Hundreds of people lined the narrow sidewalks of Ninth Street Tuesday night eager for the chance to enter The Regulator Bookshop--but not to get their hand on the latest Harry Potter installment or John Grisham thriller.
In fact, all they wanted was a signature. Former President Jimmy Carter visited The Regulator yesterday for a signing of his new book, The Hornet's Nest, the first work of fiction written by an American president. Released Nov. 11, the novel takes place during the American Revolution, chronicling the lives of war-torn families in Georgia, Florida and the Carolinas.
"I think what a lot of people don't realize is that a lot of the major action in the war took place in the South," Carter said during a break from signing.
Carter wrote his novel over a seven-year period while finishing three other works. He read more than 35 books about the Revolution, worked with several professors of creative writing and even painted the cover design himself.
The former president also did research on his own family's history in the South to gather information. The lives of his main characters, Ethan and Epsey Pratt, are based on much of his ancestors' own actions and motivations during the Revolution.
"The book historically is extremely accurate," he said. "I think it brings out some extraordinary insight into the torture these people faced during the Revolution. The division during the Revolution was not geographical. The divisions were inside families. They fought each other."
Tom Campbell, co-owner of The Regulator, explained that the process of getting Carter to come to the store took months of phone calls and planning.
"He wanted to come to this area, and he had been to a couple of other stores with previous books," he said. "I begged and pleaded with the publishers, basically. I said, 'Well, he's been to these other stores, so it's our turn now. It's Durham's turn.'"
Campbell pointed out another reason why he thought Carter's visit to the bookstore seemed only appropriate.
"There are a number of chapters early in the book that take place in this part of North Carolina and talk about the Regulator movement [a pre-Revolutionary rebellion of Carolina farmers], which a certain bookstore is named for," he said.
The Regulator began publicizing Carter's novel and visit several weeks ago. Customers pre-ordered copies of the book, granting them a designated place in line Tuesday night. Employees said the store sold over 2,100 tickets by the time the signing began.
Campbell, handling last-minute details in preparation for the event, said he expected a large turnout, considering the stature of the guest.
"We've had some very big crowds and some signings where there were about a thousand people, like with Dean Smith or Coach K," he said.
"But I wouldn't put those in the same league as a former president and Nobel Peace Prize winner."
The crowd of people carrying new copies of the book and slips of paper indicating their designated line number amassed outside the store.
Nancy Parker, a Raleigh resident, held ticket number three. She said she jumped at the chance to buy a book as soon as she heard about the event.
"The minute that the information popped up on e-mail, I immediately called and reserved the book," Parker said. "I wanted to see [Carter] four years ago in Raleigh but couldn't. People were in line for hours and his poor hand just gave out."
Unlike Parker, many people bought their tickets only hours before the event.
"I read it in the newspaper the other day and came this morning," said
Jeanie Hahle, showing her ticket, number 338. "I was lucky enough to buy it from a young lady who couldn't go. I paid 20 [dollars] for this number."
Most people in the crowd had not had a chance to read the book yet. Two of the youngest visitors, however, took the opportunity to start the novel while waiting in the store.
"It's really good," 10-year old Erica Thomas said about the story.
"He'll say something about one thing and then leave you hanging. I like that."
Her twin sister Rachel agreed.
"I like the fact that he talks a lot about the politics," she said. "And I like the characters."
Though she had not yet had a chance to read the book, Lisa Orgren of Durham said she had something of her own to share with Carter as a token of her support for his human rights work.
"I have a poem [my daughter] wrote," she said. "It's called 'War.' He's such a loving person. I want to show him some appreciation because people don't show enough appreciation for what he does. Even people as little as 11 are thinking about these issues."
Jeff Qualls, a Chapel Hill resident, echoed Orgren's sentiments in support of Carter's work. He recalled how he first became a Carter supporter.
"I was a freshman in college in Mississippi," Qualls said. "It was right after Watergate. Everyone was disillusioned with politics. Then here was this fresh-faced former governor from Georgia talking about integrity and human rights, things that he still talks about. He inspired me."
During the signing, Carter, a constant target for political inquiry, responded to questions about his views on the current conflict in Iraq by comparing it to the circumstances of the American Revolution he describes in his novel.
"We would never have won our independence at that time without our alliance with the French," he said. "I think it shows we need to work always on a multilateral, multinational basis. I hope that we will reach out to other nations now."
Most people at the event, however, were more interested in meeting Carter than questioning him about politics. Skip Lazette of Durham even handed the former president his cell phone so that he could talk to his wife Barbara.
"She's at home right now," Lazette said. "I had to justify where I was. He just said, 'Hello, Barbara. This is Jimmy Carter.'"
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