Marking History

When history is being made, people turn to TIME. We not only mark history; sometimes we are part of it. With the election of Barack Obama as the first African-American President of the United States, people across America and around the world scooped up copies of our commemorative election issue to observe the occasion. It has already become a collector's item. When I was walking home from the office a few nights after the election, I passed a newsstand in New York City that had just one copy of the issue left for sale--marked up to $25. While I'm against such price gouging, it was a sign that the issue had already become a must-have piece of American political history.

To respond to the demand for the issue, we went back and printed hundreds of thousands of extra copies. And now we are making the issue available to anyone who hasn't been able to get hold of one. To order, just go online to time.com/obamaissue or call 1-866-550-6934. You'll be glad to know we're charging just our normal cover price.

At the same time, we are already experiencing strong demand for our new book about Obama--even before its publication. President Obama: The Path to the White House, superbly edited by Adi Ignatius and beautifully designed by Sharon Okamoto, combines original material on Obama's journey with a collection of the best reporting and writing from TIME's political team on his rise and historic victory. And it is overflowing with Callie Shell's incredible and intimate photographs of Obama, selected by photo editor Crary Pullen, many of which have never before been seen in print. "In clear and colorful storytelling," says Ignatius, "TIME's political team explains Obama's remarkable ascent and what it means for all of us."

The softcover version of this book is available now at newsstands across the country. And the hardcover version has already cracked Barnes & Noble's top 50 best-sellers list, just in pre-orders. It will be available at bookstores everywhere in mid-December, or you can order copies now by going to time.com/obamabook

Richard Stengel, MANAGING EDITOR