>> Cathy: IF YOU'RE A VIEWER OF ALMANAC, YOU KNOW WE LOVE OUR HISTORY AND WE LOVE BOOKS.

WHEN WE HAVE A CHANCE TO COMBINE THOSE TWO LOVES IN ONE CONVERSATION, WELL, WE JUMP ON IT.

ANN EAGAN, EDITOR IN CHIEF AT THE MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY PRESS IS RETIRING NEXT WEEK AFTER 46 YEARS WITH THE ON.

IT GIVES US A CHANCE WITH VISIT WITH ANN REAGAN ONE LAST TIME IN HER OFFICIAL CAPACITY.

HERE TO SOMEONE WHO STARTED AT MHS ALONGSIDE ANN, ROGER BARRE.

ANN STAYED ON FOR SEVERAL DECADES WHILE BARRE MOVES ON AND BECAME ONE OF REGANA AUTHORS, HIS MOST RECENT BOOK "A MURDER ON THE HILL" WAS ONE OF THE MHS'S OFFERINGS EARLIER THIS YEAR.

YOU'LL SEE IT THERE ON SCREEN.

GOOD TO SEE YOU BOTH.

OH, ANN, I'M KIND OF BEREFT THAT YOU'RE LEAVING, I UNDERSTAND 46 YEARS IN ONE PLACE.

>> IT'S TIME.

>> Cathy: YOU THINK SO?

WELL, YOU ARE BELOVED.

>> WELL, THANK YOU.

>> Cathy: AND I'M WONDERING, HOW DID YOU VIEW THIS JOB OF YOURS?

>> OH, WHEN I REALIZED I WAS A GATEKEEPER, I WAS A YOUNG WOMAN AND I WAS TERRIFIED, REALLY AWED BY THAT BUT I ALSO WANTED THE JOB.

AND SO I JUST DECIDED I HAD TO BE THE BEST DANG GATEKEEPER I POSSIBLY COULD.

AND THAT WORKED BECAUSE THE JOB WAS REALLY FASCINATING.

INTERESTING, I KEPT LEARNING, I KEPT LEARNING SOMETHING ABOUT WHERE I LIVE.

I FELT THAT THER PEOPLE WERE GOING TO GET THE MESSAGE TOO.

>> Cathy: EXPLAIN TO US JUST BRIEFLY BEFORE WE TALK TO ROGER HERE ABOUT THE CONCEPT OF BEING THE GATEKEEPER.

YOU KNOW, THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT.

>> WELL, I'M MAKING DECISION ABOUT WHAT BOOKS ARE GOING TO BE PUBLISHED.

ACTUALLY, NOT WHAT BOOKS ARE GOING TO BE PUBLISHED BUT WHAT BOOKS ARE GOING TO BE BROUGHT FORWARD OR CONSIDERATION FOR PUBLICATION.

IF I CAME IN WITH A STRONG ENDORSEMENT ON SOMETHING AFTER A FEW YEARS, AFTER SUCCESSFULLY ACQUIRED A NUMBER OF BOOKS, IF I REALLY WANTED TO DO SOMETHING WE PRETTY MUCH DID IT.

BUT I ALSO HAD TO KNOW THAT IT WAS A GOOD BOOK, THAT IT WAS GOING TO SELL, THAT IT WAS NEEDED.

I MEAN, I HAD LEARNED A LOT FROM MARKETING BY THAT TIME.

>> Eric: WHAT'S THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AN AUTHOR AND THE EDITOR?

WHAT'S BEEN YOUR EXPERIENCE?

>> FOR US IT'S BEEN BEING TEAM MEMBERS.

WE EACH HAVE A DIFFERENT JOB AND MY JOB IS TO CREATE, HER JOB IS O IMPROVE AND GUIDE.

>> Eric: EDITOR IS NOT THE BAD COP?

>> NO, I'VE WORKED WITH EDITORS THAT WERE, BUT I'LL SAY THIS HANDS DOWN, ANN IS THE BEST EDITOR I'VE EVER WORKED WITH IN 40 YEARS AS A PROFESSIONAL WRITER.

>> Eric: WOW.

>> Cathy: JUST TO WHAT DO YOU ATTRIBUTE THIS IN TERMS OF HOW SHE MADE YOU BETTER?

WAS IT THE SUGGESTIONS, IT WAS -- HOW DID IT WORK EXACTLY?

BEHIND THE SCENES ERE.

>> WE HAD A VERY GOOD AND SOMETIMES FRANK CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT MY VISION FOR THE BOOK WAS, AND WHEN SHE UNDERSTOOD THAT, SHE GOT INSIDE MY HEAD AND WORKED FROM THAT POINT OF VIEW ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE MANUSCRIPT.

AND IT WAS GREAT.

>> Eric: WHAT'S YOUR VERSION OF THE RELATIONSHIP?

>> PRETTY MUCH THE SAME.

>> Eric: SAME?

>> YEAH.

ROGER WAS GREAT TO WORK IT.

I MEAN, I AM TRYING TO MAKE THE BOOK THE BEST BOOK THAT IT CAN BE, AND IT IS HIS BOOK AND IT'S REALLY INTERESTING TO EDIT IN HIS VOICE IF I CAN, AND IF I CAN'T, HE'LL SPOT IT AND TELL ME.

>> Eric: HOW TOUGH WERE YOU IN REJECTION LETTERS?

BECAUSE I'M SURE YOU GOT PLENTY OVER THE -- LET THEM DOWN EASY OR DID YOU TELL THEM LIKE IT WAS?

>> I WAS VERY KIND.

