published, The Kidnapping of the President remains the great Canadian caper novel... but that's not saying a whole lot. Q&A: Q: How tempting is this? A: Not tempting at all. Trivia (personal): Amongst those tasked with guarding the President is Secret Service agent Gil Busby. He very nearly thwarts the kidnappers' plan with his suspicions about Moreno, but is sidetracked by a collapsing barricade from which he rescues a young girl. Good man, that Busby. Agent Busby is only the second character with my surname that I've encountered in Canadian literature. The first, whistling Sgt Calvin Busby, is found in Earle Birney's Turvey (1949). Object: A slim hardcover, my first edition  --  signed by the author  -- I purchased my copy in 1991 from a Montreal Salvation Army Thrift Store. Price: $2. Access: The Kidnapping of the President is long out of print  -- the most recent edition I could find was Seal Books' 1980 movie tie-in  -- but it still makes a great Christmas gift. The McClelland and Stewart first edition can be had in Very Good condition for one dollar. Expect to pay more  -- but not much more  --  for the 1975 Simon & Schuster American first, the 1976 Quartet British first, and the mass market editions from Avon (1975) and Seal (1980). There are dozens of copies to be had for under five dollars. Ignore the bookseller trying to sell a "Good" copy of the Simon & Schuster edition for $74.99. About Me A writer, ghostwriter,