Publishers Weekly articles from February 2005

Publishers Weekly archives from February 2005

Mum's the word? Yeah, right.(book publishers management)(Editorial)
February 7, 2005... Here's an idea: You write a book--nonfiction, let's say--about a controversial or explosive subject, probably involving a personality or entity much in the news. Said book is full of juicy anecdotes, untold secrets and, maybe, educated...

Sales, frustrations build at Amazon: media group revenue rises 14%, but publishers ask where their new editions are.(news)(Amazon.com Inc.)
February 7, 2005... EVEN AS AMAZON.COM reported record book sales for 2004 and introduced a new shipping policy, publisher grumbling over how the giant e-tailer posts revised editions on its site grew louder. Sales in Amazon's North America media group rose...

Rising above the market.(Amazon.com Inc. sales)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... AMAZON.COM may not be perfect (see above), but for many publishers the e-tailer is their fastest-growing account and is now one of the top three customers for many houses. Sales in the media group increased 43% between 2001 and 2004, rising to...

Despite promotion, Mehta assures 'no shift' at Knopf.(News)
February 7, 2005... THE NEWS THAT SONNY MEHTA will be relinquishing the role of Knopf president in favor of the new title of chairman started the rumor mill grinding last week about the future of publishing's biggest impresario and the division he runs. But...

'Snicket' Boosts HarperCollins.(A Fortunate Event)(Lemony Snicket)
February 7, 2005... WITH SALES OF The Purpose-Driven Life finally slowing, Lemony Snicket came to the rescue of HarperCollins's North American operation in the second quarter ended December 31. Fueled by the release of the Lemony Snicker: A Series of Unfortunate...

Editors' note.(Baker and Taylor Inc.'s management)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... In a story in PW's January 31 issue, we reported that some of Baker & Taylor's suppliers were complaining about late payments. The article also stated that many Baker & Taylor suppliers reported no difficulty receiving payments. The wholesaler...

High textbook prices draw more attacks.(Showdown)(State Public Interest Research Groups reports)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... THE BATTLE OVER textbook prices got uglier last week when the State Public Interest Research Groups issued its second report on the subject, called Rip-off 101: Second Edition: How the Publishing Industry's Practices Needlessly Drive Up...

Industry flat in 2004.(No Surprise)(sales)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... EARLY ESTIMATES FROM the Association of American Publishers show no gain in industry sales in 2004. Based on figures from the 76 publishers who participate in AAP's monthly sales report, sales held even in the last year, following a 4.6% gain...

Anansi takes big leap with groundwood buy.(M&A)(House of Anansi Press, Groundwood Books)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... IN A DEAL flint dramatically increases its size, Toronto-based House of Anansi Press has reached a preliminary agreement to acquire the children's book publisher Groundwood Books from Douglas and McIntyre. The deal, which is for a combination...

Industry stocks: January performances.(Market Watch)(book publishing)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
February 7, 2005... Market Watch Industry Stocks: January Performances COMPANY DECEMBER 31 JANUARY 31 % CHANGE Winners Reader's Digest 13.91 16.12 5.9% Audible 26.05...

International unit leads reader's digest.(Second-Quarter Results)(Reader's Digest Association Inc.'s earnings)
February 7, 2005... THE FIRST QUARTERLY sales increase in almost three years in Reader's Digest's international group offset declines in the publisher's other units, resulting in a $2-million revenue increase, to $798 million, for the second quarter ended December...

Wicks group pays $44 million for EMC.(Building)(Wicks Group of Companies Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... THE WICKS CROUP, a New York City-based private equity firm, will increase its presence in the education market when it closes on its purchase of EMC/Paradigm Publishing within the next few months. In January, the company signed a letter of...

Holt grabs lawyer-blogger for novel.(hot deals)(John Sterling and Jeremy Blachman's contracts)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Holt publisher John Sterling was so intrigued by a recent New York Times story about a blogger who calls himself Anonymous Lawyer that, after reading some of the blogs, he e-mailed the author to see if he had considered writing a novel. In...

A soldier-blogger in Iraq.(hot deals)(My War by Colby Buzzell)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Blogs strike again: a U.S. Army soldier whose Web logs from Iraq, called My War, hailed by his readers as a wonderfully frank and upfront commentary on how the struggle looks from the G.I. viewpoint, has signed to expand them into a book for...

