SAN FRANCISCO (May 3, 2009) _ The 2009 San Francisco Book Festival has named “War of Words: A True Tale of Newsprint and Murder” by former Bay Area reporter Simon Read as the grand prize winner of its annual competition.
In the San Francisco of the mid-1800s, the term “circulation war” was literal, as beatings and bloodlettings in and around the newsroom were not uncommon. Into this stepped Charles de Young, cofounder of the San Francisco Chronicle, who focused on the future mayor, Issac Kalloch.
Their explosive battles captivated a nation and the judges of the competition, who felt that the Union Square Press book captures the raw intensity that marks the city even today.
Read and other winners will be honored in a private ceremony at the Hotel Rex on Friday, May 8.
GAY/LESBIAN
WINNER: Inside Out, Barbara Benjamin Marcus