Red versus Blue in the United States of Books

Amazon.com is featuring a map of the Untied States showing which books are popular reads in each state. The map is surprisingly red, more states reading conservative books rather than liberal one, but this is does not indicate a upcoming Republican landslide. The 2004 map shows much the same. On the other hand, by using the dates of sales one can see that America is shifting to buying more conservative books as the election approaches.

The top three liberal books are all by Senator Obama. The top three conservative books are more of a grab bag including one about Governor Palin, one by former Clinton aide Dick Morris, and one authored by Chuck Norris. John McCain's book ranks sixth but hardcover and softcover are counted separately.

The "Purple" book category features less than partisan books. Tom Friedman's book on the United States, globalization, and the environment is number one in the purple category. I have not read it but I am told geographers would find it interesting.