NNP

My virtual signing for my recent book Abraham Lincoln, Beyond the American Icon at the Abe Lincoln Book Shop in Chicago last month is now posted on the web. E-Sylum readers want to check it out at http://virtualbooksigning.net/recent-signings/ .

This is the second of these that I have done. The first one, you may remember, was after my first Abe Book came out. This time, however, I was the only author and had the stage to myself.

The taping was about an hour and has been broken down into four bite-sized segments on the web. Book shop owner Dan Weinberg interviewed me about my books, and we discussed various numismatic aspects of Lincoln's legacy, and other artifacts the book shop was displaying.

The "book shop," in addition to thousands of titles for sale, is a virtual museum of Lincoln and the Civil War. Many of these objects are also for sale.

A live audience of about a dozen, and more than 100 people on the internet viewed the program live. Dan said this was a good turnout for a summer broadcast.

I was amazed to learn that viewers included watchers in Europe and Australia (and it was the middle of the night there!)

I'm not a natural interview subject, but the interviewer and I have a good rapport, since I have been visiting the store for at least 30 years when I am in Chicago, and have purchased some of my most significant Lincolniana there.

After the taping, we did a second 20 minute taping for a show called "Artifact Whisperer" but that is not posted yet, and I do not know what will be the final disposition of that tape.

It was a great experience once again. I highly recommend to other numismatic authors that they seek out such situations. It is great to meet readers, and have a chance to "show off" one's new book in this way. It's kind of like "show and tell" in grade school, but on steroids.

To view the interview on YouTube, see: Reed Part 1 (www.youtube.com/watch?v=vItDhl_UHoU&list=PLJuQydXCivgo4p1viEeThHnyMqgrmJe53)