Prosecutor's book goes into second printing

"The Gold of Cape Girardeau," written by Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle, has gone into its second printing after just one month on the market.

Out of 3,000 copies released Nov. 1, more than 2,000 have sold.

Susan Swartwout, publisher of the Southeast Missouri State University Press, said it's unusual for a first-time author to do so well.

"The Cape Girardeau Barnes and Noble has sold over 700 copies to date, and Books Galore in Crystal City said Morley's was the biggest book signing they've ever seen," she said.

"We just shipped a second order to Amazon.com, too. Our distributor, The Booksource in St. Louis, is having difficulty keeping the book in stock. This is a good problem for a publisher."

Steve Turner, manager of the Barnes and Noble Booksellers in Cape Girardeau, said "The Gold of Cape Girardeau" was the store's best-selling book for November.

Swingle said the second printing will contain some corrections, including the correct identification of a Cape Girardeau cemetery.

Swingle will be signing books at from 7 to 8:30 p.m. today at Waldenbooks in the Westfield Shoppingtown in Cape Girardeau.

He will give a slide show titled "The Civil War in Cape Girardeau" at 7 p.m. Monday at the Cape Girardeau Public Library.

The event is free and open to the public.