Book news, cont'd

MANIFESTO

Here's the latest on Amazon's faux pas:

[Yesterday] afternoon, [Amazon] spokesperson Drew Herdener told Seattlepi.com:

This is an embarrassing and ham-fisted cataloging error for a company that prides itself on offering complete selection.

It has been misreported that the issue was limited to Gay & Lesbian themed titles—in fact, it impacted 57,310 books in a number of broad categories such as Health, Mind & Body, Reproductive & Sexual Medicine, and Erotica.

Sounds to me like a glitch that really could've happened to anyone, although I wouldn't be surprised if some self-righteous employee messed around with some code. Nevertheless, the situation certainly doesn't seem to merit the semi-hysterical reaction Salon's Kate Harding is giving it.