Authors on the Air: Assassination Memories; Relentless Buchwald; Turkey Love

Compiled by Diane Patrick, PW Daily -- Publishers Weekly, 11/22/2006

This morning, The Early Show interviewed James Swanson, co-author of Lincoln's Assassins: Their Trial and Execution (Morrow, $39.95). According to PW’s review, “This beautifully produced, groundbreaking volume of over 300 documents, portraits, memorabilia and arcana relating to Lincoln's assassination manages to transcend its immediate historical importance to become something artistically unique. Swanson and Weinberg contribute enough text to place all of these artifacts in historical context and provide an intelligent, informative primer on the topic.”

The Diane Rehm Show chatted with humorist (and now hospice superstar) Art Buchwald, who’s just published Too Soon to Say Goodbye (Random House, $17.95).

On Talk of the Nation, Alex Kershaw counted The Few: The American “Knights of the Air” Who Risked Everything to Fight in the Battle of Britain ( Da Capo, $25; Brilliance Audio abridged audio CD, $26.95). From PW’s review: “Using personal vignettes to convey the extraordinary routines of life in the cockpits, in the squadrons and in England, Kershaw evokes the heroism of these pilots, only one of whom survived the war whose tide they helped turn.”

Chris Gardner’s appearance on Oprah was postponed from last week to today. Gardner will chat about the paperback release of his memoir, The Pursuit of Happyness (HarperCollins, $14.95; abridged HarperAudio CD $29.95). The author will be joined by Will Smith, who plays Gardner in the forthcoming movie based on the book.

On The Leonard Lopate Show:

Jeff Cohen, founder of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) discussed Cable News Confidential: My Misadventures in Corporate Media (PoliPointPress, $14.95), which PW called an “excellent, high-energy look back at his trials and tribulations at CNN, Fox News and MSNBC.... Cohen's willingness to mire himself in the swamp of infotainment amply mirrors the situation of viewers drawn into the cable news runaround, doomed to get their news from ‘three dogs chasing each other's tails to the right.’”

Karen Page and Andrew Dorenburg, co-authors of What to Drink with What You Eat: The Definitive Guide to Pairing Food with Wine, Beer, Spirits, Coffee, Tea—Even Water—Based on Expert Advice from America's Best Sommeliers (Bulfinch, $35). PW found it an “exhaustive, accessible resource. This encyclopedic collection is highly recommended for those who give serious thought to the flavor of each dish.”

Journalism professor Alicia Shepard on Woodward and Bernstein: Life in the Shadow of Watergate (Wiley, $24.95). PW’s review had this to say: “Separating the men from the myth, Shepard provides an insightful, highly readable study for fans of journalism, U.S. politics and the work of ‘Woodstein.’ ”

Authors on The Book Report:

Food historian Andrew F. Smith, author of The Turkey: An American Story (University of Illinois Press, $29.95), which PW called a “thorough and multifaceted history of the... bird most people take for granted.”

Richard Bausch, author of Thanksgiving Night (HarperCollins, $24.95).

Looking forward, since there will be no PW Daily on Thursday or Friday....

On Thursday, The Diane Rehm Show will rebroadcast her interview with Charles Frazier, author of Thirteen Moons (Random House, $26.95; unabridged RH Audio CD, $44.95; abridged RH Audio CD, $29.95).

Jeanne Bice, QVC's top-selling apparel star, will visit The View on Friday. She’ll do a cooking segment with Rosie O'Donnellm demonstrating recipes from her new book, Jeanne Bice's Quacker Factory Christmas (HCI, $19.95).

Lauren Bacall stops by The Martha Stewart Show to update the audience on her revised and expanded memoir, By Myself and Then Some (Harper, $15.95; abridged HarperAudio CD, $29.95).

Later, on The Diane Rehm Show, Oscar-winner Ellen Burstyn teaches Lessons in Becoming Myself (Riverhead, $25.95; abridged Penguin Audio CD, $44.95).

Friday night on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, rapper and actor Snoop Dogg unveils a new talent—novelist—as he talks about his debut novel, Love Don't Live Here No More: Book One of Doggy Tales (Atria, $24), which is the first part of a projected trilogy.

Programming is subject to change. For more detailed information about author appearances on these shows and others as well as listings of book mentions and book reviews, see TitleSmart.

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