>> For writers only -- Every writer has received rejection
>> slips; too many of them for most. The "Financial Times"
>> has quoted the "mother of all rejection slips", translated
>> from a Chinese economic journal. It goes like this:
>>
>> We have read your manuscript with boundless delight. If
>> we were to publish your paper, it would be impossible for
>> us to publish any work of lower standard. And as it is
>> unthinkable that in the next thousand years we shall see
>> its equal, we are, to our regret, compelled to return your
>> divine composition, and to beg you a thousand times to
>> overlook our short sight and timidity.
This totally cracked me up. However, the chances that this is a real chinese economics journal rejection slip are exceptionally slim. Far too much the orientalist cliche to be credible.
I definitely laughed though. I'm trying to imagine the likely response of academic writers. And, oh, it would be so worth it for a while.
Catherine