Galley Girl: World Trade Center Edition

TERRORISM TOMES:

— Caleb Carr, military historian and author of the best-selling novels "The Alienist" and "The Angel of Darkness," will write a book to be published by Random House in December that examines the history of terrorism. His new book, to be titled "The Conquest of Terror," will examine the historical roots of terrorism since ancient times and show why it has been, though immensely destructive, an ultimately failed tactic. Carr will look at specific acts of terrorism from the Roman Empire through the Middle Ages, to more recent events in United States history, including acts committed during the War of 1812 when the British burned the White House and attacked civilians, William Sherman's declaration of "total war" on the South during the Civil War, through wars waged against civilians during the Twentieth Century, to the most recent attack in New York.

— PW Rights Alert reports that a book signed two years ago at The Free Press on Islamic fundamentalist leader Osama bin Laden is being moved up from next spring to November, with author Peter Bergen working on last-minute changes to bring his manuscript up to date. The book, "Holy War: Inside the Secret World of Osama bin Laden" will be ready to crash to stores six weeks from now. Bergen is an analyst of terrorism for CNN, and one of the few Westerners ever to interview bin Laden, which he did in 1997. He has been studying him and his movement ever since.

MORAL COLLAPSE:

Now that televangelists Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson have softened up the book-buying public with their remarks about the ACLU, gays and abortion rights supporters being responsible for the terrorist attacks, it’s time for "The Broken Hearth: Reversing the Moral Collapse of the American Family" by William J. Bennett (Doubleday; September 25).

GIRL, INTERRUPTED:

PW gives a starred review to "Still Alive: A Holocaust Girlhood Remembered" by professor emerita at UC-Irvine Ruth Kluger (Feminist; November). "Calmly, and chillingly, relating the everyday events of her youth — Aryan students making colored paper swastikas and then asking Jewish students to judge them...Already compared by European critics to the work of Primo Levi and Elie Wiesel, this is an important addition to Jewish, Holocaust and women’s studies. FORECAST: This is a standout in the crowded field of Holocaust memoirs and should have strong sales."

POOH ON YOU:

The Most Famous Bear in All the World, Winnie-the-Pooh, turns 75 on October 14. To celebrate the date, Dutton Children’s Books will publish "The Complete Tales & Poems of Winnie-the-Pooh" by A.A. Milne, a beautifully illustrated, 557-page book.

JACKIE OH:

Kirkus and PW stand united in their admiration of "Mrs. Kennedy: The Missing History of the Kennedy Years" by Barbara Leaming (Free Press; October 23), both giving it glowing starred reviews. Kirkus raved, "Admirably detailed, stunningly successful, and likely to become the definitive biography of the Kennedy marriage, with all the intimacy and international scope implied." PW concurs. "Leaming explores Jackie’s complex and often painful inner life with subtlety and compassion. Unabashedly sympathetic toward her protagonist, Leaming provides a fascinating glimpse into one of the 20th century’s most famous marriages, and her assertion that Jackie Kennedy deserves more credit than she’s typically gotten for her husband’s successes is persuasive. FORECAST: Leaming’s bio of Katharine Hepburn was a bestseller, and one can predict generous sales for this title."

AS THE CROW FLIES:

PW is swept away by "Remembering Jim Crow: African Americans Tell About Life in the Segregated South," edited by William Henry Chafe, Raymond Gavins, Robert Korstad and the staff of the Behind the Veil Project" (New Press; November), giving it a starred review. The book and CD draw on the 1,200 interviews with African-Americans that make up the Duke University collection called Behind the Veil: Documenting African-American Life in the Jim Crow South. Says PW, "Viscerally powerful...Readers and listeners will confront ‘the dailiness of the terror blacks experienced at the hands of capricious whites,’ and of ‘the capacity of the black community to come to each other’s aid and invent means of sustaining the collective will to survive...moving, deeply instructive." PW predicts success for this project: "The award-winning Remembering Slavery attracted countless readers and listeners, partly because public radio stations broadcast the tapes. Expect a similar reception for this volume."

MARTHA DE SADE:

In April, Wiley will publish "Martha Inc.: The Incredible Story of Martha Stewart Living Omimedia" by former TIME correspondent Christopher Byron. The publisher calls this "an investigative account of an enterprising woman and her hold on American domestic culture," but based on the winning picture of Martha on the cover and the description of the contents, don’t expect a nasty book like "Just Desserts." Looks like this one is being pitched to Stewart’s book-buying fans.

SPRING FORWARD:

PW runs a three-page look at spring books. Among those featured:

— In February, Riverhead will publish "Miracle at Saint Ana," the hotly anticipated fiction debut of James McBride, author of the best-selling "The Color of Water." According to PW, "Set in Italy in WWII and based on the famed Buffalo Soldiers of the 92nd Infantry, ‘Miracle at Saint Ana’ focuses on four American Negro men, a band of partisans and an Italian boy who find redemption in the aftermath of a massacre."

— The long-awaited third volume of Robert Caro’s biography of Lyndon B. Johnson, "Master of the Senate," will be published this spring. PW predicts that despite its 1,152-page length, it will "rise to the top of critics’ reading piles and April bestseller lists." First serial rights to the New Yorker.

— In February, Random House will publish Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s account of her childhood, "Lazy B: Growing Up on a Cattle Ranch in the American Southwest," co-written with her brother, Alan Day.

— Conservative diva Ann Coulter is the author of "Loathing on the Left: The Liberal Compulsion to Hate Conservatives," which will be published this spring. 100,000-copy first printing.