Fairhope, Ala. — Bestselling local author Winston Groom will be at Page & Palette, 32 S. Section St. in Fairhope, on Sept. 16, from 6 to 8 p.m., to sign "The Crimson Tide: The Official Illustrated History of Alabama Football, National Championship Edition."

The celebrated author and diehard Bama fan provides a lively illustrated history of the team that has dominated college football and has been ranked consistently among the best in the nation, now with 13 national championships to its credit.

A personalized copy signed by Groom himself will make an ideal Christmas gift for fans of the Crimson Tide.

Beginning in 1892, when William G. Little first introduced the game at the Capstone, to the stellar 2009 season during which the Crimson Tide went undefeated and won first the SEC Championship against poll-favorite Florida and then the BCS National Championship against Texas, this story includes all the illustrious moments, players, teams and coaches, fans and stats that collectively make Alabama a proven winner, time after time.

This revised and updated National Championship Edition contains two new chapters to cover the dark days at the beginning of the 21st century (2001–2006) and the dawn of the Nick Saban era (2007–2010); a new foreword by Allen Barra; updated appendixes for all-time lettermen, game records, bowl appearances, national and SEC championships; over 60 fabulous new full-color photographs; and two new sidebars on the historic Heisman Trophy win by Mark Ingram and Jeremiah Castille’s view of Alabama’s championship tradition.

Groom, a graduate of The University of Alabama, is a novelist and historian. He is the author of 15 books, including the best-selling "Forrest Gump." He also wrote the acclaimed Vietnam War novel "Better Times Than These," the prize-winning "As Summers Die" and the Pulitzer Prize nominee "Conversations with the Enemy."

He has also written six books of American history. He lives with his wife and daughter in Point Clear.