Did a little sightseeing in Columbus today. I went to the zoo, where most of the animals seemed to be rather lethargic. Maybe it was the warm, humid weather.


In any event, it was a much more pleasant experience than the last time I went to a zoo.

After the zoo, I went downtown and visited the Thurber House, where James Thurber lived while he attended Ohio State from 1913 to 1917. It’s a wonderful museum. Among the interesting artifacts is the typewriter Thurber used while he was at the New Yorker.


Apparently, when Thurber died he had just begun a story called “Please Do Not Touch.” I wonder where he was going with that one...

Many, many thanks to Sean Duffy and everybody else at the Ohio County Public Library for making yesterday's event in Wheeling such a great success. More than 80 people attended my presentation!

Only two more events left on this leg of the book tour, tonight at 7 at the Barnes & Noble at 1739 Olentangy River Road in Columbus, and tomorrow night at 7 at the main branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library.

I'm speaking at the Ohio County Public Library in Wheeling, West Virginia, today at noon. Then I'm off to Columbus, Ohio. Tomorrow morning at 8:15 I will be appearing on WTTE-TV Fox 28 News in Columbus. Tune in (if you can)!

I may have mentioned that C-SPAN taped my reading at the Kansas City Public Library earlier this month. Well, it will run tomorrow (Monday, May 25) at 2:30 PM on C-SPAN2. After that, it will run three more times. Click here for a complete schedule.

Had a great couple of days in western Maryland. Before my reading at Main Street Books in Frostburg last night, I had dinner at the Princess Restaurant with Fred Powell, the bookstore's owner. We sat in the famous Truman booth, of course. The restaurant's owner, George W. Pappas, picked up the tab, which was very nice of him - though I have been responsible for getting the Princess a fair amount of publicity lately!

Last night's reading was a great success, as was today's at the Frederick County Public Library. Now I'm in Wheeling, West Virginia, for a few days. When I checked into the motel I picked up a copy of "Roundabout," the monthly guide to events in the Wheeling area. Much to my surprise, my reading is listed!

Drove from Indianapolis to western Maryland yesterday (eight hours). Had a wonderful time in Indy, mainly due to the hospitality of my hosts, Claire and Jim Clark. Claire, who plays a minor role in the book, has become my biggest fan in Indiana. On Wednesday night she and Jim even hosted a party for me. It was a blast, and I am still recovering! ...

Click here to read a very nice review of the book in the Jackson (Mississippi) Free Press. ...

Tonight (Friday night) at 7:30 I will be doing a reading at Main Street Books in Frostburg, Maryland. (Beforehand I will be having dinner across the street at the Princess Restaurant, where Harry and Bess stopped for lunch on their way east). Tomorrow (Saturday) I will be appearing at the Frederick County Public Library in Frederick, Maryland, at 1:00 PM.

These two sculptures flank the entrance of the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library. Collectively known as "thinmanlittlebird," they were installed earlier this year. Perhaps not surprisingly, they have generated some controversy in Indianapolis!

Atrium of the Indianapolis-Marion County Library

Said goodbye to Allyson yesterday (insert not-smiley face here). She's back in Rome safe and sound. Drove from Chicago to Indianapolis today, was running late when I arrived because I forgot about the time change! At 7 tonight I'm doing a reading at the new Central Library, which is where I am now. It's an absolutely gorgeous library.

Tomorrow (Monday) I will be taping an interview for the Bob Edwards Show on Sirius XM Radio and appearing live on the Roe Conn Show on WLS-AM (890) in Chicago from 4:00 to 4:30 pm CDT.

The Virtual Book Signing at the Abraham Lincoln Book Shop in Chicago yesterday went great. (It will be archived and available on-line in a week or two.) Many thanks to Mary Kravenas and Dan Weinberg for making it possible. The Abraham Lincoln Book Shop is a really wonderful place, with all kinds of presidential memorabilia on display and for sale. If you ever get a chance, stop by. You won't be disappointed.

Had a great event at Pudd'nhead Books last night (thank you, Nikki). Drove to Chicago today, and am now in the hotel room eagerly awaiting Allyson!

Tomorrow at noon (CDT), I will be appearing at the Abraham Lincoln Book Shop in Chicago, but if you can't make it, you can still watch the event live on the Internet!

It's been a great few days in St. Louis. On Tuesday I had two very successful events at the Barnes & Noble in Fenton (thank you, Deborah!) and last night I had a wonderful time at the St. Louis Woman's Club, where I gave a speech and was treated royally (thank you, Toni!).

Tonight at 7 I'm giving a reading at Pudd'nhead Books (37 S. Old Orchard Ave., Webster Groves, MO). Afterward I'm meeting up with some old St. Louis friends across the street at the Highway 61 Roadhouse. If you're in the area, please come to both events!

Tomorrow I'm driving to Chicago (to meet Allyson - yay!!!). On Saturday at noon I'll be giving a reading at the Abraham Lincoln Book Shop (357 W. Chicago Ave.). That will be a great event - and it will be carried live on the Web at www.virtualbooksigning.net, so you can join me even if you're not in Chicago!

This morning I appeared on the Scott & Scott show on WZUS-FM, the country station in Decatur. That's me in the middle. Scott is on the right. The "other Scott" is on the left.


Tonight I spoke at the Decatur Public Library. We had another good turnout (more than 50 people).

Had a nice event at Morrisson-Reeves Library in Richmond, Indiana, yesterday. More than 20 people attended my presentation, and afterward I was presented with a gift basket by the local Convention and Visitors Bureau (pictured above). Drove to Decatur, Illinois, today. Tomorrow night at 7 I am doing a reading/signing at the Decatur Public Library. (BTW, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch ran a nice article about the book today.)

The book tour is off to a good start! More than 150 people attended my presentation at the Kansas City Public Library last night. Many thanks to Henry Fortunato and the library staff for setting up such a wonderful event (which was taped by C-SPAN, incidentally). This morning at 10, I will be a guest on the Walter Bodine show on KCUR-FM (89.3) in Kansas City. (Harry's grandson, Clifton Truman Daniel, will be on the show with me.) Tonight at 6, I will be signing books at the Banes & Noble in Independence, Missouri. If you are in the area, please stop by!

Albert Hamilton Gordon, one of the last living links to the great stock market crash of 1929, passed away on Friday. He was 107.

In 2004, I produced a story about Mr. Gordon for Marketplace. Back then he was "only" 103 and still came into his office several days a week!

Incidentally, in its obituary, the New York Times appears to use two quotes from my story, but mistakenly attributes them to "NPR." Marketplace, of course, is produced by American Public Media.

I'm hanging out at my in-laws' place in Johnson City, Tennessee, attending to last minute details before heading out to Kansas City on Monday to begin the book tour. I'll be driving my father-in-law's truck (thanks, Frank). First event is Tuesday night at 6:30 at the Kansas City Public Library's Plaza Branch. This Sunday, the Kansas City Star is running an excerpt from the book, which is already on line. Click here to read it.