Short Takes
by John F. Baker -- Publishers Weekly, 3/28/2005
A version of Dante's Infernoin graphic novel format, illustrated by a group of leading artists, has been bought for Hyperion by Emily Gould. It's a creation of the Book Laboratory directed by Philip Dunn (which packaged Hawkings's Universe in a Nutshell) and the sale of world English rights was made by Al Zuckermanat Writers House.... A lighthearted guide to college years by the editors of a popular Web site for that age group, CollegeHumor.com, was signed for Dutton by Brian Tart and NAL by Mark Chait. The deal was made by David Vigliano and Andrea Somberg at the former's agency.... For Holt, publisher John Sterlingand editor-in-chief Jennifer Barth signed a book by Columbia professor David Damrosch called The Buried Book: An Archeological Adventure. It tells the story of how a group of ill-assorted archeologists, linguists and adventurers rediscovered the 2,000-year-old manuscript of the Epic of Gilgamesh in the 19th century. Eric Simonoff at Janklow & Nesbit made the North American rights sale.... A book about how author Noelle Oxenhandler experimented in making three wishes come true was bought for Random by Caroline Sutton. The title, Coming True: One Woman, One Year and Three Wishes,goes into the mechanics of wishing, from early magical ideas to the very contemporary determination to get what we want from life. The world English rights deal was signed with Kim Witherspoonat Inkwell Management.
