone standing close by. It is as if you could hear their intake of breath, the compassion in their voice, their amusement at the foolishness of mortals. In Wright we have a writer who is working with the question of the oral and the written word and has come up with a grammar, punctuation and sentence construction that is of someone telling a story. Of all this novel's wonderful inventions, the narrator may be the most remarkable.
Carpentaria is a big book, more than 500 pages, big enough to enter a world, to feel as if you once lived in a town called Desperance.

And what the Miles Franklin Award judges said on announcing Carpentaria the 2007 winner:

Alexis Wright’s powerful novel about the Gulf country works on many levels and registers. At its centre is Norm Phantom, an old man of the sea and custodian of indigenous lore, his wife Angel Day, and their son Will, who is involved in a deadly fight for land rights against the shadowy proprietors of the huge Gurfurrit mine. At one level, the novel is a gripping account of that campaign and the mining company’s violent and illegal attempts to protect its interests in the Gulf. At another level, it is a stunning evocation – some will want to call it magic realism or postcolonial allegory – of a sublime and often overwhelming tropical world that is still inhabited by traditional spirits like the rainbow serpent, the groper, the sky people and the ghosts of the dead. These ancient spiritual forces work through the elements of sky and sea and land to throw off the presence of the strangers and restore this remarkable place to something like its ancient rhythms. The novel’s climax is quite literally apocalyptic, drawing together its different stylistic registers of myth, allegory and social satire; its conclusion is cathartic and even inspiring.

And Dr.Cathie Dunsford writing in the Asia Pacific Writers’ Journal:

Not since the bone people took the world by storm and won its Maori author Keri Hulme the coveted Booker Prize, deservedly, has a book of this magnitude appeared from indigenous Australian/Aotearoan authors that could captivate its readers with the power of Alexis Wright’s Carpentaria.

What more can one say? These are but a few of the enthusiastic reviews for this astonishing book. Read it and see for yourself what all the fuss is about.

LOOK THIS WAY – New Zealand Writers on New Zealand Artists
Edited by Sally Blundell Auckland University Press $45

Wow, what a great idea.

Here are a few of those included,(actually the ones I have read so far!):

Ian Wedde on Bill Hammond
Fiona Farrell on Gavin Bishop
Margaret Mahy on Tony Geddes
Gregory O’Brien on John Drawbridge
Dylan Horrocks on Barry Linton
Bernadette Hall on Kathryn Magill
CK Stead on Colin McCahon
William Dart on Jacqueline Fahey

This is less than half those included so I still have a way to go but as the book is being published this week I thought I should post it now rather than wait until I have read the lot.
Each essay is illustrated by examples of the subject’s art, usually three pieces, to illustrate points being made.
The writers have been thoughtfully selected by arts journalist Sally Blundell and without exception are right on their game.

I loved Margaret Mahy’s opening sentence which sums up my own situation:
I am one of those observers who have a response to the implications of an image without being able to claim any great artistic judgement or expertise.
Then in fact Margaret goes on to display perceptive artistic judgement in a delightful essay on Tony Geddes the stage and set designer for the Court Theatre in Christchurch.

I was delighted to see within Fiona Farrell’s delightful essay artwork by Gavin Bishop from two books I was involved with at Scholastic back in the 90’s especially the double page spread from The House That Jack Built, 1999.

The Comics of Barry Linton, an appreciation by Dylan Horrocks was especially enjoyable, and the essays by Gregory O’Brien and CK Stead are both gems.
Poet Bernadette Hall and artist Kathryn Madill were in Antarctica together in 2004 which gives that essay a special resonance.

Ian Wedde’s essay gave me more understanding of Bill Hammond’s work which I saw recently at his first retrospective exhibition at the Christchurch Art Gallery while Art New Zealand publisher William Dart writes wonderfully about Jacqueline Fahey.

This is such a good idea that I hope Auckland University Press might think about a second volume next year? There are plenty more artists and writers who deserve a place in such a volume.

Long road to victory in short-story competition

After 10 years of trying, Carl Nixon has finally taken the top prize in the prestigious Katherine Mansfield short story competition.

The Christchurch author took the Bank of New Zealand Katherine Mansfield premier prize of $10,000 for his story, My Beautiful Balloon.
Creative writing graduate Craig Cliff won the novice category with Another Language, and year 13 student Mark Davidson, from St Patrick's College in Wellington, took the young writer's award for Man's Best Friend.

Nixon beat more than 430 contestants to take the top award, announced in Wellington last night.
He said after 10 years of entering the competition, winning felt like a true vindication of the effort he had put into his writing.
"The Katherine Mansfield contest is, to my mind, New Zealand's pre-eminent short story competition. It's a real thrill to have my name appear alongside those of past winners, many of whom are my own literary heroes."
Premier category judge Fiona Kidman said despite the very high standard of submissions, Nixon's story emerged as a clear winner.

NZPA.

Footnote: Nixon is of course the author og a short story collection, Fish 'n' Chip Song, and a novel, Rocking Horse Road, both published by Random House.

TOWARDS ANOTHER SUMMER

Janet Frame Random House $30

A very pleasant launch for this previously unpublished Janet Frame novel at Takapuna Public Library on Wednesday evening.

Random House's everywhere man MD Michael Moynahan welcomed the large gathering and then addressed us as follows:

Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to this place and to this evening’s event which will be completely unique in your literary experiences this year.

How much more fitting could it be for this evening’s celebration that we are in this building surrounded by books in this part of Auckland that played such an important part in Janet’s life?

How extraordinary is it for those for whom her writing means so much that we can rejoice in the addition of TOWARDS ANOTHER SUMMER in the repertoire of our enjoyment.

