Penguin recalls fruit-growing guide after cut-and-paste allegation
A gardening book is being pulled from the shelves by its publisher following allegations of plagiarism.
The New Zealand Fruit Garden by Sally Cameron, published last week, is being recalled after a reviewer for the Taranaki Daily News alleged material had been lifted from other sources.
Daily News weekly contributor
Abbie Jury posted the review on her website yesterday, saying the book contained many errors and in places the information was inadequate.
"Even worse, there are sufficient instances of unacknowledged quotes to make me breathe the dreaded word: plagiarism."
Jury said food writer and author Sally Cameron's book was well-presented and looked really helpful.
"Sadly, looks can deceive."
Jury went on to highlight alleged factual mistakes within the book, from apricots being called subtropical to guava succumbing to frost in any area.
"There is a slight problem here. She is writing about the large growing tropical guava, Psidium guajava, which you may have tried eating in Asia. But what we can and do grow here - and which has similar hardiness to a lemon - is the strawberry guava Psidium littorale."
Jury said it appeared the author cut and pasted from an easily traced Californian website about guajava.
Jury also compares direct quotes from the book to Wikipedia, showing they are identical.
"It should be an embarrassment to a credible publishing house like Penguin, but presumably nobody bothered to check for relevance, accuracy, or plagiarism," Jury said.
Penguin Group New Zealand said it was taking the allegations very seriously and was ordering a detailed review to determine whether the suggestions were accurate. Bookshops were being asked to return all stock to Penguin.
- NZPA
