Issue No.590
Opinion
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13 - 19 June 2002 Issue No.590 Opinion |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Recommend this page | ||
On and off the shelf
Last week I wrote about the subject of books that, once the first print run had sold out, ceased to be available since among local publishers there is no regular habit of reprinting. Even titles by Egypt's best known and most celebrated authors, works that have entered the canon, disappear without trace. But the problem is not just restricted to classic texts. It is, for example, impossible to track down even award-winning novels by a contemporary writer such as Gamal El- Ghitani.
One of the tasks of the Ministry of Culture's publishing houses, I imagine, especially the General Organisation for Cultural Palaces, is to ensure the availability of the works of major writers. As soon as one edition runs out, another should be produced. It is illogical to claim that such a system would undermine the Organisation's economic success, for a book that has not sold has not, by definition, run out; it does not require a reprinting. One need not produce an excess of copies, either: just enough to ensure that the books in question remain in stock. Modern printing techniques, in addition, enable publishers to produce relatively small print runs without inflating the basic unit costs, which was not the case in the past. There are now publishers who reprint by order via the Internet; and they are willing to produce even a single copy of the desired title, I am told. If this can be done, why, one wonders, is the General Organisation for Cultural Palaces not aboard the bandwagon?
Based on an interview by Mohamed Salmawy.
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