Reading the Past

The latest in the Cold Mountain trend?

Here's an interesting deal from this week's Publishers Marketplace:

Hunter College high school English teacher Peter Melman's LANDSMAN, about a Jewish man who joins the Confederate army, to Amy Scheibe at Counterpoint, for six figures, for publication in June 2007, by Lucy Childs at Aaron Priest Literary Agency (NA).

Publishers Weekly has a little more:

Counterpoint's Amy Scheibe has preempted North American rights to a first novel by Peter Melman titled Landsman from Lucy Childs at Aaron Priest in a six-figure deal. Set at the start of the Civil War, the novel tells the story of a young Jewish man, raised on the streets of New Orleans after losing his mother to yellow fever, who joins the Confederate army in order to escape a false murder charge. Melman currently teaches English at Hunter College High School; Counterpoint plans a June 2007 publication.

A good sign for historical fiction, no doubt - that's some deal. Hmm.