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Thirteen Penguin Group (USA) Authors Featured at 2009 National Book Festival

The 2009 National Book Festival, an annual event organized and sponsored by the Library of Congress, will be held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, Sept. 26th, 2009 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Free and open to the public, the festival features more than 70 award-winning authors, illustrators and poets appearing in "Fiction & Fantasy," "Mysteries & Thrillers," "History & Biography," "Children," "Teens & Children," "Poetry," and "Home & Family" pavilions. In addition, fun activities that promote reading will be set up for children in the popular "Let's Read America" pavilion. Individual 30-minute author presentations and one-hour book signings by the participating authors are the heart of the National Book Festival, which is designed to bring readers together with their favorite writers and illustrators.

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As a professional writer, one of the daftest things to admit to a stranger is that you are a professional writer. It's possibly the worst of all professions to own up to at a party, apart from perhaps, "I am an acquiring editor at a publishing company." (I imagine)

The reason is that virtually everybody believes they have a book in them, or could be a writer of some kind, and want your help/advice/time/patience/use of your contacts/a way in. There have been times when I simply lie as say I am a lecturer/marketing manager/teacher or, and this is my own personal favourite, simply bone idle. But that can lead to looking arrogant and foolish should somebody know the truth about you which is later revealed. Internationally bestselling author to boot. And now, "So what do you write about," then, ‘"How do you do your research," followed by, "How long does it take to write a book," and, "Where do you get your ideas for a book in the first place," inevitably followed up by over 50% of people with the dreaded line, "I'm writing a book myself - if I wrote something would you look at it and give me some advice?"

I always reply, "Sure, of course I will," which is usually responded to with, "That's great, what shall I write about? And this is where I finally loose patience. "Ah ha," I say, "Now that's up to you isn't it." That's what a writer does: Has the idea, the long, long blank pages ahead and the dogged persistence to fill those pages with something others may find interesting enough to pay you for. (You could substitute the words dogged persistence here with work ethic, self discipline, or effort, but, and take my word for it, it is dogged persistence.) Books don't write themselves. Editors don't write them either; they contribute and improve, but only writers write them. By the way, despite offering many hundreds of times, nobody has ever sent me anything in the end, presumably because they can never think of what to write about, apart from their life story.

» Mark Kurlansky discusses his book, which looks at a forgotten government writer's project to chronicle the regional eating habits of Americans prior to World War II.

» Read more about The Food of a Younger Land

Mark Kurlansky, The Food of a Younger Land

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I first had the idea of studying the history of nursery rhymes about ten years ago now. But at that time, the idea of trawling through history to try and discover the origins of many of our favourite little children's nursery rhymes and their meanings, obvious or hidden, was one I didn't relish to begin with, to be honest. After all, what could possibly be interesting about a short, fat boy who must have been called either humpty, or dumpty, who lived a long, long time ago and who fell off his wall? Or, for that matter, how much fun can you have with three blind mice being chased around the kitchen by a farmer's wife? Surely that has happened on farms across the land since knives were first carved from flint stone. And why would anybody, in this case me, want to create a book full of stories like the one about a little boy called Jack Horner who shoved his hand into a pie and stole some plumbs.

But, instead, this has turned out to be the most rewarding piece of work I have done so far. Because once it becomes obvious that many nursery rhymes have been written about, or evolved from, particular historic events and then used as a way to pass important news around the countryside, during an age when modern communication was limited simply to word of mouth, then the research becomes a fascinating study into our way of life, in bygone years. For example, would you expect Humpty Dumpty to be the name of one of King Charles I's cannons located at Colchester Castle, scene of the Siege of Colchester during the summer of 1648 as the English Civil War exploded into violence? It was operated by a gunner called One Eyed Thompson who successfully kept Cromwell's forces at bay until they managed to blow it off the wall, allowing the Parliamentarians to approach the town. The Kings Cavalry (the horses) and the King's Infantry (the men) then faced a race against time to repair the cannon but failed. An important battle was lost and a turning point in history then marked by a rhyme, soon repeated in every hamlet and village across the land as news spread.

Winnie-the-Pooh Returns After More Than 80 Years in Dutton Children's Books'Return to the Hundred Acre Wood

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"Pooh and Piglet, Christopher Robin and Eeyore were last seen in the Forest - oh, can it really be eighty years ago? But dreams have a logic of their own and it is as if the eighty years have passed in a day."

So begins the introduction to Return to the Hundred Acre Wood, the first authorized sequel to A.A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh and The House At Pooh Corner. Dutton Children's Books will publish the embargoed title on Monday, October 5th, when it will land in stores nationwide. Written by David Benedictus and illustrated by Mark Burgess, this is the first newWinnie-the-Pooh book in more than 80 years. Penguin Audio will publish an audio version read by Grammy Award-winner Jim Dale.

Penguin is rolling out an extensive six-figure marketing campaign leading up to the publication. On September 3rd, bookstores across the country opened "Pooh-tiques", dedicated spaces for Winnie-the-Pooh and friends. With these "Pooh-tiques", booksellers are inviting readers to rediscover Winnie-the-Pooh's beloved adventures and return to the Hundred Acre Wood.

Independent bookstores across the country are hosting Pooh tea parties for fans young and old. Tea parties include honey flavored food, count-the-honey-candies-in-the-jar contests, story times with favorite Pooh books, bring-your-favorite-bear-from-home story times, and activities such as "pin the tale on Eeyore." 

The New York Times Bestseller Highlights for the Week of October 4th

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For the week of September 29th, Skippyjon Jones, Lost in Spice by Judy Schachner (Dutton) debuts on the children's picture books list at #8.

Here are more New York Times bestseller highlights:

On the hardcover fiction list, The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Amy Einhorn Books/ Putnam) is #3 in its 25th week; Spartan Gold by Clive Cussler with Grant Blackwood (Putnam) is #6 in its third week; Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris (Ace) is #8 in its 20th week; and Dark Slayer by Christine Feehan (Berkley) is #11 in its third week.

On the hardcover nonfiction list, Shooting Stars by LeBron James and Buzz Bissinger (The Penguin Press) is #9 in its second week; The Healing of America by T.R. Reid (The Penguin Press) is #11 in its fourth week; and Traveling with Pomegranates by Sue Monk Kidd and Ann Kidd Taylor (Viking) is #15 in its second week.

On the mass market fiction list, Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell (Berkley) holds the #1 slot in its fourth week; Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs (Ace) is #13 in its fourth week; Storm of Shadows by Christina Dodd (Signet) is #16 in its third week, Rough Weather by Robert B. Parker (Berkley) is #17 in its third week; and Mounting Fears by Stuart Woods (Signet) appears at #18 in its second week. In addition, Ace's Charlaine Harris holds seven slots this week: From Dead to Worse at #6 in its 24th week; Dead Until Dark at #7 in its 43rd week;Club Dead at #10 in 29th week; Dead to the World at #11 in its 23rd week; Living Dead in Dallas at #12 in its 35th week; Dead as a Doornail at #15 in its fourteenth week; andDefinitely Dead at #19 in its fourteenth week.