MAIN NEWS HEADLINES
October 1-15, 2003 Edition GENERAL NEWS Barnes & Noble
University, Court TV
Offer Forensics Course
NEW YORK/9/24/03—In response to the ever-increasing interest in the science of forensics, Barnes & Noble.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: BNBN) ( www.bn.com) announced today that it will offer a new online course at Barnes & Noble University, created in partnership with Court TV-The Investigation Channel(TM), dedicated to the techniques and history of forensics. The course, Learn Forensics with Court TV, was produced by a forensic science educator associated with Court TV and will be conducted online at www.bn.com/university.
The introductory course curriculum includes the study of the history and techniques of forensic science, from ancient China to 21st century laboratories, and explores many specialties within the field. Students also have the opportunity to step into the shoes of a crime-scene analyst to discover how to secure and process a crime scene, what kind of evidence to seek out, and both high- and low-tech forensic techniques that are used to solve crimes.
“The public’s interest in forensics has intensified enormously, as evidenced by the growing numbers of people who watch high-profile court cases and the popularity of television programs in which it plays a major role,” said Marie Toulantis, chief executive officer of Barnes & Noble.com. “The course will be an excellent opportunity to learn more about this important and fascinating science.”
Learn Forensics with Court TV will be taught by Stephanie Castonguay, who holds a B.S. in Biology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. In 2001, Stephanie was named an Outstanding Future Educator by Kappa Delta Pi, an international honor society in education. In October 2002, she participated in the second Forensic Science Educational Conference (FSEC), held in New York City.
“Not since the space race has a generation been so intrigued with a field of science,” said Henry Schleiff, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Court TV. “Forensics has transformed the judicial system – confirming clues, exonerating wrongly accused prisoners, solving cold cases and streamlining the investigative process. Thousands of high schools and colleges have added forensics study to their science curriculums. Court TV is pleased to partner with Barnes & Noble University to offer an online course which will be a fascinating introduction to forensics for armchair detectives, those considering more serious professional study, or anyone who wants to increase their enjoyment of the investigative mysteries that dominate current books, movies, television series and documentaries.”
Barnes & Noble University (BNU) is home to some of the best and most varied educational content on the Internet. Each month, dozens of courses are offered, each taught by an expert in the field, often a bestselling author. The courses cover everything from technology and computer skills to literature, writing, business, foreign language, and self-help. Many of the courses are free, and BNU’s reasonably-priced Premier courses enhance the level of learning with such features as Certificates of Completion, interactive activities, available Continuing Education Units (CEUs), Learning Paths, and more. Barnes & Noble University is not an accredited program or institution.
Learn Forensics with Court TV costs $14.95 and will begin on October 8. The reference book, The Forensic Casebook: The Science of Crime Scene Investigation, complements the course and is only $11.86. The course offers a high level of instructor participation via message boards and e-mail, hands-on forensics experiments and interactive activities using online and reference book material. Registration for the course is now available at www.bn.com/university.
About Barnes & Noble.com
Barnes & Noble.com is a leading Internet-based retailer of books, music, DVD/video and online courses. Since opening its online store ( www.bn.com) in March 1997, Barnes & Noble.com has attracted more than 14.4 million customers in 230 countries. Barnes & Noble.com’s bookstore includes the largest in-stock selection of in-print book titles with access to approximately one million titles for immediate delivery, supplemented by more than 30 million listings from its nationwide network of out-of-print, rare and used book dealers. Barnes & Noble.com offers its customers fast delivery, easy and secure ordering, and rich editorial content.
About Court TV
Court TV-The Investigation Channel(TM) is the leader in the investigation genre, providing a window on the American system of justice through distinctive programming that both informs and entertains. Court TV telecasts trials by day and high-profile original programs like Forensic Files and popular off-network series like NYPD Blue in the evening. Court TV is 50% owned by AOL Time Warner, and 50% owned by Liberty Media Corp. The network is seen in almost 80 million homes. ( www.courttv.com or AOL Keyword: Court TV)
THE BOOK SENSE NATIONAL BESTSELLER LIST
Published Thursday, September 25, 2003 (for sales week ended Sunday, September 21, 2003.)
Based on reporting from over 400 independent bookstores across America.
