By Rita Brutsch

I am in London on vacation, and, after a few days of sightseeing, I can't think of anything better to do than run up and down Charing Cross Road and check out all the bookstores. At first, I'm not really looking for anything in particular, but, then, it occurs to me that this would be the perfect place to look for an out-of-print copy of a book I've always wanted to read, Cape Horn: The Logical Route by the legendary French sailor Bernard Moitessier.

On Wednesday, October 9, the American Booksellers Association presented over 260 books to the White House Library, continuing a tradition that began during the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Arthur Phillip's debut novel Prague was one of the most critically praised works of 2002. A July/August Book Sense 76 pick, it was also a Book Sense national bestseller and an enthusiastic handsell among independent booksellers nationwide.

In a tradition begun during the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the American Booksellers Association will be making a gift of books to President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush for the White House Library on October 9, 2002.

Bo Caldwell has written fiction for years, publishing about a dozen short stories in Ploughshares and other literary magazines.

But she's also written an equal amount of nonfiction, in the form of personal essays for the Washington Post's Post Magazine and other publications.

Shirley Muller, the prominent Southern California bookseller, died of cancer on September 18. She was 65.

Following in a noble tradition, in the past few years, some independent booksellers have begun publishing or writing their own books. These booksellers noted that -- despite experiencing many challenges along the way -- publishing or authoring books has given them a sense of accomplishment and has allowed them to bring to light important books or ideas that otherwise might never have been published.

By Daniel Halpern

The bond between a writer and an editor is complex and essential. Daniel Halpern, editorial director of Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins, remembers the writer F.X. Toole, an "unusually unyielding author and friend," whose collection of short stories, Rope Burns: Stories from the Corner, became one of those books that can justify a life in publishing.

Author Monica Wood of Portland, Maine, is a good exemplar of the apt phrase "Those who can, teach."

The "teach" part is demonstrated by the adult education and other workshops in fiction-writing technique that Wood's led for years -- and by her new book, The Pocket Muse: Ideas & Inspirations for Writing (Writer's Digest Books), a September/October Book Sense 76 pick.