Today the AP reported that Henry Holt and Company has ceased publication of The Last Train From Hiroshima, a nonfiction book by Charles Pellegrino that Avatar director James Cameron had considered turning into a film.
A Holt spokesperson told the AP that publisher could not find two sources mentioned in the book and Pellegrino (pictured, via) “was not able to answer” some of the publisher’s questions about the title, a journalistic look at the bombing of Hiroshima. Last week, the NY Times uncovered a few other problems with the book.
Here’s more from the AP report: “The publisher ‘will issue full credit to wholesalers and retailers who wish to return the book. Consumers who seek a refund should return to the retailer from whom they purchased the book.'”
At Pellegrino’s website, the author has collected both good and bad reviews of his books–an odd counterpoint to the story. According to his website, Stephen King once wrote: “This guy really scares me.” More reviews follow after the jump.
Apparently, Michael Crichton wrote: “Pellegrino is one of the most brilliant – perhaps the most brilliant [paleontologist]–of our age; but he is also a Class A-1 f***ing pain in the a**.”
Reportedly, Rev. Jerry Falwell wrote: “Rarely have a man’s books been so fit for burning.”
Finally, the site reports that professor Robert G. Wear (New Zealand) wrote: “Pellegrino is a national disgrace.”