NEW YORK, NY – September 15, 2004 – Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world’s largest bookseller, has selected The Preservationist by David Maine as one of its seasonal choices for the fall 2004 “Discover Great New Writers” program.

If God told you a flood was coming, and directed you to build an ark large enough to hold breeding families of every beast in creation, how would you proceed? In his brilliant, comic debut novel, David Maine describes how and what the 600-year-old Noah (or “Noe,” as Maine calls him) and his family must do to construct the boat, gather the animals and survive the impending flood.

Noe’s family—his wife, sons, and daughters-in-law—let readers in on what it’s like to live with a man touched by God, while they struggle against events beyond their control. When Noe orders his sons to build an ark, he can’t tell them where the wood will come from. When he sends his daughters-in-law out to gather animals, he can offer no directions, money, or protection. And once the rain starts, they all realize that the true test of their faith is just beginning. Trapped on the ark with thousands of animals—with no experience in animal husbandry and no idea when the waters will recede—what emerges is a family caught in the midst of an extraordinary Biblical event.

“Maine nimbly imbues the Old Testament tale with his own sensibilities and clever, thoughtful writing. The Preservationist offers an imaginative new perspective on one of the Bible’s best-loved stories,” said Jill Lamar, manager and editor of the Discover Great New Writers program.

Discover Titles Discounted 20%
Discover Great New Writers’ fall season includes 13 novels, two travel essays (Off Season and The Sex Lives of Cannibals), three nature titles (The Last Run, The Secret Life of Lobsters, and Wolves & Honey), a biography of a house (Red House) and Robert Kurson’s bestselling nonfiction military history title, Shadow Divers. The fall Discover titles, each discounted 20 percent, will be prominently displayed in more than 600 Barnes & Noble bookstores across the country through October 2004.  (See attached table for authors and a full list of titles.)

The Discover Great New Writers program, now in its 15th year, is the leader in uncovering new and unheralded literary talents, with an unparalleled record of finding tomorrow’s literary stars from today’s publishing newcomers.  A volunteer group of Barnes & Noble booksellers considered the works of more than 130 authors for the fall program.  Over the years, Discover has prominently featured and promoted such writers as Yann Martel, Alice Sebold, James Frey, Michel Faber, Sebastian Junger, Frank McCourt, Jeffrey Eugenidies, Laura Hillenbrand, Hampton Sides and Tracy Chevalier, among dozens of authors who’ve gone on to become household names and the winners of prestigious literary awards.

SUMMER 2004 DISCOVER GREAT NEW WRITERS SELECTIONS