The reading in the Browsing Room on the library's lower level will be followed by a book signing and reception.
Admission is free.
The Cedar Rapids couple's book presents a legal history of Iowa using court records, personal recollections, news reports and photos. It won the 1996 Benjamin F. Shambaugh Award for the best book on Iowa history from the State Historical Society of Iowa. During their six years of research and writing, the Actons say their greatest discovery was the 1830 Kentucky bill of sale for Ralph that they found in the Marion County, Mo., courthouse. A portion of the bill of sale is reprinted in the book. Readers seem to favor the chapter on the Cherry sisters' historic libel lawsuit in the early 1900s, she said.