Want to learn about the history of kosher food? How about 19th-century asylums, or the use of poison in royal households? Well, you’re in luck. The authors of books on these subjects are among the more than 20 who will appear at the 2018 History Book Festival.
This is the second year for the event, which is the brainchild of Jen Mason, owner of Biblion in downtown Lewes.
“The idea came from living in Lewes, which didn’t have a book festival, and thinking it would be the perfect place for one,” says Mason, who co-chairs the event with author Ron Collins. Given Lewes’s history as the state’s first town, history was a natural focus.
The festival, which last year attracted more than 1,000 people, is not an academic event, Mason notes. The best-selling authors in attendance write nonfiction and fiction that appeal to both the diehard history buff and the reader who simply appreciates a historical backdrop for a colorful story.
Blanche Wiesen Cook, author of “Eleanor Roosevelt, Volume 3: The War Years and After, 1939-1962” is the keynote speaker at the sold-out kickoff on Friday, Sept. 28, at Bethel United Methodist Church.
The lineup on Saturday is free, but seating is limited. Sessions run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Lewes Presbyterian Church, the Margret H. Rollins Community Center and Lewes Public Library. “It’s a chance to hear these authors talk firsthand about their books,” Mason says. “You can ask questions and get your book signed.”
Browseabout Books in Rehoboth Beach is the event’s official bookseller. “We are selling books in Lewes on their behalf,” Mason explains. “They will be for sale at every venue.”
Follow the festival on Facebook to learn about ancillary events scheduled throughout the year.
