We're All Suffering Now As (cautiously) predicted on this blog about five weeks ago, Drew Faust's This Republic of Suffering has hit the bestseller list.

Faust's work has accomplished the rare feat of bridging the steep divide between the ivory tower and mainstream readers. Its commercial success has caught the eye of publishers and academics alike, who say its brisk sales and widespread public attention are strikingly rare for an academic, and nearly with out precedent for a sitting university president....

...Those in the book industry are divided over how much the Harvard spotlight has boosted sales. Some say her visibility as president of the world's most famous university has given the book a unique platform, while others doubt the name carries much cachet beyond the academic community.

The correct answer to that question? Obviously, Faust's position as Harvard president has been enormously helpful to the book's sales. I mean, don't be silly. This Republic of Suffering has been reviewed in places that would never have reviewed it if Faust weren't the president of Harvard—for while the Harvard name may not make the general reader want to buy it, it does make all the Harvard graduates in the media want to review it.....

That said, more power to Drew Faust. It takes a lot of work and a lot of luck to launch a book onto the bestseller list, and it's a welcome sight to see such a serious work up there with some of the more nakedly commercial stuff.  ¶ 7:49 AM