Writers and readers share a universal bond, and therein lies the ever-growing success of the South Dakota Book Festival, which was held this past weekend in the historic havens of downtown Deadwood. There were standing-room-only crowds for most of the presentations, which ranged from New Yorker cartooning to Auschwitz, six-man football in South Dakota and the Rapid City flood. The festival, in its nine-year history, has quickly emerged as one of the best such gatherings in the country. Photos by Bernie Hunhoff.