New Sale for the Other Adams
by John F. Baker -- Publishers Weekly, 8/6/2001
In the midst of the bestselling success of David McCullough's John Adams, a book about the founding father's wife, Abigail, is about to come back to life—and from the same publisher. It all came about because of a couple of persistent independent booksellers. Roxanne Coady of R.J. Julia and Katie Parker of Joseph-Beth both stopped by Simon & Schuster's booth at BEA, independently of each other, and reminded Mark Gompertz, trade paperback publisher, about an old Free Press title, Dearest Friend: The Life of Abigail Adams by Lynn Withey, published in 1981 and long out of print. Editor-in-chief Trish Todd leaped into the breach and purchased the rights, which had reverted to the author, and the book will be reappearing as a Touchstone hardcover in October.
