BTW News Briefs

Eleanor Catton Wins the Man Booker Prize

At just 28 years old, Eleanor Catton is the youngest person to be awarded the Man Booker Prize, reported the New York Times, for her title The Luminaries (published in the U.S. by Little, Brown). Announced Tuesday, Catton will receive £50,000 (about $80,000).

Coming in at 848 pages, The Luminaries is also the longest book to ever win the prize.

Catton was born in Canada and raised in New Zealand, and studied at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. She received high praise for her first novel, The Rehearsal, and began writing The Luminaries at age 25.

The annual prize is awarded to a novelist from Britain, Ireland, or a Commonwealth country. Beginning next year, the Man Booker Prize will be open to all novels written in English and published in Britain, regardless of the author’s nationality.

Bill to Limit Amazon’s Advantage in France Gains Support

France’s bill to restrict web-based retailers, like Amazon.com, from offering the maximum five percent discount on books in addition to free delivery was approved almost unanimously by both sides of the lower house on October 3, reported The Guardian.  Supported by both parties, the bill is expected to pass through the senate.

A bill passed in 1981 set a maximum five percent discount on books; however, the amendment dictates that retailers cannot combine the discount on new books with free shipping. The government said the law is intended to “restrict predatory behavior.”

The Guardian noted that only Amazon and Fnac, France’s largest chain retailer, currently utilize this combination of savings. Amazon argues that its practice of offering free delivery with the discount is legal under the European Union’s single market rules and that a majority of its sales come from remainder titles and not new books, situating the company as a complement rather than a competitor to bookstores.

After big cultural chains and independent bookstores, both with a 23 percent market share, online booksellers are the largest trading network in the country.

AAUP Releases “Books for Understanding: Higher Education” List

The most recent list of Books for Understanding from the Association of American University Presses focuses on debates in higher education. The bibliographic resource “Books for Understanding: Higher Education” highlights more than 150 titles from AAUP’s member presses.

Considering the changing technology and financial support systems, the list of titles looks at the debates surrounding access, costs, commercialization, and community engagement in terms of higher education.

Books for Understanding is a free public service of AAUP that helps readers find relevant books based on current events.