he current best selling nonfiction books according to the "washington post."

>> this weekend, booktv is in topeka, kansas, with help of our local cable partner talks communications. michael church of the kansas state archives looks at the life of local pioneer samuel reader who kept a diary for 64 years beginning in 1849. >> samuel reader was a kansas pioneer, farmer, soldier artist and photographer among many

other things. he kept a daily journal from 1849 all the way up until 1913. from age 13 all the way to a 78 i believe. and the diaries were donated to the society by his daughter right after his death in 1914. he created 15 journals over the period of his life. but we only received 13 because in 1890 his farmhouse burned and they were only able to save 13 of the journals. two of them volume one and volume four, perished in the fire. apparently is influenced by a great reading of the journals of lewis and clark expedition and you want to keep a daily journal like they did and it was a special interest in their illustrations that they included and he wanted to illustrate. he was interested in art and illustration. his daily journals began in 1849 and proceeded his whole

life until 1913 until he became too sick to continue. these are the diaries. the 13 volumes we have from samuel reader's diaries. and certain volumes have items of particular interest are often three him for example is of particular interest because it's the most lavishly illustrated volume. and it's also the point that covers the territorial period from 1855-1857. and in particular it includes descriptions of his involvement in the battle at hickory point. the battle at hickory point occurred on september 13, 1856 when general james lane who was then leader of the free state forces and he would later become an early senator for kansas. he was in the vicinity of topeka when he received reports that

proslavery forces are causing trouble up near and he took his units up there and noticed that the proslavery forces had congregated near a great point. he asked for reinforcement, and samuel reader and other guards came to assist. on september 13, he writes got there after summit. started to hickory point. fisher let me ride old gray horse. got to hickory point. fired some. we retreated. three of our horses and one man wounded. several border ruffians killed, horses et cetera. ate watermelon. eight or nine start over. the u.s. government is at it. i will buy a pepper box for $6. got home late. sleeping tired but full of

glory. so volume six covers the period 1864-1869 which includes the latter part of the civil war. so this includes entries regarding his involvement in the battle of big blue. so the battle of the big blue involved in the second regiment of the kansas state militia, also led by general james lane, and he pursued and fought confederate forces led by general sterling price in jackson county, missouri, near the big blue river on october 22, 1864. reader had enlisted in the second regiment kansas coalition of when the war began, and he was involved in this conflict. the confederates routed the

force is anybody left behind who wants a job was taken prisoner. so reader was taken prisoner. he surrendered peacefully, and he recounts in the diary as will his time as a prisoner. they were marching the soldiers out pashtun south the prisoner south, apparently to texas and reader was able to get away and escape by pretending to be a confederate soldier. on friday october 21 before the day of the battle he writes, we went to the big blue in camp one half mile west of the string and a group of blackjack saplings covered with dead leaves. angels went with the train and nearly got or stole a turkey, he said. we had nice fire and supper. we heard cannon shots from the northeast. tom laughed and said he would rather hear a baby cry.

burton says he wants to see a battle. well, i don't care. i'm not afraid as i can see. we loaded our guns. he fears we will fight and he will be killed. i talked to him of a brief future state. may be a better one than this. and he said, well, i don't know about that. he has a very distinct views on the subject. after the civil war he also became very active in his community, and so he was involved in building bridges and designing structures for the community. he was a trustee for cemeteries and things like that. after the civil war he became much, welcome a lot of his values became more community focused, and just about his activities in the community and to help of his family. the most significant event in volume 12 is the burning of his farmhouse which happened in 1890. he had kind of a dream

interestingly come in 1887 where he trains that his house had burned down, and he wrote i dreamed of the house of fire. and then a few years later in 1890, his house didn't burn. the journal includes a newspaper clipping on the event, and he titled his entry conflagration with a small illustration of his house on fire and little bells ringing fire fire. volume eight of the period of 1872-1874. at the end of the volume, he looks back in self reflection ethics about the value of these journals 100 years after his writing them, and he has this to say. if these journals are preserve for 100 years, they would be of interest to many seekers of

things for the long forgotten past. my being a kansas pioneer and a follower of jim lane and the old border ruffian were of 1856 and also enhance the value that it will show how a form was opened up in the old one horse primitive way of the backwoodsman. if everyone of us possessed a direct of events which are relative from the year september 16, 1749 april 24 2010 which we now think the old manuscript is worth keeping? like old wine it would be improved by age and so perhaps it may be with these journals. >> for more information on the booktv's recent visit to topeka kansas, and many other cities visited by our local content vehicles go to c-span.org/localcontent. >> here's a look at some books that are being published this week.

>> host: this week we talk with members of congress about legislation they are proposing. first up this week is senator al franken. senator al franken, the judiciary committee, you hailed the failu