Pakistan's leader signed.(hot deals)(Pervez Musharraf selected Bruce Nichols for political memoir )(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... A surprise announcement from the Free Press disclosed that Pakistani president Gen. Pervez Musharraf has signed with senior editor Bruce Nichols for a political memoir that seems sure to shed some new light on the war against terrorism...

Legal expert turns novelist.(hot deals)(Paul Goldstein)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Stanford University law professor Paul Goldstein, a leading expert on intellectual property law whose writing skills were lauded in his Copyright's Highway and other legal tomes, is turning novelist for Doubleday. The house's Gerry Howard...

A definitive biography of iconoclastic baseball figure Branch Rickey by veteran baseball writer Roger Kahn sounds like a dream combination, and one that Rodate's Zach Schisgal swiftly preempted on offer.(Short Takes)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... A definitive biography of iconoclastic baseball figure Branch Rickey by veteran baseball writer Roger Kahn sounds like a dream combination, and one that Rodate's Zach Schisgal swiftly preempted on offer. Rickey helped create the minor leagues...

A second novel by T Cooper, whose small-press-published Some of the Parts was a B&N Discover Great New Writers pick, has sold a second novel to Dutton's Laurie Chittenden.(Short Takes)(Lipshitz Six or Two Angry Blonds)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... A second novel by T Cooper, whose small-press-published Some of the Parts was a B&N Discover Great New Writers pick, has sold a second novel to Dutton's Laurie Chittenden. It's a multigenerational saga about a family fleeing Russian pogroms for...

Random's Susanna Porter won a lively auction for a book by NPR's veteran Beijiing correspondent Rob Gifford called In Search of the Great Leap Forward.(Short Takes)(Random House Audio Publishing Group)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Random's Susanna Porter won a lively auction for a book by NPR's veteran Beijing correspondent Rob Gifford, called In Search of the Great Leap Forward. His format will be a journey across the huge country from east to west, observing as he goes...

Brendan Cahill at Gotham signed a nonfiction book.(Short Takes)(Gotham Book Mart Inc. and Matthew Polly's contracts)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Brendan Cahill at Gotham signed a nonfiction book, also set in China, that sounds just like a movie: a memoir by Matthew Polly, the first American to learn kung fu from the monks at the original Shaolin Temple; he underwent tough training, had...

Sometimes even Tom Cruise has to wait to get what he wants.(Hollywood Reader)(Paula Wagner's acquiring )(A Treasure Trove's rights)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... SOMETIMES EVEN TOM CRUISE has to wait to get what he wants. The actor-producer and his longtime partner Paula Wagner hid with Paramount for the rights to film author Michael Stadther's self-published kids' book A Treasure Trove--but their offer...

You could call it a lateral move.(Hollywood Reader)(The Road Back by Rex Pickett)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... YOU COULD CALL IT A LATERAL MOVE. When a first novel is made into a film that scoops up five Academy Award nominations and two Golden Globes, it's inevitable that the author's followup will shoot to the top of every scout's hot list. So when...

By now, every aspiring writer knows that blogging can land you a book deal faster than two years at Iowa.(Hollywood Reader)(Jen Lancaster's contract,)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... BY NOW, EVERY ASPIRING WRITER knows that blogging can land you a book deal faster than two years at Iowa. But that doesn't necessarily' translate to film. This week, 30-something blogger Jen Lancaster, a former dot-com high-flyer who squandered...

One of the week's Hot Deals was WMA's Suzanne Cluck's sale to Holt of Jeremy Blachman's Anonymouslawyer.com, a dark, unsparing look at life inside a high-powered law firm.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... One of the week's Hot Deals (see page 12) was WMA's Suzanne Cluck's sale to Holt of Jeremy Blachman's Anonymouslawyer.com, a dark, unsparing look at life inside a high-powered law firm. But the verdict among the filmies is a little different:...

Ingram ready to roll.(Distribution Services)(Ingram Publisher Services, Applewood Press, Champion Press Ltd., Make Believe Ideas)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... INGRAM PUBLISHER SERVICES, Ingrain Book Group's second foray into providing distribution and fulfillment services for publishers, has signed up its first clients: Applewood Press, Boston, which specializes in American history; Bloomberg Press,...

