Bibliofile

Our Man In LSE

Next to the Booker Prize, the honour that most writers covet is a mention in the UK’s Guardian newspaper. For Ramachandra Guha, who is going to replace Niall Ferguson in the LSE chair this September, it was a double honour: he not only made it to the Guardian’s editorial page but has been declared the most worthy successor to the famed historian, professor, author, commentator and what not. Like Ferguson, Guha’s subjects are varied but unlike Ferguson, Guha didn’t train as a historian but as an economist. And in case you are wondering why Biblio’s claws are unusually missing this time, it’s because Guha happens to be one of Outlook’s most prestigious writers!

Illustrated Egotism

Money can buy you anything—even a dedicated edition of a famous author’s famous book. Nanak Kohli—described as a “Mercedes Sikh” for the number of luxury cars he owns—came up with an unusual way of immortalising himself: he ordered a special edition of Khushwant Singh’s The Illustrated History of the Sikhs dedicated to him and his wife, Pammy. Distributing the 400 copies (at Rs 1,000 each) wasn’t a problem: he held a belated birthday party for Khushwant Singh and gifted a copy to each of the guests who turned up. Now why can’t other moneybags follow his example?

Age Of Innocence

Why do publishers think that people want to buy and read books written by 16-year-olds? The number of books that arrive with the off-putting strap line—“written by a 16-year-old”—as if age, or the lack of it, is reason enough to send the book out for a review.