A giant merger to shake up the books world
It All Adds Up
Bertelsmann’s Penguin Random House will buy Simon & Schuster for $2.175 billion in cash, subject to regulators’ OK. S&S CEO Jonathan Karp said it’s too early to discuss “staff reductions or streamlining of editorial and marketing departments.” Sure.
More from Washington
Post book critic Ron Charles, one of many opponents: The
Big Five publishers? Think
“Big Four.” For authors, fewer potential publishers. Variety of titles? Less, in favor of bestselling authors — more profit. For booksellers, fewer distributors. (Oh — Bertelsmann has just bought two more U.S. book printers.)
“A vibrant democracy needs more editorial diversity representing a broader range of tastes and interests. Bertelsmann’s omnivorous strategy is particularly alarming because Simon & Schuster plays a unique role in the United States as a leading publisher of high-risk political books,” such as those by John Bolton and Mary Trump, “both of which President Trump tried to squelch through lawsuits and public intimidation,” Charles notes.
Monday, 1 p.m.: “A Deep Dive into the Work of Jules Verne,” a Nauticus webinar on how Verne’s works continue to excite readers and contribute to “great literature, science and the notion of wonder.” Verne’s works inspired the new Nauticus exhibit Voyage to the Deep. Panelists: Verne scholars Peter Schulman, ODU; Jean-Michel Margot, North American Jules Verne Society; Loic Dauvillier, author of a Verne graphic novel; and Nauticus’ executive director, Stephen Kirkland. Sign up: nauticus.org/jules-vernewebinar
BookExpo,
the largest publishing trade show in the U.S., is canceled for 2021. This year the physical event was postponed, then canceled, then held virtually because of the pandemic. BookExpo, a central event for decades, is rooted in 1947 with the founding of the American Booksellers Association Convention. (AP, NYT)
Barack Obama’s “A Promised Land” sold
more than 1.7 million in its first week, 887,000 on Day One. (CBS News)
In Case You Missed It: “Dopesick,”
a Hulu series, will film in central and western Virginia in the winter and spring. It’s based on Beth Macy’s “Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America.”
New and recent
From David Sedaris, “The Best of Me: Essays” (Little, Brown, 400 pp.). A selection of previously published pieces focusing on the dynamics of his siblings and himself, and their parents. The book is both the perfect Intro to Sedaris, showing his “brilliant knack for observational humor,” and a great review for existing fans. (Publishers Weekly)
From Pope Francis, “Let Us Dream” ( Simon & Schuster,
160 pp.). He envisions a more economically and environmentally just post-pandemic world where poor, weak and elderly aren’t left aside and the rich aren’t consumed with profits. He supports racial justice in the face of police brutality; criticizes COVID-19 skeptics and conspiracy theorists, and populist politicians who whip up crowds in echoes of the 1930s — and “rigid” Catholics who support them. He criticizes the tearing down of historic statues by protesters for racial equality as a misguided attempt to “purify the past.” (AP)
Also: From Michael J. Fox, “No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality” … From Steve Martin (yes, that Steve Martin) and Harry Bliss, a book of cartoons, “A Wealth of Pigeons.” (There’s a fun feature on Martin’s talents — not drawing — and Bliss’ intercession at nytimes.com.) … From National Public Radio’s Maria Hinojosa, “Once I Was You: A Memoir of Love and Hate in a Torn America.” … Alexander McCall Smith, “How to Raise an Elephant.” ... Nora Roberts, “The Awakening”
ACROSS
1 List of courses 5 ____ alla
Bolognese (meatbased pasta sauce) 9 Don’s partner in the
underworld 13 Melting point? 19 Condo, e.g. 20 Crowning
21 Crew’s control? 22 Wall Street Journal
columnist Peggy 23 Bygone office group 25 Final remark in an