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New to the List this week:
A Ton of Great Debuts this Week—
The Time Traveler’s Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger (HF#9, 193156146X) The Fortress of Solitude, by Jonathan Lethem (HF#10, 0385500696) Remember When, by Nora Roberts, J. D. Robb (HF#11, 0399151060) Lunch at the Piccadilly, by Clyde Edgerton (HF#12, 1565121953) Madam Secretary, by Madeleine K. Albright (HN #6, 0786868430) The Bounty: The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty, by Caroline Alexander (HN#8, 067003133X) Mountains Beyond Mountains, by Tracy Kidder (HN#11, 0375506160) Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides (TF#4, 0312422156) Caramelo, by Sandra Cisneros (TF #15, 0679742581) The English Roses, by Madonna (CI#1, 0670036781) A is for Abigail: An Almanac of Amazing American Women, by Lynne V. Cheney (CI#6, 0689858191) I’m a Manatee, by John Lithgow, Ard Hoyt (Illus.) (CI#8, 0689854277) Tails, by Matthew Van Fleet (CI#9, 0152167730) Room on the Broom, by Julia Donaldson, Axel Scheffler (Illus.) (CI#14, 0142501123)
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HARDCOVER FICTION
1. The Da Vinci Code
Dan Brown, Doubleday, $24.95
2. Bleachers
John Grisham, Doubleday, $19.95
3. The Wedding
Nicholas Sparks, Warner, $23.95
4. The Namesake
Jhumpa Lahiri, Houghton Mifflin, $24
5. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Mark Haddon, Doubleday, $22.95
6. The Lovely Bones
Alice Sebold, Little Brown, $21.95
7. The Teeth of the Tiger
Tom Clancy, Putnam, $27.95
8. A Place of Hiding
Elizabeth George, Bantam, $26.95
9. The Time Traveler’s Wife – Debut
Audrey Niffenegger, MacAdam/Cage, $25
10. The Fortress of Solitude – Debut
Jonathan Lethem, Doubleday, $26
11. Remember When – Debut
Nora Roberts, J. D. Robb, Putnam, $25.95
12. Lunch at the Piccadilly – Debut
Clyde Edgerton, Algonquin, $22.95
13. Love Me
Garrison Keillor, Viking, $24.95
14. Diary
Chuck Palahniuk, Doubleday, $24.95
15. The Kalahari Typing School for Men
Alexander McCall Smith, Pantheon, $19.95
ON THE RISE:
18. The Known World
Edward P. Jones, Amistad/HarperCollins, $24.95
A Top Ten 76 Pick! A vivid story of slavery and black masters.
HARDCOVER NONFICTION
1. The Ultimate Weight Solution
Dr. Phillip C. McGraw, Free Press, $26
2. Lies, And The Lying Liars Who Tell Them
Al Franken, Dutton, $24.95
3. The South Beach Diet
Arthur Agatston, M.D., Rodale, $24.95
4. Under the Banner of Heaven
Jon Krakauer, Doubleday, $26
5. The Great Unraveling
Paul Krugman, Norton, $25.95
6. Madam Secretary – Debut
Madeleine K. Albright, Miramax Books, $27.95
7. Benjamin Franklin
Walter Isaacson, S&S, $30
8. The Bounty: The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty – Debut
Caroline Alexander, Viking, $27.95
9. The Purpose-Driven Life
Rick Warren, Zondervan, $19.99
10. Reading Lolita in Tehran
Azar Nafisi, Random House, $23.95
11. Mountains Beyond Mountains – Debut
Tracy Kidder, Random House, $25.95
12. A Short History of Nearly Everything
Bill Bryson, Broadway, $27.50
13. Thieves in High Places
Jim Hightower, Viking, $24.95
14. The Power of Now
Eckhart Tolle, New World, $22.95
15. Stillness Speaks
Eckhart Tolle, New World, $17
ON THE RISE:
21. Naked in Baghdad: The Iraq War as Seen by NPR’s Correspondent
Anne Garrells, FSG, $22
“Shock and awe” from the inside, as experienced by a fiercely smart, courageous veteran war reporter.