I WAS VERY, VERY KIND BECAUSE PEOPLE WORK REALLY HARD AND THEY'RE EXCITED ABOUT WHAT THEY'VE DONE AND THEY HAVE GREAT HOPES AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT ABLE TO PUBLISH IT.

THERE'S NO REASON TO BE RUDE OR ABRUPT.

IT'S -- WHAT PEOPLE DO IS REALLY INTERESTING AND I COULD INDICATE I LOOKED AT THIS BY MAKING A COMMENT.

>> Eric: DO YOU KNOW AFTER THREE OR FOUR PAGES WHETHER IT'S GOING TO GO OR NOT?

>> ONE OR TWO.

[ LAUGHTER ] >> Cathy: ONLY TAKES ONE OR TWO.

>> HER ALTERNATE CAREER WOULD HAVE BEEN BEING A DIPLOMAT FOR THE STATE DEPARTMENT.

>> Cathy: I BELIEVE THAT TO BE VERY TRUE.

YOU KNOW, WHEN WE STARTED IN THE BUSINESS WE WOULD GET MAYBE A PRESS RELEASE OR TWO FROM THE MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY PRESS, IT WAS KIND OF SMALLISH IMPRINT AND IT'S CHANGED SO VERY MUCH.

CAN YOU ADDRESS THAT, ROGER?

AND THEN I WANT TO HEAR FROM ANN.

HOW HAS IT GROWN?

>> I THINK THAT THEY HAVE LOOKED AT THE CULTURE RATHER THAN JUST THE HISTORY OF POLITICAL EVENTS AND THINGS.

THIS BOOK, FOR EXAMPLE, IS AS MUCH A CULTURAL HISTORY OF THE CITY IN A PARTICULAR PERIOD OF TIME.

>> Eric: ST. PAUL IN THE '30S?

>> IN THE 1930S.

>> Cathy: AND ADDRESS THAT, ANN, IN TERMS OF LOOKING MORE AT THE CULTURE THAN, SAY, AN EVENT.

>> I WOULD SAY, YES, I WOULD SAY OUR PUBLISHING BROADENED.

WE BEGAN -- WE HAD MORE BOOKS ON THE BACKLIST, WE BECAME A LARGER PRESS, WE COULD DO MORE BOOKS.

IT JUST KEPT GROWING.

AND WITH ROGER'S BOOK, IT'S A CLASSIC EXAMPLE FOR ME OF HOW I CAN LEARN SOMETHING ABOUT WHERE I LIVE.

I MEAN, LITERALLY THE MINNESOTA HISTORICAL CENTER IS IN THE SAME SPACE THAT MILLER HOSPITAL WHERE RUTH MUNSON WORKED, WAS WORKING.

AND SO I'M, LIKE I'M WALKING THROUGH HER GHOST ON MY WAY TO THE LUNCH ROOM.

IT WAS VERY INTERESTING.

IT'S A REALLY GOOD BOOK.

>> Eric: NOW, YOU'RE SIGNING ON SEPTEMBER 7TH AT NEXT CHAPTER BOOKS.

>> YES, >> Eric: 1:00 P.M. >> 1:00 P.M. >> Eric: GIVE US 30 SECONDS ON THE PLOT WITHOUT GIVING IT AWAY.

>> SINCE THIS IS AN UNSOLVED MURDER, EVERYBODY KNOWS THE ENDING BEFORE THEY GET PAST THE FIRST PAGE.

IT IS A RECONSTRUCTION OF THE POLICE INVESTIGATION USING THE POLICE FILES AND NEWSPAPER ACCOUNTS OF THE SAME PERIOD, AND PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO EXPERIENCE THE SAME JUKEILATION AND THE SAME FRUSTRATION AND DISAPPOINTMENT THAT THE INVESTIGATORS DID AS THEY GO THROUGH.

THAT'S PART ONE.

PART TWO GOES BACK FROM THE PRESENT AND THEN ANALYZES THE REASONS WHY THIS CASE WAS NEVER SOLVED.

AND IT RAISED THE THEMES OF ECONOMIC INSECURITY, VULNERABILITY OF WOMEN, MISTRUST OF THE POLICE, RACE AND RACISM.

>> Cathy: IT'S A GOOD BOOK, BY THE WAY.

>> Eric: MEATY STUFF.

>> Cathy: I HATE TO ASK THIS ANN, BUT I WILL ANYWAY.

ALL THE BOOKS THAT YOU HAVE SHEPHERDED THROUGH ALL THESE YEARS, ARE THERE A COUPLE THAT ARE LIKE FOND CHILDREN TO YOU?

>> UNFORTUNATELY, YES.

EVELIN FAIRBANKS "THE DAYS OF RONDO," THAT'S THE BOOK THAT TAUGHT ME HOW TO BE AN EDITOR.

EVELYN WAS A WONDERFUL, REMARKABLE WOMAN.

"A GOOD TIME FOR THE TRUTH: RACE IN MINNESOTA."

16 PEOPLE OF COLOR WRITING ABOUT WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE A PERSON OF COLOR IN MINNESOTA TAUGHT ME HUGELY.

I LEARNED SO MUCH FROM THAT BOOK.

AND THEN WE BROUGHT IT OUT AND TURNS OUT OTHER PEOPLE NEEDED TO LEARN FROM THAT BOOK TOO.

IT DID SOME WONDERFUL WORK.

AND MOST RECENTLY "DEAR JACOB: A MOTHER'S JOURNEY OF HOPE," PATTY WETTERLING AND JOY BAKER'S BOOK WAS A VERY POWERFUL EXPERIENCE.

>> Eric: CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU.

GOOD LUCK WITH THE BOOK.

>> HANK YOU.

>> THANK YOU.

>> Eric: