Edgar Allan Poe's ill-fated career at West Point.

Edgar Allan Poe, 1848.
Library of Congress,
Prints and Photographs
Division

Evoking Louis Bayard's Edgar-nominated The Pale Blue Eye, the National Archives' Prologue features documents from Edgar Allan Poe's short-lived military career, including his 1831 court-martial.

Vote for your favorite mystery author.

The Library of Congress is asking readers to vote for their favorite authors who have attended the National Book Festival in its 10-year history.  Mystery author possibilities include Nevada Barr, Louis Bayard, Laura Lippman, Walter Mosley, and Scott Turow. Diana Gabaldon currently leads in the voting.

This year's festival is scheduled for September 25.

Louis Bayard on LOC podcast.

With The Black Tower, his novel featuring the ex-con turned cop Vidocq out this week, Louis Bayard (The Pale Blue Eye, Mister Timothy) sat down with Matt Raymond of the Library of Congress to talk about balancing fact and fiction in his historical mysteries. Go here to listen.