At the time that it was suggested I say a few words this evening I was happy to do so. Didn’t really give it another thought particularly as I regularly have things to say at book launches in fact it is difficult to stop me having more that a few words sometimes. But as I came to write these notes I realised that this wasn’t just another launch and just another celebration. Each launch or celebration is important in and of itself, don’t get me wrong, they mark the development of a career or a milestone reached so they are significant but this evening event is truly unique.
I was humbled by the thought that my words would join the others who will pay tribute not just to this book and to Janet but in reality to the place of NZ fiction in this society and inestimable contribution she made to the maturity and confidence of it.

I decided a good place to start was to see what others had said.

Michael King wrote

The quality of her work has moved from simple excellence, to what is generally recognised as something even greater. Harvard critic and librarian John Beston called her "the most distinguished woman writer in English"; Michael Holroyd described her three volumes of memoirs as "one of the great autobiographies written in the twentieth century"; and Nobel Laureate Patrick White said that Frame's fiction made him feel that "I have always been a couple of steps from where I wanted to get in my own writing".

I read obituaries from around New Zealand and around the world which celebrated her life and marked her passing

I read from the Press the OTD the Dominion the Guardian the NY Time and the Daily Telegraph to name a few

The NZ Herald said

No one doubted the literary community in New Zealand would deeply mourn the passing of Janet Frame, our most famous contemporary writer, but what has astonished us all is the widespread sense of national loss that followed the announcement of her death

When I went to Google there were 371 000 entries that mentioned her name.

Our Prime Minister said this

"While her humility was renowned, she was a most engaging personality with a wickedly funny sense of humour and a generosity of spirit"


And no one who ever met her could doubt that one little bit.

But actually the thing that is so very important about Janet’s writing is not the learned and erudite things that clever people say about her and what she writes. There are thousands of pages written and treatises delivered that speak to the uniqueness of her work. The thing above all that really makes her work special for me is its capacity to touch people individually. The response from all sorts of people who remember where they were when they first discovered her writing or the wonder and awe left when you have finished re-reading a favourite is something that means her work does not date it does not age and it never looses it capacity to surprise delight and touch. More that all the things said this is most important.

You are all going to love TOWARDS ANOTHER SUMMER. Written in such a personal and direct voice it is as if the author is standing at your shoulder whispering in your ear. You will approach the conclusion terrified that it will end and probably want to start all over again.

We at Random House are delighted and proud to be associated with this book and thank the literary Executors for thrusting us to do so. For many of us this will be a highlight of our careers. Pamela we are particularly grateful to you for your tireless pursuit of excellence in the memory of your Aunt.

But my words or anyone’s words mean little really so I thought I would end on a quote from Janet which illustrates to some degree what I mean about the treat that is in store for you when you begin this book.

Writing a novel is not merely going on a shopping expedition across the border to an unreal land: it is hours and years spent in the factories, the streets, the cathedrals of the imagination.

Well put Michael.

Other speakers were Janet Frame's niece and literary executor Pamela Gordon, Dr.Jan Cronin who teaches in the English Deaprtment at the University of Auckland and is an authority on Frame's writing and Isabel Haarhaus who is studying Frame's writing for a post-graduate degree.

In this morning's New Zealand Herald there is a review of the book by Dr.Jan Cronin.

The Kite Runner’ Is Delayed to Protect Child Stars

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 3 — The studio distributing “The Kite Runner,” a tale of childhood betrayal, sexual predation and ethnic tension in Afghanistan, is delaying the film’s release to get its three schoolboy stars out of Kabul — perhaps permanently — in response to fears that they could be attacked for their enactment of a culturally inflammatory rape scene.

Full story in New York Times. Movie scene above also from NYT.

THE BOOK SHOW

The highly anticipated second series of The Book Show,again hotsed by Emily Perkins (left) is back on TVOne this Saturday, 9.30am.

Up for discussion this week is How to Watch a Bird by Steve Braunias, Finlay Macdonald catches up with Rachael King (right) and Karlo Mila drops by to talk about a favourite book.

Great excitement! Don't you just love the set!

Pic below.

The Third Party Productions website contains more.

Free Burma!

International Bloggers' Day for Burma on the 4th of October

International bloggers are taking action to support the peaceful revolution in Burma. We want to set a sign for freedom and show our sympathy for these people who are fighting their cruel regime without weapons. These Bloggers are planning to refrain from posting to their blogs on October 4.

Bookman Beattie is joining this action.

"Free Burma!“.

www.free-burma.org

Old-fashioned bookstore celebrates 50 years

Walking in to Readaway Books is an assault on the senses Howickians have coveted for 50 years.

From the Howick & Pakuranga Times 1 October.

WELL READ: Margaret Clark, left and Barbara Rosie of Readaway Books in Howick celebrate 50 years in business this week.

Times photo Wayne Martin.

That delightfully musty smell of books and magazines colourfully cramming every nook and cranny on the shelves leaves you in no doubt you are in an old-school bookstore.
This week Readaway celebrates its 50th year in business, still fiercely independent and still run by the family, which started all those years ago.
Today it’s in the hands of Barbara Rosie, who started at the store in 1985 working with her aunt, Margaret Clark.
“It’s hard to believe it’s been 50 years,” says Margaret, who still pops in to lend a hand now and then.

The story began in 1957 when Margaret and her parents came to live in Howick and bought the Readaway Book Club from Bob Williamson.
At the time it was sited further up Picton St, where Taking Shape is currently located, and operated mainly as a lending library with a small range of stationery.
Two years later they secured a much sought after magazine agency and then with growing popularity of television and the public library moving in to Fencible Dr, it decided to cut back on lending books and concentrate on magazines.