R77 offers books on graffiti, fringe culture.(Hipster Publishing)(PowerHouse Books's alliances)(Roger Gastman's management)
February 7, 2005... WHAT DOES A LEGENDARY teenage graffiti writer do once he's grown up? In Roger Gastman's case, he decided to publish books about graffiti. Gastman has turned his passion for street art and fringe culture into an inventive publishing house that...

Jovanovich leaves Pearson.(People)(Peter Jovanovich, Pearson Education Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... New health problems have forced Peter Jovanovich to step down as chief executive of Pearson Education. Jovanovich, who joined Pearson in 1997, had taken a six-month leave of absence last year to recover from a double lung transplant. Jovanovich...

Amid reports, a Miramax departure.(Changing Times )(Random House Inc. appoints Susan Mercandetti, Miramax Books)
February 7, 2005... RANDOM HOUSE'S announcement last week that it has hired Miramax Books senior acquisitions editor Susan Mercandetti could reflect changes at both houses. The exit of Mercandetti, a former Nightline producer, Vanity Fair editor and the force...

Harpercollins.(people)(HarperCollins Publishers Inc.'s appointments)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... HARPERCOLLINS David Hirshey, formerly executive editor, has been named senior v-p. Hirshey edited five New York Times bestsellers in 2004, among them Seymour Hersh's Chain of Command....Tom Ward, formerly assistant general counsel, has been...

New American Library.(people)(Mark Chait appointed)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Mark Chait, formerly with Hyperion, has joined the company as a senior editor.

Simon & Schuster.(people)(Jennifer Suitor appointed)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Jennifer Suitor, formerly director of publicity at Harper's ReganBooks imprint, has been named director of publicity for Simon Spotlight Entertainment.

Harcourt Brace.(people)(Harcourt Brace and Co. appointed Andrea Priske Cowan)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Andrea Priske Cowan, who formerly held a senior sales position at EBSCO Information, has been named director of sales, special markets.

Harvard University Press.(people)(Susan Wallace Boehmer promoted, Deborah Hodgdon appointed)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Susan Wallace Boehmer, formerly senior editor for manuscript development, has been named executive editor for trade book development.... Deborah Hodgdon has been hired as a senior designer.

Black Dog & Leventhal.(people)(appointments)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Judy Pray, previously senior editor at Stonesong Press, has been named a senior editor.... Courtney Reddy, formerly assistant manager of sales support at Scholastic, has been named national accounts manager.... Maureen Winter, previously an...

Avalon Publishing Group.(people)(Ina Howard appointed)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Ina Howard, formerly a publicist at Nation Books, has been appointed senior publicist.

Delphinium Books.(people)(Barbara Lazear Ascher appointed)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Barbara Lazear Ascher, a former journalist and a Delphinium author, has been appointed editorial director.

Random House Audio.(people)(Random House Audio Publishing Group promoted Scott Matthews)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Scott Matthews, v-p and publisher, has been named a senior v-p with added responsibilities for the Listening Library and Imagination Studio imprints.

Vigliano Associates.(people)(Elisa Petrini appointed)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Elisa Petrini, a longtime book editor for Morrow, Bantam and Dutton, has joined the agency as a v-p and literary agent.

Susan Rabiner Agency.(people)(Sydelle Kramer appointed)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Sydelle Kramer, formerly with the Frances Goldin Agency, has joined the agency, focusing on serious nonfiction and academics in the social sciences who write for the trade.

Scouts.(people)(Lauri del Commune appointed)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Lauri del Commune has been appointed U.S. scout for Ullstein Buchverlage, Claassen, Econ List, Marion Von Schroder, Propylaen and Allegria....Maria B. Campbell Associates has been named U.S. scout for Psichogios Publications.

Package buy for McEvoy.(Acquisition!)(Becker&Mayer!, McEvoy Group )(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Five years ago, Chronicle Books editor-in-chief Nion McEvoy startled the West Coast publishing world when he formed the McEvoy Group and bought the publisher that he also ran. Now he's back in the acquisition game, as the McEvoy Group announced...

Viz, ShoPro reorganization.(Manga/Anime Deal)(ShoPro USA)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... IN A MOVE THAT combines a major manga publishing house with its parent company's U.S. licensing arm, Viz LLC and ShoPro Entertainment will become a single, as-yet-unnamed company based in San Francisco. Although Viz is calling it a merger, the...