TRADE PAPERBACK FICTION
1. The Secret Life of Bees
Sue Monk Kidd, Penguin, $14
2. Life of Pi
Yann Martel, Harvest, $14
3. #1 Ladies’ Detective Agency
Alexander McCall Smith, Anchor, $11.95
4. Middlesex – Debut
Jeffrey Eugenides, Picador, $15
5. Three Junes
Julia Glass, Anchor, $14
6. Blessings
Anna Quindlen, Random House, $13.95
7. The Piano Tuner
Daniel Philippe Mason, Vintage, $14
8. Blue Shoe
Anne Lamott, Riverhead, $14
9. The Virgin Blue
Tracy Chevalier, Plume, $14
10. Tears of the Giraffe
Alexander McCall Smith, Anchor, $11.95
11. Bel Canto
Ann Patchett, Perennial, $13.95
12. East of Eden
John Steinbeck, Penguin, $16
13. Morality for Beautiful Girls
Alexander McCall Smith, Anchor, $11.95
14. Atonement
Ian McEwan, Anchor, $14
15. Caramelo – Debut
Sandra Cisneros, Vintage, $13.95
ON THE RISE:
36. The Human Stain
Philip Roth, Vintage, $14.95
The movie based on this brilliant book is coming, so read it now!
TRADE PAPERBACK NONFICTION
1. Seabiscuit
Laura Hillenbrand, Ballantine, $15.95
2. Longitudes and Attitudes
Thomas L. Friedman, Anchor, $14.95
3. Nickel and Dimed
Barbara Ehrenreich, Owl, $13
4. Under the Tuscan Sun
Frances Mayes, Broadway, $15
5. Small Wonder
Barbara Kingsolver, Perennial, $12.95
6. Running With Scissors
Augusten Burroughs, Picador, $14
7. Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution
Robert C. Atkins, M.D., Quill, $13.95
8. Fast Food Nation
Eric Schlosser, Perennial, $13.95
9. The Old Farmer’s Almanac 2004
Old Farmer’s Almanac (Ed.), Old Farmer’s Almanac, $5.95
10. Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight
Alexandra Fuller, Random House, $13.95
11. The Best Democracy Money Can Buy
Greg Palast, Plume, $14
12. My Losing Season
Pat Conroy, Bantam, $14.95
13. The Four Agreements
Don Miguel Ruiz, Amber-Allen, $12.95
14. It’s Not About the Bike
Lance Armstrong, Berkley, $14
15. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
Dave Eggers, Vintage, $14
ON THE RISE (1):
24. Book Lust: Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment, and Reason
Nancy Pearl, Sasquatch, $16.95
An irresistible title (and resource) for booksellers and readers alike.
ON THE RISE (2):
41. How to Be Alone: Essays
Jonathan Franzen, Picador, $14
Bestselling and National Book Award-winning novelist Franzen (The Corrections) looks critically at the modern cultural landscape. Just out in paperback.
MASS MARKET
1. Angels & Demons
Dan Brown, Pocket, $7.99
2. Seabiscuit
Laura Hillenbrand, Ballantine, $7.99
3. Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution
Robert C. Atkins, M.D., Avon, $7.99
4. The Grave Maurice
Martha Grimes, Onyx, $7.99
5. Dr. Atkins’ New Carbohydrate Gram Counter
Robert C. Atkins, M.D., M. Evans, $4.95
6. Deception Point
Dan Brown, Pocket, $7.99
7. Chasing the Dime
Michael Connelly, Warner, $7.99
8. Quentins
Maeve Binchy, Signet, $7.99
9. Red Rabbit
Tom Clancy, Berkley, $7.99
10. Dune: The Butlerian Jihad
Brian Herbert, Tor, $7.99
CHILDREN’S FICTION
1. Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy, Part 1: The Night of the Nasty Nostril Nuggets
Dav Pilkey, Blue Sky, $4.99
2. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
J.K. Rowling, Scholastic, $29.99
3. Haunted Castle on Hallow’s Eve
Mary Pope Osborne, Random House, $11.95
4. Eragon
Christopher Paolini, Knopf, $18.95
5. Holes
Louis Sachar, Yearling, $6.50
6. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
Ann Brashares, Delacorte, $8.95
7. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
J.K. Rowling, Scholastic, $8.99
8. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
J.K. Rowling, Scholastic, $7.99
9. The Whale Rider
Witi Ihimaera, Harcourt, $8
10. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
J.K. Rowling, Scholastic, $6.99
11. A Series of Unfortunate Events #1: The Bad Beginning
Lemony Snicket, HarperTrophy, $10.99
12. High Tide in Hawaii