argument
27 Scratch (out)
28 Like the luck of the
draw
30 ), when it follows :31 H
32 “Seems that way” 34 Pieces of gangs 36 Pain reliever containing aspirin and caffeine 38 Golfer Ernie
39 Gave birth 41 Sheltered balcony with abundant natural light 45 Wished
47 Archer’s pride 48 “The Dark Knight ____,“2012 superhero movie 50 Bring back on board 51 Actress Jessica 52 No Doubt vocalist
Gwen
54 Best-selling self-help book subtitled “TimeTested Secrets for Capturing the Heart of Mr. Right”
56 Hot spots
58 Moved briskly 60 Council of
____ (CounterReformation body) 61 More to the point 62 Part of Q.E.D. 63 Chooses
65 Wanders around the head of a line, briefly? 66 Long-running show whose iconic hourglass is in the Smithsonian collection 70 Rotating engine
part 73 Con ____ (with animation, musically) 74 Hot spot 75 It has issues with
celebrities 80 See 17-Down 82 Ostensible 84 Had a heaping
helping of humility 85 Catchy 1950s
slogan 87 Send another way 89 Let go of 90 Serious 91 Runway
professional 93 Little louse 94 Purposes 95 Car-stereo choices 97 Zoning, so to speak 99 Something that’s
helpful in a dash? 100 Emotive brass
sound 102 Night call 103 Marketer’s target 105 Bumbling sort 107 They outrank
viscounts 109 Legendary sea
monster 111 Floor cleaner, for
short 113 Union Pacific
vehicle 116 Neither gains nor
loses 118 Chant for the
Dream Team 119 Eldest of Chekhov’s
“Three Sisters” 120 Town near Buffalo that sounds like paradise 121 From the start 122 “And now good-____ to our waking souls”: John
Donne 123 Desire 124 Digital IDs 125 ____-X (cut)
DOWN
1 Creative inspiration 2 Miso-soup
mushroom
3 Made the rounds? 4 Native of the
Beehive State 5 Knock on, as a
window
6 Oodles
7 Words said with a post-match handshake
8 Send to the cloud,
say
9 Camp sight 10 Sighing sounds 11 Not custom-tailored 12 Country singer
K.T. ____
13 HBO show co-starring
Issa Rae
14 Dove’s sound 15 Doctor’s reassurance before a shot
16 Tech-news
website
17 With 80-Across, longtime CBS News correspondent 18 Conclusion 24 Smelter’s inputs 26 “C’est la vie”
29 Spot from which a dove once notably flew
33 Makes cloudy 35 1943 Pulitzerwinning Thornton Wilder play, with “The”
37 Like the noble
gases
39 Singles, e.g.
40 “That so?” 42 Steams up 43 “Garden” or
“Center,” often 44 Pain in the neck 45 100 satang, in
Thailand 46 On the safe side 47 Spiritual retreat 49 Intervene
53 1960s sitcom set at
Fort Courage
55 Set in a man cave 57 Bill’s time-traveling
partner in film 59 “Holy ____!” 62 Favor
64 The deadly sins, e.g. 67 House involved in the Wars of the Roses
68 Scenic vista
69 Holy ____
70 Orange or plum 71 Fleet of foot 72 Qualifies to fight in
a certain class 76 “We are the
99%” movement, familiarly 77 Journalists might
be invited to it 78 Prospector’s find 79 Flock members 80 Misarticulate, in a
way
81 Home of a
mythological lion 83 Language of
Pakistan
84 Working away
86 Au naturel 88 Garments for
acrobats
92 “Wow, that’s
beautiful!”
96 Big bat
98 Ranker of
the rich
99 Greasy goo
101 It takes a bow
103 Partner of rice
104 Less well done
105 Thereabouts
106 In the distance
108 + or –
110 Sharp
112 Monk’s hood
113 “Fee, fi, fo, ____” 114 Military support
grp.
115 D.C. player
117 Designer
Posen
late night picks
12 a.m. North Woods Law ANIMAL
12 a.m. Alaska: The Last Frontier DISC
12 a.m. Candy Land FOOD 12 a.m. 90 Day Fiancé TLC
1 a.m. North Woods Law: Protect and Preserve ANIMAL
1 a.m. Buddy vs. Christmas FOOD
2 a.m. Holiday Baking Championship FOOD
2 a.m. I Love a Mama’s Boy TLC
2:01 a.m. Gold Rush: White Water DISC
3 a.m. Holiday Wars FOOD
3:01 a.m. Gold Rush DISC
3:01 a.m. Welcome to Plathville TLC
4 a.m. Fast N’ Loud DISC
When his family goes away for the summer, a hitherto faithful husband (Tom Ewell) with an overactive imagination is tempted by a beautiful neighbor (Marilyn Monroe) in the 1955 romantic comedy “The Seven Year Itch,” airing tonight at 8 on TCM