Finney grows trade biz.(Niching)(Ecopress's acqusition)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... FINNEY COMPANY, best known as a publisher and distributor of educational materials, has been quietly building up its presence ill the trade area through a series of small acquisitions over the past several years. Its most recent purchase, late...

Correction.(news)(Correction Notice)
February 7, 2005... Phoenix Color, which is closing down its Book Technology Park division (News, Jan. 17), continues to operate its four-color book manufacturing business for illustrated books.

Successfully convicted.(behind the bestsellers)(Conviction by Richard North Patterson )(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... No less a personage than Alan Dershowitz called him "our best contemporary political novelist" (and added, importantly, "he also understands the political issues he writes about"). Now Richard North Patterson tackles another hot-button...

Obama who? No longer.(behind the bestsellers)(Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... July 26, 2004, was a big day for Barack Obama, then the Democratic candidate for Illinois senator. He was the keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention and his speech was a big hit. Obama was also the author of a memoir punished by...

A tasty treat for Maya.(behind the bestsellers)(Hallelujah: The Welcome Table's by Maya Angelou)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Maya Angelou's first foray into penning a cookbook was at the behest of her friend Oprah Winfrey. In fact, Hallelujah: The Welcome Table features a dish named by the TV host--Oprah's Suffocated Chicken. Back in mid-November, when Oprah aired...

Nanny dearest.(behind the bestsellers)(How to Get the Best from Your Children)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Is this the age of the nanny, or what? First there was the surprise megaseller The Nanny Diaries, then came the stage musical version of Mary Poppins (winning raves in London, with a transatlantic crossing in the works) and now, it's...

Broadway's 'fools' gambit: can smart positioning help Kurt Eichenwald's Enron saga fly where others have failed?(book news)
February 7, 2005... If you print thousands of advance copies of yet another retelling of the Enron saga by one of the business category's top writers, but don't mention the company's tarnished name anywhere on the cover of the 750-page tome, will it increase the...

Media flocks to Scribner's 'Glass Castle'.(Breakout Memoir)
February 7, 2005... A Prominent New York journalist takes a taxi to a swanky downtown party and spots her elderly mother rooting through a dumpster. Afraid to be recognized by her homeless mother and to have her secret exposed should another party guest see the...

Parable spreads the word: Christian group puts its faith in a brand name; will readers?(bookselling)
February 7, 2005... Maybe Starbucks is on to something. The Parable Group, a marketing consortium for some 223 independent Christian bookstores, in the belief that a consistent presentation of product reassures the consumer, is moving to franchising and national...

South Carolina blooms first.(Spring Book Festival)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... The first spring book festival has sprung with the South Carolina Book Festival, which will be held in Columbia on February 19-20. Billed as the largest literary event in the state, year's festival has changed venues to the recently opened...

True spies: kids' books that came in from the cold (war).(children's books)
February 7, 2005... Fifteen years after the collapse of the Berlin Wall signaled the end of communism and--gasp!--threatened to put secret agents out of business, swarms of young spies of all sizes, sexes, even species, are poised for an invasion. "Just...

Surrey thinks Pink.(licensing hotline)(Surrey Publishing signed four-book deal with MGM Consumer Products)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... It's not every day that a publisher with two and a half employees secures a worldwide license with a Hollywood studio, but that's what happened to 23-year-old Surrey Publishing. In its first foray into licensing, it signed a four-book deal with...

English Roses blossom.(licensing hotline)(Book by Madonna)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Madonna's first book, The English Roses, published by Callaway Editions, sowed a high-end licensing program in late 2004, with apparel, collectible dolls, teas and tea sets, hot chocolate, charm bracelets and other products selling in tony...

Guinness: when you're having more than one.(licensing hotline)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Guinness World Records, which just celebrated its 50th anniversary, has signed three licensing deals for children's books. The company, which maintains a database of 45,000 records and enjoys bestseller status every year with its annual...

Chicken Soup for the American Soul.(Modern Media Services introduces bimonthly magazine)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Modern Media introduces a bimonthly magazine, Chicken Soup for the American Soul, in June 2005, with 150,000 copies distributed through newsstands and subscription....

