Viking has acquired Deborah Harkness's A Discovery of Witches to be published in Winter 2011. This is a tale of science and magic in which a long-lost alchemical manuscript is discovered at the Bodleian Library at Oxford, leading to romance between a 1,500 year old vampire and a witch in denial of her powers. World, audio, and first serial rights were acquired in a deal by Viking's Carole DeSanti, VP and Editor at Large, from Sam Stoloff, VP & Senior Agent, Frances Goldin Literary Agency.

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Viking/ Penguin’s Elizabeth Gilbert To Publish a New Memoir With Viking

Elizabeth Gilbert, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Eat, Pray, Love, will have a new memoir out from Viking in January 2010. Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage begins where Eat, Pray, Love ended—just after Gilbert fell in love with Felipe, a Brazilian-born man of Australian citizenship who’d been living in Indonesia when they met. Resettling in America, the couple swore eternal fidelity to each other, but also swore to never, ever, under any circumstances get legally married. (Both were survivors of divorces.) But providence intervened one day in the form of the U.S. government, which—after unexpectedly detaining Felipe at an American border crossing—gave the couple a choice: they could either get married, or Felipe would never be allowed to enter the country again.

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New York, May 28, 2009  --   A Passion for Design will, for the first time, share Barbra Streisand's exquisite taste and style in a beautiful book format.  She is already an icon known and appreciated by millions for her acting, singing and directorial accomplishments. Now, at last, readers will get a view of her fabulous collections and her amazing sense of design.

Viking is pleased to announce that A Passion for Design by Barbra Streisand has been acquired by Clare Ferraro, President of Viking.  Robert Barnett of Williams & Connolly negotiated the acquisition for world rights and first serial.  Viking will publish in the fall of 2010.   A Passion for Design will be edited by Rick Kot, executive editor at Viking.

The book will focus on the architecture and building of her newest home, the dream house and refuge Ms. Streisand says she has longed for since the days when she shared a small Brooklyn apartment with her mother, brother and grandparents. A Passion for Design will be the culmination and reflection of Barbra's love of American architecture from 1790-1904.   It will contain many of her own photographs of rooms she has decorated, furniture and art she has collected, and flowers and vegetables she grows in her glorious gardens.   

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Mohsin Hamid, Author of the Acclaimed New York Times Bestseller The Reluctant Fundamentalist, to Explore the Intersection Between Pakistan and the Western World in Upcoming New Book

New York, New York, May 13, 2009 ... Geoffrey Kloske, Vice President and Publisher of Riverhead Books, today announced the acquisition of North American rights, including audio, first-serial, eBook and paperback rights, to a new novel by New York Times-bestselling, critically acclaimed, award-winning author Mohsin Hamid.  Tentatively titled Pureland, the book will be set in Pakistan and the West and will explore the unmaking of identity - personal, national, sexual, spiritual - at a moment of global seismic shift.  Rebecca Saletan, Editorial Director of Riverhead Books, will edit Mr. Hamid's new novel, which she acquired from literary agent Jay Mandel of the William Morris Agency.  Hamish Hamilton, a Penguin Group (UK) imprint, which also published Mr. Hamid's last book, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, has acquired UK rights.  A publication date has not yet been set.

Mr. Kloske commented, "I'm very pleased that Riverhead is Mohsin Hamid's new publishing home.  He is an immensely talented writer and continues Riverhead's ongoing tradition of publishing landmark literary works by such award-winning, bestselling authors as Khaled Hosseini, Junot Díaz, and Chang-rae Lee.  Mohsin provides compelling perspectives in a way that will have a lasting impact on readers everywhere."

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Viking Acquires Memoir by Jordan's King Abdullah II

Viking has acquired rights to King Abdullah II of Jordan’s memoir, The Last Best Chance: An Intimate Account of the Pursuit of Peace in a Time of Peril. It is almost unprecedented for a sitting monarch to pen a memoir that gives a full and frank reckoning with the most explosive issues he faces. King Abdullah II does this now out of a sense of great urgency, a conviction that a window of opportunity now exists for peace in the region, coupled with a fear that this window is closing rapidly. For ten years, King Abdullah II has ruled Jordan, a country at the center of strategic discussion regarding Israel and Palestine, Iraq, Iran, terrorism, and the future of relations between East and the West. Underlining the importance of Jordan’s role, President Barack Obama invited King Abdullah II to be the first Arab leader to meet at the White House during his administration.

The book will be a personal narrative rich with human drama. It is the inspirational story of a man who is suddenly called upon to serve his Kingdom, and makes his bride its Queen. It is a view of the central global crises of our time, from someone with the power and insight to lead the region forward into a brighter future. Through it all, King Abdullah II has been not just a wise observer but an active participant in major events—fighting terrorism, struggling for peace, and leading the effort to make his country an enlightened model for the region.

The memoir will be edited by Joy de Menil, Executive Editor at Viking, and is scheduled for publication in May 2010.