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The New Basic Scores
Daisy Maryles, with Cindi Di Marzo -- 3/2/98
Just about three months after Basic Books got back in business, it has scored a surprise hit with The Rape Of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II by Iris Chang. Published in December with a 10,000-copy first printing, this national bestseller now boasts a total of 104,000 books after 15 trips to press. Publishing director John Donatich is very proud, noting that "this is a great example of Basic's ability to commercially publish serious works and respond quickly to a variety of marketplaces." It's also an example of how the vision of investment banker and lawyer Frank Pearl, who launched Perseus Books, a publishing enterprise devoted solely to literary fiction and serious nonfiction has proven triumphant. (Check out the very interesting story of Pearl and his publishing venture in last week's New York magazine.) Chang's tour began in December and has been extended through March. Her book, the first comprehensive account of the 1937 massacre in Nanking, China, by Japanese troops during which more than 250,000 Chinese civilians were killed, has galvanized Chinese Americans, who have responded by hosting events for Chang all over the country.

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