Bendon, Penguin Putnam and Publications International are creating books based on Hasbro's Candyland game.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Bendon, Penguin Putnam and Publications International are creating books based on Hasbro's Candyland game, while Paradise Press is releasing coloring and activity titles for Fur Real Friends....

ToddWorld.(Little, Brown and Company Inc is releasing animated series of Tod Parr books)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Little Brown is releasing tie-ins for ToddWorld, the animated series inspired by the books of Todd Parr....

Guess How Much I Love You?(Trend Lab to use the brand name of Amazing Baby from RJM Licensing)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... RJM Licensing signed Trend Lab to market Amazing Baby infant gift products on behalf of Templar Publishing, as well as edibles, inc. (snacks) and Designs by Taylor (bedding) for Guess How Much I Love You? on behalf of Candlewick....

Noddy.(FuniMation Productions ltd acquires Noddy series)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... FUNimation acquired Noddy from Chorion PLC. The book-based series will be on PBS Kids in July....

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.(Funrise Toy Corp. toy license for the upcoming theatrical release)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Warner Bros. names Funrise the global master toy licensee for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Correction.(Correction Notice)
February 7, 2005... Correction: Modern Publishing holds the license to Little Tikes, not Tyco as stated in "Increasing Play Value" (Oct 18. 2004).

Getting an earful: spoken-word audio blooms for spring.(spring audio)
February 7, 2005... Though much of the country is still in winter's icy grip, spring has already sprung for audio publishers who are rolling out their new titles for the season ahead. The breadth of audio offerings continues to grow, in keeping with the recent...

Children's spring audio/video.
February 7, 2005... AUDIO BOOKSHELF Morning Girl by Michael Dorris, read by Eliza and Riley Duggan. Unabridged, one cassette, 1.5 hrs., $17.95; one CD, $24.95, ages 8-up, Jan. The People Could Fly by Virginia Hamilton, read by Andrew Barnes. Unabridged,...

The Motive.(Brief Article)(Audiobook Review)
February 7, 2005... THE MOTIVE JOHN LESCROART, READ BY DAVID COLACCI. Brilliance Audio, unabridged, 12 CDs, 14 hrs., $40.95 ISBN 1-59355-362-5 As series protagonists Deputy Chief Inspector Abe Glitsky and defense attorney Dismas Hardy struggle to solve a dual...

State of Fear.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 7, 2005... STATE OF FEAR MICHAEL CRICHTON, READ BY GEORGE WILSON. Harper Audio, unabridged, 16 CDs, 18.5 hrs., $49.95 ISBN 0-06-078601-9 For his latest foray, Crichton alters his usual formula--three one part hard science--to a less appetizing...

Loop Group.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 7, 2005... LOOP GROUP LARRY McMURTRY, READ BY C.J. CRITT. Recorded Books, unabridged, eight CDs, 7.5 hrs., $34.99 ISBN 1-4193-1282-0 In this somewhat scattered narrative, 60-year-old Maggie Clary wonders if she will ever truly feel like herself again,...

Magic Seeds.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 7, 2005... MAGIC SEEDS V.S. NAIPAUL, READ BY AASIF MANDVI. Recorded Books, unabridged, eight CDs, 9.5 hrs., $29.99 ISBN 1-4193-0000-8 Mandvi turns in a soft, reserved performance of Naipaul's novel about idealism, revolution and self-discovery. The...

French Women Don't Get Fat: the Secret of Eating for Pleasure.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 7, 2005... FRENCH WOMEN DON'T GET FAT: The Secret of Eating for Pleasure MIREILLE GUILIANO, READ BY THE AUTHOR. Random House Audio, abridged, three CDs, 3 hrs., $22 ISBN 0-7393-1656-7 Is it possible to fill up on chocolate croissants, butter and...

Collapse.(Audiobook Review)
February 7, 2005... COLLAPSE JARED DIAMOND, READ BY CHRISTOPHER MURNEY. Penguin Audio, abridged, eight CDs, 9.5 hrs., $34.95 ISBN 0-14-305718-9 In the Pulitzer-Prize-winning Guns, Germs, and Steel, Diamond chronicled the rise of human civilizations since the...

Faithful: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the Historic 2004 Season.(Audiobook Review)
February 7, 2005... FAITHFUL: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the Historic 2004 Season STEWART O'NAN AND STEPHEN KING, READ BY ADAM GRUPPER AND RON MCLARTY. Simon & Schuster Audio, unabridged, 11 cassettes, 16.5 hrs., $49.95 ISBN 0-7435-3951-6 "Why...

