The Terrible Events of Sept. 11 Are Starting to Hit Bookshelves

Only six days after the terrorist attacks, Mitchell Davis, co-founder of Charleston-based BookSurge.com, telephoned Ethan Casey, editor in chief of electronic publisher Blueear.com, to pitch what’s known in the trade as an instant book.

Ten days later, on Sept. 27, Casey delivered the manuscript. Davis says, “We worked through the weekend and had the first copy of the book printed by Monday morning [Oct. 1]. Not bad.” It is the first print book out about the disaster.

The 320-page book, whose only photographs are those introducing chapters, is titled “09/11 8:48 AM: Documenting America’s Greatest Tragedy.” It is a compilation of eyewitness accounts, essays and personal stories from about 60 contributors, some professional writers, some not.

Employees of BookSurge, a digital book production company, worked 14-hour shifts over the weekend to make it happen. Review copies were sent out on Monday, together with about 400 books to fill advance orders from retailers. By the end of Tuesday, the eBook was on the Web site.

Davis says, “One of the stories was written by an airline pilot who was at Dulles when all this was happening. There’s also the perspective of American journalists in other parts of the world who were extremely isolated.”

About a third of the entries are by faculty and students at New York University, which collaborated on the project. In his foreword, Jay Rosen, who is chairman of the New York University department of journalism, writes, “There is a single theme: how to make human sense out of what happened.”

The writers were not paid, as the book was not published for profit. At $14.99 for the print version and $6 for the eBook, the publishers hope to sell enough books to raise $1 million for the American Red Cross, which is to get all profits. “We figure we have to sell about 200,000 books,” Davis says. “I think that’s an achievable goal.”

Still, an instant book in the wake of a tragedy is open to charges of exploitation. “I went through a deliberation with myself about it,” Rosen said. “I wanted to satisfy myself that there was a good enough reason. Once I did, it was up to others to make the judgment.”

One factor that swayed him was that the proceeds are going to charity, as are those of most other instant books on the subject. But he also felt the book was legitimate. “Public discussion and public debate are becoming very important, not just public recovery. A book about people’s experiences and their emotions at the time is very relevant. The emotional cost of the event is in this book.”

Other books chronicling or examining the terrorist attacks include “How Did This Happen?: Terrorism and the New War,” scheduled for mid-November release by Public Affairs, a nonfiction publishing house. It is a compilation of essays by experts on foreign, Islamic and military affairs, edited by James F. Hoge Jr. and Gideon Rose, editor and managing editor of Foreign Affairs magazine.

Also slated for November publication from ReganBooks, a HarperCollins imprint, is “In the Line of Duty,” a volume of black and white photographs by New York photographer John Botte, who was commissioned by the New York Police Department to document the scene at the World Trade Center. All royalties will go to a fund for widows and children of those who died at the World Trade Center.

Rodale, in collaboration with Beliefnet Inc., a multifaith e-community, is readying “From the Ashes: A Spiritual Response to the Attack on America: Experience, Strength and Hope from Spiritual Leaders and Extraordinary Citizens.” It is to ship this month, with proceeds to go to the NYC Bravest Scholarship Fund for the education of children of firefighters who died.

A printing of 100,000 is planned for Newmarket Press’ “Our Mission and Our Moment,” a commemorative paperback edition to be released this month of President Bush’s Sept. 20 speech before Congress. The publisher will give the first $250,000 in profit to the Red Cross, and a dollar from the sale of each book thereafter.

Scheduled for January publication from Basic Books, in partnership with the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization, is “The Age of Terror.” It is a collection of scholarly writings on defeating terrorism, edited by former Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott and the Yale Center’s Nayan Chanda, former editor of Far Eastern Economic Review.

In November, Harry N. Abrams and New York magazine will publish “September 11, 2001: A Record of Tragedy, Heroism and Hope,” a hardcover book with more than 100 photographs. The book will chronicle rescue and excavation efforts by firefighters, police and construction workers, as well as the chaos and grief that gripped New York. Proceeds will go to the September 11th Fund, created by United Way and the New York Community Trust to aid victims and communities affected by the tragedy.