Out of 3,000 copies released Nov. 1, all but 112 have already sold.

"We're ecstatic about the sales thus far," Swartwout said. "It's unusual for a small-press novel from a first-time author to do so incredibly well. The Cape Girardeau Barnes and Noble has sold over 700 copies to date, and Books Galore in Crystal City said Morley's was the biggest book signing they've ever seen. We just shipped a fourth order to Amazon.com, too. Our distributor, The Booksource in St. Louis, is having difficulty keeping the book in stock. This is a good problem for a publisher and good publicity for the University."

Steve Turner, manager of Barnes and Noble Booksellers in Cape Girardeau, said The Gold of Cape Girardeau was their bestselling book for November.

Swingle, the author, said the second printing will contain some corrections.

"An anonymous Speak Out caller caught me misidentifying a cemetery," he said. "I guess those first 3,000 copies are collector's items already."

"Indeed they are," agreed Swartwout. "Point collectors look for these kinds of copies. A 'point' is any odd mark or type in a book that doesn't appear in subsequent copies -- kind of like the stamp issued with an upside-down airplane. There are a limited number in the world."

For more information on the Southeast Missouri State University Press, contact Susan Swartwout at (573) 651-2641 or e-mail sswartwout@semo.edu.