ERIK LARSON & CHARTWELL BOOKSELLERS IN THE N.Y. TIMES
We were surprised and delighted to find ourselves mentioned (though not named) by author Erik Larson in an excellent brief interview with him in the N.Y Times. His new book, THE SPLENDID AND THE VILE, has just made #1 on the Times Nonfiction Bestseller list. The interview appeared online on March 5th and is now in today’s March 15 print edition of the Book Review.
Do read along with us:
“In his previous books — including Devil in the White City (about a murder at the 1893 World’s Fair) and In the Garden of Beasts (about the family of the United States. ambassador to Germany under Hitler) — Erik Larson has written about historical events where, as he puts it, ‘The main action might be a little out of the mainstream in terms of who’s paying attention.’
“This is not the case with THE SPLENDID AND THE VILE, appearing this week at No. 1 on the hardcover nonfiction list, which explores the life and times of Winston Churchill during World War II. Larson says, ‘I don’t think I understood exactly how much had been done on him. There’s an entire bookstore in Manhattan that is strictly Churchill books. I had to think strategically about how I went about the research. I read enough to know the landscape — to build what I like to refer to as my own personal Churchill — and then dove into the archives to find fresh stuff about what it was like to endure the air campaign against Britain if you were the prime minister, one of his advisers or a member of his family.’ “
Mr. Larson quietly stopped by a few weeks ago to autograph a few copies for us. We have been selling them. As our supply has been diminishing, the price has been increasing.
Fair warning.