Princeton University Press has recalled all 4,000 copies of Peter Moskos’s Cop in the Hood after discovering more than 90 errors of spelling and grammar in the 245-page book. They say an inexperienced copy editor is to blame, and promise to have a corrected version of the book back in stores by the end of the month.
It’s a first–and a big black eye–for the presitigious press. Princeton UP’s director called the matter “terribly embarrassing” and said they’re proud of the book, “which makes the embarrassment all the worse.”
And the author? He’s been writing about the setback with remarkably good cheer over at his blog.
As we say in the journo trade, though, this raises new and troubling questions. What’s the state of quality control in scholarly publishing these days? If you have thoughts on that, let me know.