All these years on magazines are still one of its core businesses with an extensive range of New Zealand and international titles and on a host of different niche subjects.
“It’s been said we have one of the largest range of magazines in south Auckland and it is these, and children’s books, that we have become known for over the years,” says Barbara.
In 1985, when Margaret’s father died, the family relocated to its current site in Picton St (next to ASB Bank), a much larger space.

It was a natural progression for Barbara to move in to the business, her love of books fostered during nine years at the University of Auckland library, working at James Thin Booksellers in Edinburgh and was a rep for Penguin Books for six years.

Readaway have a loyal local following and it has always returned the offer by supporting local authors through stocking and promoting their books.
“Howick and surrounding areas is a bit of a hot bed for authors and we’ve always been keen to support them,” says Barbara.
“In recent years we’ve had books by Jennifer Beck, Lindy Fisher, John Roy and earlier on Sir Patrick Eidsell.”
“This is a family business and our customers are just like part of our family,” says Barbara.In an age where large format chain bookstores have become jacks of all trades, Readaway Books survives doing what it does best and understanding what its customers wants.

Footnote:

Bookman Beattie & Barbara Rosie were colleagues at Penguin Books in the early 80's.Bookman Beattie extends his warm congratulations to Readway on this milestone, and his best wishes to Barbara.

Publishing Intern Programme 2008

The Book Publishers Association of New Zealand and Whitireia Community Polytechnic invite applications for the 2008 Publishing Intern Programme.

The Intern Programme, funded jointly by participating publishers and Creative New Zealand, offers three six-month placements in the industry to graduates of the Whitireia Diploma in Publishing. It is designed to provide hands-on experience in publishing, so interns can develop their practical skills and make the transition into full-time work or freelance careers. This is a marvellous opportunity for publishers to engage talented and qualified publishing graduates and bring new blood into their businesses.

Participating publishers provide substantive work for six months at a pro rata salary of $30,000 of which they will pay 50% (ie, $7,500). Internships are expected to begin in late January.

Applications are due by 1 November 2007.

To be considered for the Intern Programme, please provide:

1) A clear job description. If you plan to use the intern in a range of jobs over the six-month period please provide job descriptions for all positions.

2) A short account of the benefits that you can offer the intern and that you expect to gain from participating in this scheme.

3) Agreement to the following conditions:
· the intern will be employed under the same terms and conditions as other staff
· the intern’s work will be reviewed after three months
· formal feedback will be provided to BPANZ and Whitireia by both intern and publisher. Publishers will be expected to provide interim feedback at three months and formal feedback to the intern at the end of the six-month period

Send applications by 1 November 2007 to:
Anne de Lautour
Book Publishers Association of NZ
Private Bag 102902
North Shore City 0745
Auckland

TRAINLAND
How Railways Made New Zealand

Neill Atkinson
Random House $40

I'm sure author Neill Atkinson, an historian with the Ministry of Culture & Heriatge, will be delighted with the fine publishing job that Random House have made of his fascinating, easy-to-read and beautifully illustrated history of the impact of railways on New Zealand.







Don't open this book unless you have several hours to spare as it is absolutely rivetting. And I found the beautiful photographs, paintings and posters on almost every page especially interesting.

Years ago, growing up in Gisborne, I used to travel by train and then later by railcar, south to Napier and Wellington so I was pleased to see good coverage and pics of the railcar services.

And of course for all those many steam train buffs out there this book will be compulsory reading, loads of great pictures of steam trains in all their glory.

New Zealanders have a great sense of nostalgia for railways which will ensure that this book becomes a bestseller.

Publication 5 October.

For more check out these websites:

(http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/culture/rail-tourism)

(http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/culture/main-trunk-line/north-island-main-trunk-line ),

THE TOKYO LOOK BOOK

Philiomena Keet, photography by Yuri Manabe

Kodansha International (Bookwise International)

US$29.95 Au$39.95 NZ$48

Wow, this is dazzling stuff! The claim is often made that Tokyo is one of the most fashion-conscious places on the globe and looking through this astonishing book one feels that that claim is no exageration.

The book provides a journey through the streets, clubs, boutiques and fashion neighbourhoods and the trendy teen and twenty somethings that inhabit them.

Fashionistas will be lining up for this one.

Philomena Keet is a British anthropologist whose PhD is in Tokyo street fashion while Yuri Manabe is a Tokyo-based photographer whose cutting edge portraits have appeared in Marie-Claire, GQ, Rockin-on and many other magazines.

DON MERTON- THE MAN WHO SAVED THE BLACK ROBIN
Alison Ballance Reed Publishing $60

Regular readers of this blog will know that I am not a great reader of biographies but when this book landed on my desk I just knew I had to read it.
I have long admired Don Merton and his amazing achievements in the preservation of New Zealand wildlife.

Back in 1993 while at Scholastic we published “Old Blue – The Rarest Bird in the World” by artist and writer Mary Taylor and at that time I got to know about the work of Don Merton as an outstanding manager of endangered species. That book by the way remains in print to this day and has sold over 30,000 copies. And it was also published in Japanese!

When he began his black robin breeding programme there were only five of the tiny birds in existence. Today their numbers exceed 250 spread across several of our offshore islands.

Alison Ballance's prolifically illustrated book is the story of Don and his life’s work from his birth in Devonport, growing up in Gisborne, life as a trainee with the Wildlife Service , marriage and family, and all the simply amazing wildlife adventures throughout his life until his official retirement from the Department of Conservation in 2005. What a story.

Thanks Don for all that you have done, not only for the black robin but for all our native bird species and for teaching us about the need to keep our fragile ecosystems in balance. You are a great New Zealander.
And I note that I was a year or so behind you at both Gisborne Intermediate School and Gisborne Boys High School.

