Copies of 'Go Set a Watchman' Fly Off Suburban Library Shelves

Harper Lee’s highly-anticipated second novel, Go Set a Watchman, will become available Tuesday and libraries across the suburbs already have hundreds of holds from people anxious to read it.

Representatives from HarperCollins said in February they had stumbled upon the manuscript of Go Set a Watchman, stating that it was attached to the original manuscript of To Kill a Mockingbird, according to the New York Times.

Ms. Lee’s lawyer, Tonja B. Carte, provides a more detailed account, and different story, over how Go Set a Watchman was found in this Wall Street Journal Opinion piece.

However the book came to be, people are dying to read it. It is the second book published by Harper Lee after the Pulitzer-prize winning To Kill a Mockingbird hit shelves in 1960.

In the suburbs, libraries are gearing up for the release.

The Palatine Public Library will begin circulating 23 copies of the book starting on Tuesday, which includes books in Spanish and with large print. There were 80 holds on the 20 standard copies of the novel as of Tuesday morning and 24 holds on the two large-print copies, according to the library’s online catalog.

“People in the community are very excited about Go Set a Watchman,” said Brian Herner, ISD assistant manager at the Palatine Public Library, in an e-mail. “There are many holds, but we’ll continue to order more copies as needed so the wait time won’t be too long.”

The Palatine Public Library will also be showing the movie of To Kill a Mockingbird Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. and plans to give away five copies of Go Set a Watchman at the viewing.

The Gail Borden Library in Elgin is also planning to offer a viewing of To Kill a Mockingbird starting at 5:30 p.m. tonight. The library has 62 copies of the book and is expecting a rush from patrons on Tuesday to get it, according to the Daily Herald.

“I know there is going to be a stampede,” Joan Hull, the library’s manager of collection services, told the Daily Herald. “People wanted more (after To Kill a Mockingbird) and there wasn’t anything more. So there has been all this mystery, all this expectation, all this excitement.”

The Algonquin Public Library District is expecting seven copies of the book, including two audio books and one large print, to be delivered today, said Diane Strzelecki, marketing/public relations associate for the Algonquin Public Library District. There are currently 11 holds on the book.

Check your local library for more information or to place a hold on the new book.