I mean, the only time I have ever seen Ming be even remotely animated he was asking me if I’d ever heard of James Michener.

But there was an appetite for stories about the Orient, proved by the success of James Michener's "Tales of the South Pacific."

It's up for auction with two other books -- "The Andromeda Strain" by Michael Crichton and "Hawaii" by James Michener -- that appeared in the same scene.