Cook-book misprint costs Australian publishers dear

[Perdita]

An Australian publisher has had to pulp and reprint a cook-book after one recipe listed "salt and freshly ground black people" instead of black pepper.

Penguin Group Australia had to reprint 7,000 copies of Pasta Bible last week, the Sydney Morning Herald has reported.

The reprint cost A$20,000 ($18,000; £12,000), but stock in bookshops will not be recalled as it is "extremely hard" to do so, Penguin said.

The recipe was for spelt tagliatelle with sardines and prosciutto.

"We're mortified that this has become an issue of any kind, and why anyone would be offended, we don't know," head of publishing Bob Sessions is quoted as saying by the Sydney newspaper.

Penguin said almost every one of the more than 150 recipes in the book listed salt and freshly ground black pepper, but a misprint occurred on just one page.

"When it comes to the proofreader, of course they should have picked it up, but proofreading a cook-book is an extremely difficult task. I find that quite forgivable," Mr Sessions said.

If anyone complains about the "silly mistake", they will be given the new version, Penguin said.

BBC News


:eek: :lol:

[Dazzle]

:rotfl: :rotfl:

[Chloe O'brien]

Don't they have people who proof-read before they're sent to print.

[Perdita]

They do, but apparently the proof-reader missed it :lol:

[Katy]

Thats brilliant! think the proof readers going to have to find another job,

[moonstorm]

Easy mistake to make - but a good one :lol:

[Abigail]

Its extremely easy to miss minor mistakes like that. Firstly, the brain doesn't actually read the whole word, only the first and last letters. It does some magic and usually comes up with the right word.

Secondly, and I know this from personal experience, when you're under pressure or reaching the end of a long document, its tempting to just skim read every other word which means some mistakes get missed.

[Dazzle]

I don't think I'd make a very good proof-reader because I always skim read rather than carefully read every word. It's a bad habit I picked up in childhood. I could definitely have mistook people for pepper.

[Siobhan]

I don't think I'd make a very good proof-reader because I always skim read rather than carefully read every word. It's a bad habit I picked up in childhood. I could definitely have mistook people for pepper.

I think I will skip coming to your house for dinner then :lol:

[Dazzle]

:rotfl: :rotfl:

[Perdita]

I don't think I'd make a very good proof-reader because I always skim read rather than carefully read every word. It's a bad habit I picked up in childhood. I could definitely have mistook people for pepper.

:eek: How would you have added them? Grated, chopped, sliced :lol:

[StarsOfCCTV]

Haha harsh :lol: :lol:

[Dazzle]

:eek: How would you have added them? Grated, chopped, sliced :lol:

:rotfl: I like my people lightly sauteed in olive oil.