Book publishers have long seen themselves as the gatekeepers of literary culture. But when they’re not looking, the truth has a way of being left at the door.
Last week Henry Holt & Company stopped printing and selling “The Last Train From Hiroshima,” about the atomic bombing of Japan, because its author had relied on a fraudulent source for a portion of the book and possibly fabricated others.
This is not the first time a publisher has been humiliated by an author’s unverified work. But this instance has occurred at a time when the publisher’s traditional role is under economic and technological stress.
Errors in books
Errors in books can have serious harms. Here is a court case where a picture in the wrong place in a mushroom encyclopedia caused a person to need a liver transplant.
On a similar note there is a good law review article about errors in books:
Authors, Publishers, and Products Liability: Remedies for Defective Information in Books
Oregon Law Review
Volume 77 Page 1195