NEW YORK, 21-Feb-01 -- Sonny Mehta, President of the Knopf Publishing Group, announced today the acquisition of two novels by Stephen L. Carter, a Professor of Law at Yale and author of seven critically acclaimed nonfiction books. The two novels -- The Emperor of Ocean Park and a second novel to come -- were jointly acquired by Alfred A. Knopf and Vintage Books, imprints of the Knopf Publishing Group, in a fiercely contested auction among 12 publishers.

In a related development, John Wells and Warner Brothers immediately purchased film rights to The Emperor of Ocean Park in a preemptive deal worth seven figures. Agent Lynn Nesbit represented Stephen L. Carter in both negotiations.

The Emperor of Ocean Park, which is Stephen L. Carter's first novel, will be published by Knopf in hardcover in May 2002, and by Vintage Books in trade paperback the following year. "Carter's novel is the most original piece of fiction I have read in a long time," said Mehta. "It is both literary and thrilling, and it tells a riveting story about American life and lives." The Emperor of Ocean Park is the story of a conservative federal judge who dies under suspicious circumstances, and of the investigation of his death and legacy by the judge's son, an African-American law professor.

"I have always been interested in writing as a craft," said Carter, "and have thought for a long time about trying my hand at fiction. The Emperor of Ocean Park is my first serious attempt at doing so. I have been astonished, and humbled, by the response to the manuscript."

The competition for the book among publishers made headlines, with stories appearing in major news outlets before a contract was signed. The New York Times reported that publishers involved in the bidding "said the novel captivated them because it combined the pace of a legal thriller with the thoughtfulness of literary fiction." Said Carter: "Sonny Mehta encouraged my work on this novel at a very early stage three years ago. His interest helped me believe in the book."

Stephen. L. Carter is the William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Law at Yale, where he has taught since 1982, and the author of seven nonfiction books including Reflections of an Affirmative Action Baby and The Culture of Disbelief: How American Law and Politics Trivialize Religious Devotion. Before joining the Yale faculty, he served as law clerk for Judge Spottswood W. Robinson III, of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and for Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. He also briefly practiced law at a firm in Washington, DC.

"Stephen L. Carter has enjoyed a storied career," observed Mehta, "and we are enormously excited to be a part of his next one, that of bestselling novelist."

The Knopf Publishing Group is a division of Random House, Inc.

CONTACT: Paul Bogaards, Senior Vice-President, Executive Director of Publicity, Promotion and Media Relations (212) 572-2177

2/21/01

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