Author Alison Ballance is a natural history writer and film maker with a passion for telling stories about our endangered wildlife. She is the perfect person to tell Don Merton’s story. She has published several titles previously and has a book on the Southern Alps due out shortly.

The book has an excellent index, various appendices and an extensive bibliography.
Copies of this book should be in every school and public library.
Inspirational.

Footnote:

Bookman Beattie bought the original art by Mary Taylor featured on the cover of Old Blue and today it hangs in pride of place on his office wall.

SEADOG - A Tale of Old New Zealand

Dorothy Butler with illustrations by Lyn Kriegler

Reed $20

Two highly talented women have combined to make this beautiful picture book for young children. It is the moving story of ten year old Joseph who has a crippled foot and gets about with the aid of a crutch on a farm in the Karekare Valley in 1890. The book portrays the story of Joesph's courage and determination and of his great love for his dog.

Dorothy Butler, what can one say about this remarkable woman that hasn't been said before? She is the author of many fine books, for both children and adults, with perhaps her most famous work being Babies Need Books.

But she is, and has been for many years far more than just an author. She was NZ's leading children's bookseller for many years, she has been a publisher and film maker, educator, mother and grandmother extraordinaire, and perhaps most importantly she has been one of our most passionate advocates in the causes of literature and literacy and of the need to read aloud to children from birth. Bookman Beattie salutes you Dorothy.

Now in this new book, (and I apologise to Dorothy & Lyn & the publishers for the terrible colour reproduction of the cover above), she has joined forces with another prolific talent, artist Lyn Kriegler whose gorgeous illustrations are just perfect for the story.

In a nice touch the author & illustrator have dedicated SEADOG to

"Bev Thompson, inspired and loved teacher at the little Lone Kauri School, Karekare, for the last 22 years".

SEADOG will be launched by Waitakere City Mayor Bob Harvey on Moday 8 October.

TWO SUPERB NEW ZEALAND COOKBOOKS

I am sure that copies of these two gorgeous books will find their way into many Christmas stockings this year.

EATING FRESH – Cooking through the seasons
Annabel Langbein Annabel Langbein Books $55

A COOK’S BIBLE –
From the teachers of NZ’s top chefs – the ultimate guide to cooking at home
Leslie Christenesen-Yule and Hamish McRae Penguin Books $75

EATING FRESH

I reckon Annabel Langbein’s latest book is her best yet, and that’s saying something.
She joins Jamie Oliver, Nigel Slater and others in concentrating on seasonality and in particular on cooking with fresh produce from her own garden.

Here she is from her introduction:
“Wandering around my garden at the end of a busy day to find something to eat for our evening meal is incredibly satisfying. So, too, is the daily ritual of setting the table, lighting some candles and sitting down toether to enjoy simple, freshly cooked food. I hope my own kids will take these rituals into their own future lives. They are small things, yet immensely nourishing”.
Right on I say Annabel.

This is a truly inspirational book and I know I am going to make some great meals from it. Instead of wandering around the garden, as we live in a townhouse without any land for a garden, I usually stroll up to Ponsonby Road’s famed Bhana Bros around 4.30pm to check out what is fresh from the markets. Not quite as good as from my own garden but pretty close to it.
Last night I cooked Seafood Curry (page 215) from the Winter section and it went down a real treat. I must now turn my attention to the Spring section and the asparagus recipes.

The book is littered with mouth-watering photographs by Aaron McLean which are a real feature of the book.
Congratulations to all involved in the making of this book, it is a stunner.


A COOK’S BIBLE

This is a large handsome hardback volume that is well named I reckon because it is about the size of a family bible!

Another fine piece of publishing and I think the best way to describe it is to quote from part of the authors’ introduction:

A Cooks Bible evolved from the textbook, The New Zealand Chef, that we wrote for professional cookery students. We were amazed at the number of people outside the catering profession who, when they came across the textbook, commented on their own need for a cookbook that would do more than give them recipes. They wanted instruction.
Most New Zealand children no longer learn the basics of cooking at school and realistically many parents are too busy to teach them cookery or they feel their own kitchen skills are inadequate. Consequently many young people leaving home to make their way in the world find themselves disadvantaged without basic cookery survival skills. On the other hand there are many keen “foodies” who are eager to perfect the skills they already have, but don’t want to enroll in a professional chef course.
It is our intention that this book will be used by both these groups: the beginner or uncertain cook and the skilled food lovers…………….

So this book is for Bookman Beattie just as much as it is for his nephew who is about to leave home to go flatting. From the different ways of boiling or poaching eggs, to making pasta, preparing shellfish, and cooking rice to the hundreds of recipes this is an incredibly useful publication which I am delighted to own.

The first recipe I made from A Cooks Bible was Braised Chicken & Leeks and it went down a treat with fresh leeks from Bob’s garden.
Includes a comprehensive index, great cook’s dictionary and many other useful tables.

In some ways it is like a gorgeous, greatly expanded, more sophisticated, beautifully published Edmonds Cookbook. Although this does not do it justice, (because it is a truly handsome, information-filled hardback), it will give you an idea of its value. Someone in your family leaving home? Make sure they take a copy of this with them.
And another thought, it will make a marvellous wedding or engagement gift.

NOTE – publication date for A Cook's Bible is 31 October.

FRANKFURT BOOK FAIR

Anyone attending the Frankfurt Book Fair next week is welcome to e-mail me reports, news, photos, gossip which I will then post to my blog to share with those unable to be there.

