Ron Chernow's track record for biographies is impressive. His first, The House of Morgan, won a National Book Award; his second, The Warburgs, won the Eccles Prize as 1993's best business book; his following book, Titan, on John D. Rockefeller, was a National Book Critics Circle finalist. And now, judging by its stellar reviews, his latest,

Alexander Hamilton, could once again garner the author an award or two. Penguin Press launched the book with a one-day laydown and a 336,000-copy printing. Publicity included a first serial in Business Week; lots of media, including The Today Show ; and a three-week, 12-city author tour. Events in the New York area will continue into the summer—in July, Chernow will participate in a ceremony marking the 200th anniversary of Hamilton's death; direct descendants of Hamilton will attend.