New Delhi: How do you give a new lease of life to a three-month old book? By cancelling its publication, of course. And if you want to further pique potential readers’ curiosity, promise to destroy the remaining copies and take out an advertisement in newspapers saying so. The tussle between former Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel, publishing company Bloomsbury India and its author Jitendra Bhargava is likely to end with only one winner – the book, The Descent of Air India.
In 2013, Bhargava, a former Executive Director of Air India, wrote a book about the string of decisions that led to the felling of the state carrier. The UK-based publishing company, Bloomsbury, which set up its India operations in 2012, signed it up and the book was launched in October 2013. On reading it, Patel filed a case in the Mumbai metropolitan magistrate's court, seeking its cancellation by citing that several parts of the book were embarrassing to him. Last week, Bloomsbury India decided to cancel the book. On Wednesday, it also released an advertisement in some national dailies apologising for the embarrassment the book caused and said copies of the book would be destroyed.
Bhargava wasn’t amused. He accused the publisher of taking this decision without consulting him. As the author, he continues to fight the case.
17/01/14 Veena Venugopal/Business Line
To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline
In 2013, Bhargava, a former Executive Director of Air India, wrote a book about the string of decisions that led to the felling of the state carrier. The UK-based publishing company, Bloomsbury, which set up its India operations in 2012, signed it up and the book was launched in October 2013. On reading it, Patel filed a case in the Mumbai metropolitan magistrate's court, seeking its cancellation by citing that several parts of the book were embarrassing to him. Last week, Bloomsbury India decided to cancel the book. On Wednesday, it also released an advertisement in some national dailies apologising for the embarrassment the book caused and said copies of the book would be destroyed.
Bhargava wasn’t amused. He accused the publisher of taking this decision without consulting him. As the author, he continues to fight the case.
17/01/14 Veena Venugopal/Business Line
