Nicest. Author. Ever.

I had the pleasure of hearing Paul Collins talk about his new book, The Trouble with Tom, at the local bookstore a week ago.

This year has been my introduction to Mr. Collins. I read Banvard's Folly earlier this year and it was one of my favorite books, certainly of this year, and entering the listing for "all time." His style translated really well into the introduction for English as she is Spoke, and I started to get hopeful that perhaps I had another author to put in the Bill Bryson category of "authors who can publish anything about anything and I'll read it and love it."

So, I went to the reading with high expectations. Everything I had read about Trouble with Tom indicated it would be right up my alley and besides, I needed something new to be fanatical about.

Mr. Collins was more than up to the task. Despite a shamefully undercrowded room of only about 10 people (he was up against Dava Sobel reading her new book The Planets downtown, and Nic Harcourt reading his knock off of Nancy Pearl's Book Lust, Music Lust), he was fantastic. He gave the history of how the book came to be, which is that he was reading Notions and Queries, an old magazine where literate men could write in with questions (queries) or answer old queries with notions. The magazine was in print until the late 70s, I believe, and Paul Collins set out to read the whole thing. In perusing through the 1800's N&Q, he came upon reference to Thomas Paine's bones, and their whereabouts. The notion in the book was fascinating enough to make him was to know more and off he went.

So the book sounds interesting, which was not a total surprise, since it sounded interesting before I arrive. But what was crazy incredible is how excited Mr. Collins was when talking about his book and how nice he was. He answered my and other attendants lame questions with alacrity and then signed books like he was actually excited about it while having to listen to idiots like me babble on about how great he was. (Being an author on book tour has got to suck... I can't fathom having to read the same thing every night and then have obsequious people barrage you all night like they know you personally).

I bought every book of his that I didn't own (Trouble with Tom and the newest Collin's Library publication, despite that fact that I am decidedly anti-fiction - THAT'S how good he was... I bought FICTION) on principle and he even signed my dog eared Banvard's Folly which I had brought because I am a geek.

Net net - if you are looking for a new author to get into, I humbly suggest Mr. Collins for your consideration. Nicest. Author. Ever.

Besides, his blog is a blogger blog - can you beat that?