The publishers of a new biography of the Indian cricketing star, Sachin Tendulkar, say special editions of the book will contain drops of his blood. Copies go on sale in February, costing $75,000 each.

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Sachin Tendulkar, the leading Indian cricketer of his generation, described this latest tribute to his life and achievements as 'mind-blowing' and it certainly promises to be a book like no other.

For a start, the Tendulkar opus will be absolutely enormous; it will weigh 37 kilograms and its 852 pages, containing more than 1,500 pictures, will each be edged in gold leaf.

But if that wasn't enough, then a special edition will contain traces of the great man himself; his blood will be mixed into the pulp that will make the paper for the signature page.

Carl Fowler, the Chief Executive of Kraken, the book's publishers, admitted in a newspaper interview that this may not be to everyone's taste but said that it was a fitting tribute to a man regarded as a religious icon by millions of people.

Each copy will cost $75,000 and the publishers say that ten have already been pre-ordered, with proceeds going towards Tendulkar's charitable foundation, which is building a school in Mumbai.

Mark Dummett, BBC News, Delhi