SULTAN’S TABLE OF THE TURKISH CUISINE

Friends just back from as sailing holiday off the coast of Turkey presented us with this book and it is a beautiful and welcome addition to our cookbook library. There are lavish colour photos on every page and as soon as broad beans are available I intend to make the recipe named Bead of Broad Beans with Artichoke in Olive Oil but there are loads of mouthwatering recipes and I can see that there is going to be a Turkish theme to our summer cooking this year.

The book may not be easy to locate but I notice that Amazon had it listed. The author is Kadir Kir and the publisher. Aksit Kultur. If any New Zealand bookstore has it in stock let me know and I’ll mention that on my blog.

Here is the author’s introduction which has lost a little in translation:

Anatolia enjoys an immense geographical richness. She shelters the traces of various civilisations as a result of her location in the world, hosting innumerable nations in her history which is evident in the vegetation, the zoology and the sea products. The synthesis of all those cultures is revealed by the Ottoman.
Although the culture of Japanese and American cuisine has reached large number of consumers in the last decades, the famous Turkish Cuisine, has maintained holding a prominent position among the cuisines of the world. I have witnessed the preparation of some samples of the rich Turkish Cuisine freshly cooked by the Chefs, while photographing them.

When I personally tried the recipes, I found out how easy was the application. That ignited the idea of this book, explaining the preparation of delicious dishes with simple and easy-to-apply recipes. Starting with soups, sorts of fish dishes, a variety of meat and vegetable dishes are given.
It is impossible to list all the recipes of Turkish cuisine in one book. Some special dishes cooked in olive oil, and the starters are not neglected.
Besides the main food recipes, samples of well known Turkish Desserts, compotes and jams made of abundant variety of fresh fruits grown in the country, are included.
Last, but not least, herbs that add extra flavor to food as well as curing some ailments, are presented. This book is aimed at guiding the cook to prepare delicious meals. You can explore new tastes while experimenting the recipes.

I acknowledge with thanks the contribution of Chef Ciaran Hickley of Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul and other Chefs in the preparation of the recipes, and the young editor in chief, Necdet Akşit during the preparation of this book for their efforts towards the enrichment of this book.
Bone a petit... Kadir Kir (Önsöz)

Thanks boys, beautiful book.

Free Burma!

International Bloggers' Day for Burma on the 4th of October

International bloggers are preparing an action to support the peaceful revolution in Burma.
We want to set a sign for freedom and show our sympathy for these people who are fighting their cruel regime without weapons.

These Bloggers are planning to refrain from posting to their blogs on October 4 and just put up one Banner then, underlined with the words "Free Burma!“.

http://www.free-burma.org

Travel guide accused of supporting Burmese junta

MELBOURNE travel book publisher Lonely Planet is included in a "dirty list" of businesses accused of supporting the Burmese military regime.

The list, compiled by The Burma Campaign UK, says Lonely Planet "publishes a guide to Burma which encourages tourists to visit the country" and undermines "calls by Aung San Suu Kyi and Burma's democracy movement for tourists to stay away."

Lonely Planet publisher Simon Westcott told BusinessDay in an email that the company provides "objective information" for travellers and cautioned against travelling to Burma "at this time of heightened civil unrest".
"No one reading our guide could be in any doubt about our opinion of the current regime, which we describe as 'abominable'," Mr Westcott said.

Debbie Stothard, a co-ordinator of the Alternative ASEAN Network on Myanmar, a regional pro-democracy body, said the Burma Campaign UK list, which names 127 companies, was probably the most comprehensive collection of foreign companies involved in Burma.
Lonely Planet is joined by Australian travel company Peregrine Adventures and its associate, Gecko's Adventures.

Footnote:

Above from the Sydney Morning Herald yesterday, the day on which the sale od Lonely Planet was announced. See yeserday's blog for that story.

TINTIN GETS THE CHOP (Story From Publishers Weekly)

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, which had been planning to publish Tintin in the Congo, a book criticized for its racist, Colonial-era depictions of Africans, has quietly pulled the title from its fall list, PW has learned. The publisher also said it will not include the book in a forthcoming box set of all 24 books in the Tintin series.

Publicist Melanie Chang did not give a reason for the standalone book's cancellation, but of its omission from the box set she said, "Given the controversy surrounding the Congo title, we felt including it in the box set would eclipse the true intention of the collection, which is to showcase Hergé’s extraordinary art and his remarkable contribution to the graphic arts."

Tintin in the Congo, written in 1931 by Belgian artist Hergé, was slated for publication this fall. Part of a series of books centered on the adventurer Tintin, Tintin in the Congo depicts black Africans who strongly resemble monkeys and dialogue widely considered racist. After an uproar over the book's publication in the UK (prompted by a complaint from a British lawyer that the “highly offensive” book contained racist images), Borders reacted by announcing its U.S. stores would stock the popular but controversial children's book in an adult-oriented section of the store because of material the retailer said "could be considered offensive by some of our customers." Little, Brown had planned to wrap a belly band around U.S. editions of the book acknowledging that the book "may be considered somewhat controversial as it reflects the colonial attitudes of the time it was created."

Little, Brown is going ahead with its November publications of Tintin in the Land of the Soviets and Tintin and Alph-Art. The house was also planning to publish a boxed set containing all 24 Tintin books in November, but that project has now been postponed because Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson’s forthcoming Tintin movie has also been pushed to next year. "We felt it best to time the publication of the box set closer to the release of what is sure to be a spectacular film," said Chang.

WHITE FUNGUS TAKES TO THE AIRWAVES.

Ron Hanson, the energetic, irreverent and indefatigable editor of art mag White Fungus featured in an interview on Radio NZ's Upbeat show last Friday.

He talks about his music tastes, his overseas experiences, the White Fungus website and the hugely varied contents of the latest issue which runs to 110 pages!!

Here's the on-line audio link: tp://www.radionz.co.nz/cfm/programmes/upbeat/20070928

Well done Ron, all power to your arm.

