New Orlean on Rin Tin Tin

The next book by celebrated Orchid Thief author Susan Orlean is all about the extraordinary life, and later descendants, of the 1920s and '30s canine movie star Rin Tin Tin. The untitled book, which was bought by Geoff Shandler at Little, Brown from agent Richard Pine at Arthur Pine Associates, was taken for North American rights and will be published two years hence. The dog, born in France during World War I, was smuggled into the U.S. on a troop transport, became a huge Hollywood star who helped save Warner Bros. from bankruptcy and died in the arms of glamorous star Jean Harlow. Orlean is a dog person who has coauthored a canine cookbook, Throw Me a Bone, and is therefore well qualified to write of the legendary dog and his descendants, which to this day help the blind and autistic.