Mary Pope Osborne, Random House, $3.99
13. The Tale of Despereaux
Kate Dicamillo, Candlewick, $17.99
14. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
J.K. Rowling, Scholastic, $6.99
15. Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code
Eoin Colfer, Hyperion, $16.95
CHILDREN’S NONFICTION
1. The English Roses – Debut
Madonna, Penguin, $19.95
2. Diary of a Worm
Doreen Cronin, Harry Bliss (Illus.), Joanna Cotler, $15.99
3. Goodnight Moon
Margaret Wise Brown, Clement Hurd (Illus.), HarperCollins, $7.99
4. Pat the Bunny
Dorothy Kunhardt, Golden, $9.99
5. Walter the Farting Dog
William Kotzwinkle, Glenn Murray, Audrey Colman (Illus.), Frog, $15.95
6. A is for Abigail: An Almanac of Amazing American Women – Debut
Lynne V. Cheney, S&S, $16.95
7. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
Bill Martin, Eric Carle (Illus.), Holt, $7.95
8. I’m a Manatee – Debut
John Lithgow, Ard Hoyt (Illus.), S&S, $17.95
9. Tails – Debut
Matthew Van Fleet, Red Wagon, $12.95
10. The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Eric Carle, Putnam, $9.99
11. Love You Forever
Robert Munsch, Sheila McGraw (Illus.), Firefly, $4.95
12. Babar’s Museum of Art
Laurent Brunhoff, Abrams, $16.95
13. Where the Wild Things Are
Maurice Sendak, HarperCollins, $7.99
14. Room on the Broom – Debut
Julia Donaldson, Axel Scheffler (Illus.), Puffin, $6.99
15. Snuggle Puppy
Sandra Boynton, Workman, $6.95
May We Recommend
Hardcover
PRESENT VALUE, by Sabin Willett (Villard, $24.95, 1400060869) “A decent man is caught up in the downfall of both his Fortune 100 Company and his personal life in this witty novel about corporate greed. Willet’s social commentary is both hilarious and profoundly sad. A truly American novel, and maybe a great one.”—Terry Whittaker, Viewpoint of Columbus, Columbus, IN
THEATER OF THE STARS, by N. M. Kelby (Hyperion, $23.95, 0786868589) “This beautiful, mysterious, and frightening book has me under its spell. This story about the tragedy of war, the Manhattan Project’s impact on the world of physicists, and mothers and daughters, will interest a wide range of readers. Kelby is a gifted and intelligent writer.”—Joci Tilsen, Valley Bookseller, Stillwater, MN
Paperback
MOON’S CROSSING, by Barbara Croft (Mariner, $12, 0618341536) “This historical fiction takes us from the 19th century, when the affluent were cultured and in quiet control, to the roaring, fast-advancing, industrial modern age. Jim Moon, a gentle, simple man, reads about the White City in Chicago and is so drawn to it that he leaves his wife and son to travel there. Weaving together three stories, this is the story of the kinds of people who worked at the fair, came to the fair to see the dream city, and became lost in its wonder.”—Dorie Schultz, Harry W. Schwartz Bookshop, Mequon, WI
Kids
LEON AND THE SPITTING IMAGE, by Allen Kurzweil; Bret Bertholf (Illus.) (Greenwillow, $15.99, 0060539305) “What could be so difficult about passing fourth grade? For Leon, who is known to have poor fine motor skills, having to sew everyday for a teacher who herself seems to be patched together is surefire torture. The characters from the school bully, to Leon’s best friends, to an outrageous taxi driver all make this a real page-turner. Mystery, fantasy, and comedy, all mixed with pure magic this book has it all.”—Marilyn Smith, Hawley-Cooke Booksellers, Louisville, KY (Also a Harper Children’s Audio, 0060564334, Abridged)
M IS FOR MAJESTIC: A National Parks Alphabet, by David Domeniconi; Pam Carroll (Illus.) (Sleeping Bear, $17.95, 1585361380) “This is a wonderful addition to Sleeping Bear Press’ alphabet series. Great rhyming text for little ones and detail boxes for older children plus large colorful illustrations bring learning about America’s national treasures to life.”—Lisa Fabiano, Hearts & Stars Bookshop, Canton, MA
