If book sales could predict the outcome of a presidential matchup, Sen. Barack Obama would trounce former vice presidential nominee John Edwards.

Obama's "The Audacity of Hope" has surged to the top of bestseller lists: this week, it ranks third on Amazon's list (down from first) and second on the New York Times list of hardcover nonfiction (again, down from first). By contrast, Edwards's tome, "Home: The Blueprints of our Lives," is languishing at 661 on Amazon's list.

"The Obama book is outselling Edwards by a great deal," said Michael Herrmann, owner of Gibson's Bookstore. But Herrmann was quick to point out differences between the books.

Obama's "is a think piece about current events," Herrmann said. Edwards's book - a collection of stories about the childhood homes of politicians, artists and celebrities - "is more of a lifestyle, coffee-table type of book."

SARAH LIEBOWITZ