A few Bay Area Literary Tidbits

Andy Ross, the former owner of Cody's Books, is going into the agent business. According to Publisher’s Marketplace, Ross is forming the Andy Ross Literary Agency in Berkeley, CA. "Ross will focus on general nonfiction, politics and current events, history, biography, journalism and contemporary culture.”

Well, this is a good sign. We know Ross has excellent taste in books, as his bookstores were among the most diverse and interesting in the country. (Even if they struggled to compete.) It will be fascinating to see what authors he finds.

A British article on the rise of Dave Eggers’ publishing empire.

Ethan Rarick’s new book on the Donner Party hasn’t shown up in Bay Area libraries yet, but the New York Times already has a review. It’s called Desperate Passage: The Donner Party’s Perilous Journey West. Quick assessment: read it.

Rarick wrote a great book on former California Governor Pat Brown, which was published by UC Press. His new book is published by Oxford Press. This is the first narrative account of the Donner Party since 1936, according to Rarick, and the book incorporates some new scientific findings about the ill-fated wagon train.