BBC Worldwide acquires Lonely Planet

BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), has acquired Lonely Planet, the leading travel information group, in a deal that will build the Lonely Planet franchise around the world.

The privately owned business is being sold by Tony and Maureen Wheeler, who founded the company in 1972, and John Singleton who became a shareholder in 1999.

John Smith, CEO of BBC Worldwide, said: "We are delighted to be announcing this acquisition today. Lonely Planet is a highly respected international brand and a global leader in the provision of travel information. This deal fits well with our strategy to create one of the world's leading content businesses, to grow our portfolio of content brands online and to increase our operations in Australia and America."

Lonely Planet, which has significant operations in the UK, California and Australia, is led by Judy Slatyer (CEO) and her management team, who will be staying with the business.

Lonely Planet's global headquarters will remain in Melbourne.

Maureen and Tony Wheeler, joint founders, who will retain a 25% shareholding in the company, said: "Joining BBC Worldwide allows us to secure the long-term future of our company within a globally recognised media group. In our discussions with John and his team, we felt that BBC Worldwide would provide a platform true to our vision and values, while allowing us to take the business to the next level."

Etienne de Villiers, Non-executive Chairman of BBC Worldwide, commented: "Closing this prestigious deal is a great feather in the cap for BBC Worldwide, its management and the BBC overall. It is further evidence of BBC Worldwide's ability to become a major international media player.

"It is testimony to BBC Worldwide's reputation that the Wheelers believe we are the right partner to take the business forward, given the many organisations that have approached them over the years. We are all convinced that the association will strengthen Lonely Planet's visibility and growth potential, particularly in the digital arena, as well as providing their users access to the wide range of BBC content which connects with their interests - from Michael Palin’s New Europe to Planet Earth."

Lonely Planet publishes around 500 titles including specialist activity guides, shoestring guides and phrasebooks. It publishes in various languages, including English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin and Spanish. The company also produces and develops factual programming for international broadcasters (Lonely Planet Television).

Its flagship TV series, Lonely Planet Six Degrees, produced for Discovery Networks, is now in its third season, and screens in over 100 countries. Meanwhile, Lonely Planet's website receives 4.3 million unique visitors a month and Lonely Planet's travel video site, lonelyplanet.tv, is establishing a valuable online community of independent travellers, allowing travellers to upload and watch their own video as well as view videos created by Lonely Planet.

Welcoming the transaction, Maureen and Tony Wheeler concluded: "We will remain completely focused on the delivery of unique content to our travellers around the world. We are very optimistic about the prospects for the Lonely Planet brand under the BBC Worldwide umbrella."
About Lonely PlanetLonely Planet is the world's most successful independent travel information company. The company has been providing travellers with compelling, reliable and independent travel advice for over 30 years.

With offices in Australia (head office), the UK and the USA, Lonely Planet books are sold in over 200 countries via a global distribution network. Lonely Planet publishes over 500 titles and more than 6.5 million Lonely Planet books are sold annually.

The company has an award-winning website (http://www.lonelyplanet.com/), a web-based stock photography agency (http://www.lonelyplanetimages.com/) and a television production house, Lonely Planet Television (http://www.lonelyplanet.tv/).

PAN MACMILLAN ACQUIRE KINGFISHER.

From The Bookseller overnight.

Pan Macmillan has acquired children's publisher Kingfisher from Houghton Mifflin for an undisclosed sum. Kingfisher will become an imprint of Macmillan Children's Books in the UK, under MCB m.d. Emma Hopkin. The US operation will be run by Simon Boughton, publisher of Roaring Brook Press,which is part of the Holtzbrinck Group.
The acquisition brings a broad range of children's non-fiction publishing to Macmillan, as well as a smaller fiction list, anthologies and picture books for very young children. Kingfisher's sales are handled by Walker Books and it is understood to employ around 50 staff.

Announcing the acquisition, Macmillan said that Kingfisher's international appeal would "provide new sales opportunities in all markets”, including synergies with Holtzbrinck Publishers USA, Pan Macmillan, Macmillan Children's Books, Priddy Books and Macmillan Education.
Hopkin said: "It gives us a wealth of publishing in the non-fiction market, and a range of mass market fiction titles- with a very strong team of staff. It strengthens our strategic links with our US colleagues and we look forward to working closely with them and the Kingfisher team to enhance Kingfisher's publishing programme and to develop its sales worldwide.

"David North, m.d. of Pan Macmillan, said the acquisition emphasises Holtzbrinck's commitment to developing its children's publishing around the world. "We look forward to welcoming our new colleagues to the group."

TWO MAJOR ORION AUTHORS TO TOUR

New Europe, by Michael Palin

Michael Palin will be in New Zealand from the 11-14th November, to promote his latest title New Europe. The book details Michael’s travel through the 21 exciting and unfamiliar countries that were once part of the Soviet Bloc. Michael will be doing events in Auckland and Wellington as part of his tour – for further details, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Exit Music, by Ian Rankin

Ian Rankin will be touring New Zealand from the 20-23rd November to promote what may be the last Rebus novel.

He is doing events in Auckland, Martinborough, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.

Both of these authors have marvellous websites which are well worth visiting.

Michael Palin. Ian Rankin.

Bestselling author Garth Nix signs seven figure deal for new books in USA plus two six figure deals in Australia and UK

Tuesday 2nd October 2007 - Just in from Allen & Unwin.

In three separate deals announced today, bestselling fantasy author Garth Nix has sold North American rights to three new Young Adult books to Ruth Katcher at HarperCollins Childrens Books for a seven figure sum via agent Jill Grinberg.