Hell or High Water.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 7, 2005... HELL OR HIGH WATER PETER HELLER, READ BY PATRICK LAWLOR. Tantor, unabridged, nine CDs, 10.5 hrs., $34.99 ISBN 1-4001-0141-7 To Buddhists, Tibet's Tsangpo Gorge is a sacred place--drinking one drop of its water is said to free you from...

Audio bestsellers.(Illustration)
February 7, 2005... Audio Bestsellers Available online the Friday before issue day at: www.publishersweekly.com Fiction 1 The Da Vinci Code (unabr. CD). Dan Brown. Read by Paul Michael. Random House Audio. 13 CDs, 16 hours, $44.95...

Ground control to major dad: M.G. Lord.(pw)(Interview)
February 7, 2005... Graced with a clever fide, terrific cover art and a compelling topic--space missions by legendary scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.--M.G. Lord's Astro Turf: The Private Life of Rocket Science (Walker, Jan.) lifts...

An Outline of the Republic.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 7, 2005... AN OUTLINE OF THE REPUBLIC SIDDHARTHA DEB. Ecco, $24.95 (336p) ISBN 0-06-050155-3 The pursuit of a mysterious story transforms an Indian reporter in Deb's ambitious second novel (after The Point of Return), vividly capturing the unrest and...

Europe Central.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 7, 2005... EUROPE CENTRAL WILLIAM VOLLMANN. Viking, $39.95 (806p) ISBN 0-670-03392-8 * In the small set of America's best contemporary novelists, Vollmann is the perpetual comet. Every two years or so he flashes across the sky with another incredibly...

A Factory of Cunning.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 7, 2005... A FACTORY OF CUNNING PHILIPPA STOCKLEY. Harcourt, $25 (384p) ISBN 0-15-101172-9 "Cunning" is an apt word for the plot of Stockley's (The Edge of Pleasure)intriguing historical novel, set in 18th-century England; "devilishly clever" would...

The Genizah at the House of Shepher.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 7, 2005... THE GENIZAH AT THE HOUSE OF SHEPHER TAMAR YELLIN. Toby Press, $19.95 (360p) ISBN 1-59264-085-0 The history of the family Shepher is a "record of theft, domestic discord, mutual blame-laying and bad luck." Despite that--or perhaps because...

Midnight at the Dragon Cafe.(novel by Judy Fong Bates)(Book Review)
February 7, 2005... MIDNIGHT AT THE DRAGON CAFE JUDY FONG BATES. Counterpoint, $14 paper (326p) ISBN 1-58243-189-2 In this deeply affecting debut novel by the author of the short story collection China Dog, intrepid Su-Jen Chou, the only daughter of parents...

Mount Appetite.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 7, 2005... MOUNT APPETITE BILL GASTON. Raincoast (www.raincoast.com), $13.95 paper (240p) ISBN 155192-451-X A dozen rueful and gorgeously observed if sometimes oblique stories centered on the idea of appetites (their denial and their satisfaction)...

Dreaming in Black and White: a Phoebe Grant Novel.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 7, 2005... DREAMING IN BLACK AND WHITE: A Phoebe Grant Novel LAURA JENSEN WALKER. WestBow, $13.99 paper (288p) ISBN 0-8499-4523-2 Walker, a Christian humorist, begins her Phoebe Grant series with this somewhat charming but often frustratingly...

Sturm und Drang.(Talks with William Vollman)(Interview)
February 7, 2005... PW: In your novel series Seven Dreams (The Ice Shirt. Argall, etc.), you've explored the highly fraught encounters between Indians and Europeans. This novel [Europe Central, reviewed on page 38], set in the heart of WWII Europe, is a departure...

Chore Whore.(Chore Whore: Adventures of a Celebrity Personal Assistant book by Heather H. Howard)(Book Review)
February 7, 2005... CHORE WHORE HEATHER H. HOWARD. Harper Entertainment, $23.95 (288p) ISBN 0-06-072391-2 Hen lit meets The Devil Wears Prada in this rambling peek into the world of spoiled, demanding celebrities by a former personal assistant to the stars....