Books about geology rarely appear on the national charts, but British journalist Simon Winchester has done just that with The Map That Changed the World: William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology. Winchester's earlier bestseller, The Professor and the Madman—about the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary—had a 15-week run on our nonfiction list back in 1998. Reviews for both books have been stellar, with critics lauding not only the author's scholarship but his writing style as well. (PW's review of Map noted: "But intellectual discovery is only half this story. Winchester writes with verve and conviction when relating the class and cultural wars that enveloped Smith soon after the publication of his map.") Winchester's 12-city tour begins in New York City on September 5 at B&N's Union Square location and finishes on October 6 at Boston's Book Loft. HarperCollins is anticipating several print profiles in the upcoming weeks. Copies in print after three trips to press total more than 100,000.

With reporting by Dick Donahue.