Authors We Love: Richard Preston

Richard Preston, author of the mega-bestseller The Hot Zone, stopped by the store this afternoon to sign copies of his new book, The Wild Trees: A Story of Passion and Daring. Although I have not yet read The Wild Trees, I have thoroughly enjoyed all of Preston's other books, which also include The Demon in the Freezer, a frightening true story of smallpox, and The Cobra Event, a terrific thriller about an engineered virus that is unleashed on NYC.

The Wild Trees is about recreational tree-climbing; more specifically, it is about people who are serious tree climbers, tackling giant redwoods that soar up to 38 stories above the ground, and about a fascinating world hidden high above us. I asked Preston why he chose a topic so very different from those of his previous books. "I didn't want to write another book about viruses," he admitted. He had heard about these tree climbers and found the subject fascinating, and his interest eventually became his new book. My co-worker Laura and I got to spend some time talking with Preston, and he was really engaging and generous, signing (and then buying!) a copy of The Hot Zone for Laura to give to her younger sister.

So now we have signed copies of Richard Preston's books in stock. If you haven't read any of his work before, I highly recommend him.