Books on new pope readied

As demand has surged for books by the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, books about him in his new role as Pope Benedict XVI are quickly being readied for publication.

Doubleday has scheduled a pair of them for May: a collection of the new pope’s writings, and a biography by John Allen Jr., whose previous book on Ratzinger was released in 2000.

Barnes & Noble Inc. is publishing its own book, by scholar Greg Tobin.

Harper San Francisco, a spiritual/religious imprint of HarperCollins, is planning to publish David Gibson’s “Keys to the Kingdom: The Making of a Pope and the Future of Catholicism,” and Continuum will release Paul Collins’ “God’s New Man: The Election of the New Pope and the Legacy of John Paul II.”