Harper Lee's Second Novel

Harper Lee
(Image: abcnews.go.com)

The news that Harper Lee has given permission to publish her second novel was generally cheered. However, the details, as outlined in Publishers Weekly and elsewhere, are frankly not that exciting. Ms. Lee's publisher, ironically named Harper (as in the Rupert Murdoch-owned HarperCollins), provided a unsurprisingly gushing statement of joyous support for the author's assent. Given that To Kill a Mockingbird has a lifetime sale of over 40 million printed copies (and counting), you would be joyous, too. The book is practically de rigueur in American school curricula, ensuring massive sales year after year after year.

To her credit, Ms. Lee resisted e-book's siren song for years. Her right of refusal probably drove HarperCollins' financial analysts crazy. She finally conceded, purportedly so that more readers would have access to her work.

With all due respect to the author, I wish Lee had not released her second book. She should rest on her laurels, as she wisely did for the past half-century.