Rowman and Littlefield Acquires Aussie Bestseller
By Rachel Deahl -- Publishers Weekly, 6/10/2009 7:37:00 AM
Rowman and Littlefield Publishing has acquired North American rights to In Heaven and Earth: Global Warming: The Missing Science, by leading Australian geologist Ian Plimer. In the book, Plimer makes the scientifically controversial argument that carbon dioxide has an insignificant role in affecting climate. Heaven and Earth was originally released in Australia in May by Connor Court Publishing and has already gone through five printings, after hitting local bestseller lists there. According to R&L, as of May 15, Plimer's title was #1 on Bookdata, the Australian equivalent of BookScan.
R&L said Plimer refutes much of the science Al Gore presented in his bestselling primer on global warming, An Inconvenient Truth. In a statement from the publisher, Plimer said Gore's book and documentary are rife with "misrepresentations" and that "trying to deal with these misrepresentations is somewhat like trying to argue with creationists, who misquote, concoct evidence, quote out of context, ignore contrary evidence, and create evidence ex nihilo."
R&L, through its Taylor Trade imprint, is crashing the book for July 1 and expects the title to stir up debate. Jed Lyons, CEO of R&L, added that the book's message is particularly urgent. "When our children are being taught that carbon dioxide—food for plants—is a pollutant, and that climate change is somehow unnatural, then clarifying views need to be heard."
