Posted on: Saturday, April 9, 2005

List of John Paul books grows

By Carol Memmott
USA Today

Expect a flurry of new books about Pope John Paul II and his yet-to-be-named successor, even as existing books by and about the late pontiff climb the best-seller lists.

"People will be looking for material on the new pope with signs for what the future will hold," says Trace Murphy of Doubleday Religious Publishing, which on Monday announced the publication of two new books in May, neither of which has been titled.

Robert Moynihan, Vatican journalist and editor in chief of Inside the Vatican magazine, will edit a collection of writings by the new pope; John L. Allen Jr. of the National Catholic Reporter will write a biography of whoever takes over at the Vatican.

Perhaps the most anticipated of the new books about the end of John Paul's life is being written by theologian George W. Weigel, whose "Witness to Hope: The Biography of John Paul II" was an international best seller in 1999. The new book is scheduled for release this year.

Three books by John Paul were in Amazon.com's top 20 best-selling list yesterday evening. "Pope John Paul: In My Own Words" was at No. 8; "Memory and Identity: Conversations at the Dawn of a Millennium" was at No. 10; and "The Way to Christ: Spiritual Exercises" was at No. 16. Weigel's book, "Witness to Hope," listed as currently unavailable, was at No. 36.

On Sunday, the most-searched-for phrase at Barnes & Noble's online store was "Pope John Paul biography." Says the company's Bill Tipper: "It's very unusual, in the month after the announcement of a Harry Potter book, to have anything surpass the number of searches for 'Harry Potter.' " Fifteen titles by or about the pope were among the hourly top 100 best sellers on the site.

Borders bookstores sold "triple the number of religious books that are normally sold on a weekend," spokeswoman Beth Bingham says. Most in demand: "Witness to Hope" and "Memory and Identity."

"There is a need to remember Pope John Paul II and to celebrate him," says Doubleday's Murphy, who adds that stores have been reordering older Doubleday titles, especially "Gift and Mystery: On the Fiftieth Anniversary of My Priestly Ordination" by Pope John Paul II, first published in 1996; and 2002's "Conclave: The Politics, Personalities, and Process of the Next Papal Election" by John L. Allen Jr., which was revised in 2004.

A book finished before the pope's death on Saturday, "Universal Father: A Life of John Paul II" by Garry O'Connor (Bloomsbury), is expected in stores early next month. It focuses on John Paul II's human side and his rise from Polish priest to head of the Catholic Church.