Author Event With Tony Horwitz

Tony Horwitz is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist whose Confederates in the Attic is considered a classic among fans of history, cultural studies and LARPing. His new book has a fascinating premise: Spying on the South traces the pre-Civil War path of Frederick Law Olmsted, an American travel writer sent to investigate the South by the paper that would soon become The New York Times. From 1852 until 1857, Olmsted reported on what he called the Slave States, and in the tradition of Sarah Vowell’s book Assassination Vacation and Ross McElwee’s documentary film Sherman’s March, Horwitz retraces the path of his subject — and whenever possible, his mode of transportation, whether it’s rail, riverboat or horse. Subtitled An Odyssey Across the American Divide, Spying on the South is poised to become an incendiary addition to the canon of books that examine Southern culture. This is likely to be one of the most politically and culturally relevant book events slated for the near future. 6:30 p.m. at Parnassus Books, 3900 Hillsboro Pike, Suite 14 LAURA HUTSON HUNTER