The Airbrushing of Tom Wolfe

When the world of books and movies collide, the lawyers step in!

While researching Focus Features' new movie Beginners, I noticed something interesting about two of their promotional stills. In this image, you can see Christopher Plummer and Ewan McGregor browsing a bookstore. Plummer clearly has a copy of Tom Wolfe's A Man in Full in his hands. Yet in another duplicate still found on some websites, Wolfe's 742-page epic has been blurred. I guess Focus Features was worried about unauthorized product placement.

I am not outraged or surprised by this -- it probably happens all the time and we just don't notice. I just thought it was something cool to point out.

Wuthering Wyler

The other day someone came into the bookstore and asked where we would have Wuthering Heights. I told her we'd shelve it under plain old Fiction. She thanked me and then checked her smartphone.

"That was Wyler, right? The author?" she asked. "Bronte," I said. She looked at me skeptically then went away to the stacks.

It hit me later that she was probably referring to William Wyler, who directed a 1939 version of the classic novel. Her fancy smartphone must've told her Wyler was the author, though I can't imagine how she Googled herself to that mistake or which app deceived her.

No, I've never read it.

Above: a wuthering height.