WWW.PUBLISHERSWEEKLY.COM 1Volume 266
Number 31
ISSN 0000-
August 5,
2019FEATURES
26 Season of the Witch
Witchcraft is one of the hot trends in the mind-body-spirit category.
41 Answer Man
In How To, Randall Munroe uses his distinct style of explaining the
world to solve common problems.
1–24 Digital Solutions in India
A restless publishing industry with evolving content demands is
pushing India’s digital solutions players to be nimble and innovative.
NEWS
4 Filling the Gap
Industry members are working to ensure that B&T’s withdrawal from
trade wholesaling will not disrupt the fall selling season.
5 Unit Sales Down in Late July
Unit sales of print books fell 3% in the week ended July 27 compared
to the similar week last year, with declines in all categories.
6 Avid Reader Hits the Ground Runing
Simon & Schuster’s new imprint is off to a good start with the release
of its first title, Three Women by Lisa Taddeo, on July 9. It landed at
#4 on our hardcover nonfiction list and has 180,000 copies in print.
8 Italian Author Lands Netflix Series
The streaming service will produce an Italian-language show based
on the work of 27-year-old Antonio Dikele Distefano, a formerly self-
published author whose books have sold hundreds of thousands of
copies since he signed with Mondadori.
10 Deals
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt lands a new Lois Lowry book, Julia Alvarez
reemerges at Algonquin, and more.
publishersweekly.comfacebook.com/pubweeklytwitter.com/PublishersWklyVISIT US ONLINE FOR ADDITIONAL NEWS,
REVIEWS, BESTSELLERS & FEATURES.AdvertisementXXXXXXXXIn this engrossing refl ection on the human spiritual
journey, philosophy professor Smith (You Are What
You Love) uses the fourth-century Bishop of Hippo,
Saint Augustine, as a guide for considering complex,
timeless issues. Exploring Augustine’s Confessions,
which describe his decades-long resistance to God
and gradual conversion to Christianity, Smith asserts
that Augustine’s insights into freedom, ambition, sex,
friendship, parenting, justice, and death have much
to say to seekers today. He analyzes Augustine’s
infl uence on philosophers including Arendt, Camus,
Derrida, Descartes, and Heidegger, demonstrating
that Augustine’s philosophical arguments about issues
such as authenticity and alienation continue to resonate
with modern thinkers. Smith emphasizes Augustine’s
description of Christianity as “a journey of emigration,”
in which Christians are migrants searching for home,
aware of their dependence, vulnerability, and need of
a faith community to help them “nourish new habits”
and live faithful lives. Seeking Augustine’s wisdom on
questions—such as “what do I want when I want to be
noticed?” or “to belong?” or “to be rational?”—Smith
illuminates Augustine’s certainty that people fi nd
freedom and truth when they fi nd themselves in God’s
story. By following Augustine’s model and sharing his
own faith journey, Smith makes Augustine’s guidance
accessible to a new generation of seekers. (Oct.)
—Publishers Weekly
July 17, 2019+
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