Publishing world reacts to attack

The events of Sept. 11 that stunned our nation also rocked the publishing world, forcing some authors to cancel or scale back book tours and prompting publishers to re-evaluate their plans for the fall publishing season. Several publishers announced plans to release "instant" books about the tragedy, and others moved up publication dates or rushed to reprint relevant titles. For readers who want to learn more about terrorism, the Taliban and the Sept. 11 attacks, several new and recent books will be of interest:

    How Did This Happen? Terrorism and the New War edited by James F. Hoge, Jr. and Gideon Rose, the editor and managing editor of Foreign Affairs magazine. Essays by experts on military affairs, diplomacy and terrorism provide "an authoritative but accessible account of the issues that led to the present crisis." Due in bookstores by mid-November.


    Holy War, Inc.: Inside the Secret World of Osama bin Laden by former CNN producer Peter Bergen, one of the few Western journalists to have interviewed bin Laden in person. The book provides a detailed account of bin Laden's terrorist cells and two of their previous attacks -- on two U.S. embassies in Africa and on the U.S.S. Cole. Originally set for publication next spring, the book is now due to arrive in stores this month.


    From the Ashes: A Spiritual Response to the Attack on America, essays by spiritual and religious leaders from Desmond Tutu to Max Lucado on such topics as grief, retribution, forgiveness and heroism. All profits from the sale of the book will be donated to the NYC Bravest Scholarship Fund for the education of firefighters' children.


    In the Line of Duty a collection of photographs by John Botte documenting the heroic efforts of the New York Police Department in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks. Includes a foreword by New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik; royalties will be donated to the police widows' and children's fund. Kerik's own memoir, The Lost Son, was originally set for release this month, but publication has been delayed so that recent events can be included.


    The Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia by Ahmed Rashid, who traveled in Afghanistan and interviewed most of the Taliban's leadership. Yale University Press, which first published the book last year, was swamped with orders in September and ordered a large reprinting.


    The New Jackals: Ramzi Yousef, Osama bin Laden and the Future of Terrorism an account of the 1993 World Trade Tower bombing by British journalist Simon Reeve. First published two years ago, the book was reprinted this fall due to heavy demand.


    Twin Towers: The Life of New York City's World Trade Center by Angus Kress Gillespie is the fascinating, and now terribly poignant, story of how the towers were built, what they represented and how they functioned. With its haunting cover photo of the twin spires, this 1999 study sold out after the tragedy and was being reprinted by its publisher this fall.


    Germs: Biological Weapons and America's Secret War, a timely investigative study of biological warfare by New York Times reporters Judith Miller, Stephen Engelberg and William J. Broad. Tracing the development of biochemical weapons, the authors examine the roots of bioterrorism (including bin Laden's efforts to acquire chemical weapons) and the government's response to the threat.


    Also worthy of note is Karen Armstrong's Islam: A Short History. Part of the Modern Library's Chronicles series, which provides concise, accessible histories for the general reader, Islam traces the path of this misunderstood faith from the flight of Muhammad to the present day. The author is a former Catholic nun, a respected religious scholar and author of The Battle for God, a study of religious fundamentalism.


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