In separate deals, the Australian and New Zealand rights went to Allen & Unwin for another significant six figure advance via Fiona Inglis of Curtis Brown Australia, and the UK rights went to Stella Paskins at HarperCollins Ltd for a substantial six figures in pounds sterling via agent Antony Harwood in association with Jill Grinberg.

The three new books include a prequel and a sequel to Nixs enormously successful Old Kingdom YA fantasy trilogy, consisting of Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen.

That trilogy has sold more than two million copies worldwide and is translated into 36 languages. The third book, Abhorsen, was a New York Times and #1 Publishers Weekly bestseller when it appeared in 2003 and all three books of the trilogy have appeared in Australian bestseller lists.

The first of the new Abhorsen books has the working title Clariel: The Lost Abhorsen. The second is as yet untitled. The third book will be a standalone science fiction novel entitled A Confusion of Princes. It will be first off the rank, published in late 2009, with the others following in 2010 and 2011.

(Author pic from his own website.)

Garth Nix is also the author of numerous other books, including The Seventh Tower series and the New York Times bestselling series The Keys to the Kingdom, which begins with the CBCA Honour Book Mister Monday. More than 4.5 million copies of his books have been sold worldwide.

Think Before You Swallow
The Art of Staying Healthy in a Health-Obsessed World
Noel O'Hare Penguin Books $29.95

Reviewed by guest reviewer Rob Southam.

This book is a veritable feast of Noel O'Hare's pragmatic philosophy of how to stay well, healthy and stress free - whilst being bombarded with a whole lot of differing facts and opinions about health on what seems like a daily basis.

Noel's thoughts make entertaining and thought provoking reading as he aims to help us make better decisions about our own health care.
Noel has been a health writer and well known columnist for over 20 years and has retained a healthy scepticism about claims for all sorts of health treatments - both conventional and alternative.

There's more here than just health matters - the chapters range over a wide variety of topics with headings such as "Choose To Be Happy", "Read For Your Life", and "Learn the Difference Between a Pill and an iPod".
It may be irreverent at times and it is definitely entertaining - but beneath all that there are some serious messages, backed up by loads of claims and research. A terrific read!

NEW ZEALAND INDEPENDENT BOOKSELLERS WITH WEBSITES

I was surprised and delighted at the number of NZ indies who have developed websites.

I intend to make a permanent link site for them here on beattiesbookblog but in the meantime here is a list of them in the order that I received their responses in reply to my enquiry yesterday:

Women's Bookshop - http://www.womensbookshop.co.nz/

Real Groovy - http://www.realgroovy.co.nz/

Muirs Bookshop - http://www.muirsbookshop.co.nz/

The Children's Bookshop,Wgtn - http://www.thechildrensbookshop.co.nz/

University Bookshop, Ak. - http://www.ubsbooks.co.nz/

Page & Blackmore Booksellers - http://www.pageandblackmore.co.nz/

Jabberwocky Children's Bookshop - http://www.jabberwocky.co.nz/

Vic Books - http://www.vicbooks.co.nz/

Classics Books - http://www.classics.net.nz/

The Children's Bookshop,Chch - http://www.childrensbookshop.co.nz/

Books a Plenty - http://www.booksaplenty.co.nz/

Beattie & Forbes Bookshop - http://www.beattieandforbes.co.nz/

Hedleys Books - http://www.hedleysbooks.co.nz/

Time Out Bookstore -www.timeout.co.nz

Bookmark -http://www.bookmark.co.nz/

Eduquip Ltd. - http://www.eduquip.co.nz/

Cook the Books -http://www.cookthebooks.co.nz/

Easts Books - http://www.eastsbooks.com/

Blenheim Bookworld - http://www.bookworld.co.nz/

McLeod's Booksellers - http://www.mcleodsbooks.co.nz

In addition UBS Otago advise that their site is about to be replaced - http://www.unibooks.co.nz/

and UBS Canterbury advise that they are currently in the stages of preliminary design for their site.

Wadsworth Bookcentre advise that they are waiting on Barcode Solutions to get started on a new site as their old existing site hasn't been upgraded in a long while.

Next month I intend to check out all these sites and review them for user friendliness, design etc.

'Talk to Other Booksellers'

"Every chance that you get, talk to other booksellers. At least half of what I know in the book business I learned from other booksellers."

Carole Horne, Harvard Book Store, Cambridge, Mass., moderating the NEIBA trade show panel "Career Paths for Booksellers: I Love My Job, Now What?"

Publishers Seek Talent Online - from The New York Times, October 1.

Joining the growing list of publishers that use public votes to decide what to publish, Penguin Group is teaming with Amazon.com and Hewlett Packard for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. From today through Nov. 5, contestants from 20 countries can submit unpublished manuscripts of English-language novels to Amazon, which will assign a small group of its top-rated online reviewers to evaluate 5,000-word excerpts and narrow the field to 1,000.

The full manuscripts of those semifinalists will be submitted to Publishers Weekly, which will assign reviewers to each. Amazon will post the reviews, along with excerpts, online, where customers can make comments.

Using those comments and the magazine’s reviews, Penguin will winnow the field to 100 finalists who will get two readings by Penguin editors. When a final 10 manuscripts are selected, a panel including Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of the current nonfiction paperback best seller “Eat, Pray, Love,” and John Freeman, the president of the National Book Critics Circle, will read and post comments on the novels at Amazon. Readers can then vote on the winner, who will receive a publishing contract and a $25,000 advance from Penguin.

Separately, Borders Group, the bookstore chain, is teaming with Gather.com, the social networking site, and Court TV to solicit unpublished manuscripts from mystery or crime writers. A panel of judges that includes the writers Harlan Coben and Sandra Brown will crown the winner from a pool of finalists selected by voters on Gather.com. The winner will receive a $5,000 advance and will be published by Borders itself.

