NORWOOD -- Three years ago, when House Speaker Newt Gingrich last signed books at Joseph-Beth Booksellers, he stroked his name on book covers nearly 1,000 times while 200 protesters demonstrated outside. Thursday, when the Speaker of the House showed up at the store for a second time to sign his new book, Lessons Learned the Hard Way, things were a bit more low-key.
Joseph-Beth employees expected about 300 book-buyers late Thursday afternoon to wind their way up the steps to the second-floor area where Mr. Gingrich sat behind stacks of his new books.
The last time, Mr. Gingrich signed 959 copies of his book To Renew America on a hot summer day in August 1995. He was at the peak of his popularity and his Republican majority in the house was in the midst of trying to fulfill its 1994 "Contract with America" campaign promises.
Times have changed.
Now, Mr. Gingrich is selling a book in which he acknowledges that he made mistakes after leading the GOP to a stunning take-over of the House in the 1994 election.
"I am astonished at how badly I had underestimated the size and intensity of the problems that would confront me as speaker," Mr. Gingrich wrote in his new book.
Before Thursday's hour-long book-signing session began, Mr. Gingrich, dressed informally in a denim shirt with rolled-up sleeves, said Cincinnati "has always been a very good book town for me."
"People say this is a pretty candid book for a politician to write," Mr. Gingrich said.
The speaker took no questions from the press, but went straight to work signing books. Each person in line had about 10 seconds of one-on-one time with Mr. Gingrich, and customers weren't allowed to take pictures.
Publicist Perri Dorset said Mr. Gingrich is near the end of a 16-city book-signing tour that will wrap up today with two sessions in Washington, D.C., bookstores.
The customers who waited in line for their turn at an autograph seemed no less enthusiastic about Mr. Gingrich.
Joyce Tilton of Finneytown said she would vote for Mr. Gingrich if he runs for the Republican presidential nomination in 2000. "I'd support him, but to tell you the truth, I think he had better wait," Mrs. Tilton said. "I don't know if the American people are ready for him."
Bob Augspurger of Alexandria, Ky., said he feels the same way about Mr. Gingrich now as he did when he stood in line to get a book signed three years ago.
"He's one of those people you either love or hate," Mr. Augspurger said. '"Personally, I like him a lot. He's doing what the electorate asked him to do."