Candor in the Corridors of Power

In 1962 the historian Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. was able to comment with equal assurance on both of the Monroes within his orbit: Marilyn (as in “Happy Birthday, Mr. President”) and James (as in Monroe Doctrine). What’s more, he made these unrelated remarks closely enough in time for them to appear on the same page of the 894-page new volume of his journals.

JOURNALS
1952-2000
By Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.
894 pp. Penguin Press. $40.

This arch, irresistibly revealing book manages to be both showstopping and doorstopping, what with its vast range of subject matter and unfettered private sniping. Mr. Schlesinger, who died on Feb. 28, appears to have spent almost five decades patiently squirreling away aphorisms, aperçus and other people’s back-channel conversations, confident that one day he would have a posthumous bombshell to his credit.
Although “Journals: 1952-2000” has been greatly and speedily pared down by his sons Andrew and Stephen Schlesinger, who took on this project less than a year ago and have cut the material to one-sixth of its original length, its ambitions seem clear. The author, who could be described as either a treasured historian or “the power-loving stablemate of statesmen” (his own sardonic phrase), did not intend this as a profound, analytical work or a deeply personal one.

Read the full review from the New York Times overnight.

Sounds like a great read.

Why publishing book reviews makes sense

So few book reviews, so many books.
No, it hasn't started appearing on T-shirts yet, but wait.

For the last half year, thanks in part to vigorous noisemaking by the National Book Critics Circle and its energetic president, Swarthmore grad John Freeman, the publishing world has done almost as much talking about the "book review crisis" as it has about the rectangular objects it sells.

So far in September, no fewer than five panels in New York, at venues from Columbia Journalism School to Scandinavia House, have been devoted to some version of the "The Vanishing Book Review."
Why? Because across the country, freshly written, independent book reviews, a staple of newspapers since the late 18th century, are disappearing. In many papers, they're the latest target of managers seeking to cut costs and maintain profit margins in an era of shrinking ad dollars. More and more book reviews that you read in Paper E have already appeared in Papers A, B, C and D.

Citing recent signs of crisis now counts as a ritual. The Los Angeles Times killed its stand-alone book section and combined its still-substantial number of book pages with its opinion section. The San Diego Union-Tribune also buried its stand-alone book section. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution eliminated the position of book editor. The Associated Press discontinued its book-review package.

Even the New York Times Book Review, the largest and most powerful in the country, offers considerably fewer pages than it once did.

This story from The Philadelphia Enquirer. To continue use this link.

PUBLISHERS INVEST IN IMPRESSIVE NEW WEBSITES.

Allen & Unwin launched their new website Friday.

- LINK HERE.

And Dunedin-based Longacre Press have a new site too. LINK HERE.

Congratulations to both publishers, do be sure to visit them both on their new sites.

Thanks to Wellington author historian Gavin McLean for bringing the Bibliochaise to my notice. I want one of these!

For more use the link below.

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/bibliochaise-168377.php

NEWS FROM CREATIVE NEW ZEALAND

Writer relishes time in Hawai'i

Christchurch writer Sarona Aiono-Iosefa is using her time at the University of Hawai'i as the recipient of the 2007 Fulbright-Creative New Zealand Pacific Writers' Residency to write a novella for young adults called O Se Mea e Tatau.
“I have always had to put everything else before my writing and yet I have somehow managed to get published and continue writing,” she says.
“I’m loving the time this residency is providing – in particular, the ability to access one of the world’s largest Pacific collections at the Hamilton Library. It’s given me a rare window into everyday Samoan life before the arrival of the missionaries in 1830. This has provided a good foundation for my novella, which is set in Samoa’s rich past.”

Aiono-Iosefa’s novella is about a Samoan family in the nineteenth century who practise and are guardians of the tatau (traditional Samoan tattoo). The story is woven around the impact of Christianity on this traditional Samoan family and some of the choices it makes.
“I want this novel to get young people asking questions about their history and to be curious about it,” Aiono-Iosefa says. “That way, you become an informed participant in life rather than accepting everything without question.”

Bringing up her children in New Zealand, Aiono-Iosefa was concerned at the lack of books that her children could relate to. She began writing for her children so they could read stories about Samoan culture.

She has written ten books for children over the past decade, many of them published in several Pacific Island languages. Her first English-language book for the commercial market, Two Cans of Corned Beef and a Manulele in a Mango Tree (Reed Publishing) is a Polynesian version of the song The Twelve Days of Christmas. Other work includes The Pipi Swing, a story for children aged eight to 12, and the story Blackcurrant Jam, which is included in the anthology Out of the Deep.

Based at the Centre for Pacific Studies at the University of Hawai’i, the three-month residency is a partnership between Creative New Zealand, Fulbright New Zealand and the university. It includes return airfares, accommodation costs and an artist stipend of NZ$6000 per month.

Previous recipients are filmmaker Sima Urale (2004), performance poet Tusiata Avia (2005) and filmmaker and playwright Victor Rodger (2006).

Author pic from the excellent Christchurch Public Library website.

PADDINGTON BEAR

The Independent & the BBC report that for fans of Paddington Bear, it's good news that Warner Bros plans to bring him to the big screen, with screenplay by Hamish McColl, the man behind Mr Bean's Holiday. Poor Paddington has not found favour with younger readers because, says HarperCollins, the Brown family travel on buses and have a housekeeper. Nevertheless, HC will make a fuss next year, when he will be 50. David Heyman, the film's producer, is entranced by the stories' "wit, wonder and charm. Paddington's story is that of an immigrant arriving in London and trying to find a home and a family."

For more on Paddington check out his official website.