In an election year, L.A. readers vote in favor of books on political themes.

Carl Dickerson, 65-year-old native of a Western Pennsylvania steel town, couldn't believe he was sitting across a chicken dinner from National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice.

But there they were, part of an event sponsored by the Los Angeles Town Hall that drew 1,500 people, one of the largest events in the group's history.

"There are bigger crowds, and bigger names in both politics and corporate America," said Dickerson, who has been attending Town Hall events for the last 25 years.

Belying the image of the bubble-headed Angeleno, there is growing evidence that the presidential campaign, the war with Iraq and ongoing concerns about terrorism have translated into an increased interest in current affairs--whether it's in the sale of political books or the popularity of Sunday public/affairs shows.

And it's not just in the hillside mansions where fundraisers are held.

"I don't remember selling books like this ever before, and I've been in business for 16 years," said James Fugate, co-owner of EsoWon Books Inc., a small independent bookstore in Baldwin Hills.

The Sunday morning chat shows draw a bigger share of the audience in L.A. than anywhere but New York and Washington. The level of interest appears, at least anecdotally, to be fed locally by heavy bipartisan interest.

"The thing that is interesting about Los Angeles is that virtually everything sells there," said Elizabeth Fielding, a spokeswoman for La Vergne, Tenn.-based Ingram Book Group, one of the nation's biggest book distributors

Though she declined to give specific numbers, Fielding said San Francisco and New York tend to be strong markets for books from the political left while "Los Angeles sells books from both sides of the political spectrum more or less equally well."

Ed Conklin, general manager of Dutton's Brentwood Books, agreed.

"There is a voracious appetite for anything that tells about the events leading up to the Iraq War," he said. "Most of the issues go to the credibility of the president. People are curious on getting the facts and what really happened."

The voracious appetite for national politics doesn't surprise Nancy Snow, an assistant professor of communications at California State University Fullerton.

"L.A. has one of the highest, if not highest levels, of book readers in the country. No one seems to know this," said Snow, who has written extensively on American propaganda, free speech and opinion control.

Whether L.A. is leading a trend or following one is a question.

"Publishers planned to come out with these books, political in nature, to coincide with the national presidential election this year," said Charles Tillinghast, president and chief executive of San Diego-based Advanced Marketing Services Inc., a book distributor to warehouse clubs and Borders Group Inc.

"This happens all the time in the industry. Every major anniversary, you'll see a slew of books by publishers built around that particular event," he said. "Publishers got lucky this time because the public is receptive to these political books, whether they are from the right or left. But this time next year, we'll be saying, 'Gee, where did all of those books go?'"

He also took issue with Fielding's sense of balance in the marketplace.

"Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them," a rage against the right by Al Franken, has "done extremely well" in L.A., as has "Against All Enemies" by former presidential anti-terrorism adviser Richard A. Clarke.

Each have sold better in L.A. than in San Francisco, Tillinghast said, while conservative TV host Sean Hannity's "Deliver Us From Evil," while selling well overall, has done better in the conservative enclaves of Orange and San Diego counties.

The Sunday morning TV news shows are gaining larger audience share in L.A. than in Chicago and San Francisco, according to Nielsen data measuring the shows broadcast on April 18.

Andie Silvers, a CBS spokeswoman, said L.A. ratings suffer from a three-hour lag behind the East Coast. "The traditional time to watch ("Face the Nation") is 8:30 a.m. in the West, but it is sometimes displaced due to sporting events and its half-hour format that makes it easier to shift to another time slot, Silvers explained.

The interest level hasn't been limited to home-bound activities.

"We are attracting record levels for our political speakers," said Deborah Weinberg, a spokeswoman for Town Hall Los Angeles, a public forum where corporate and government speakers offer insider glimpses at the workings of business and politics.

Among the nationally known names that have drawn crowds are Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Mexican President Vicente Fox, and First Lady Laura Bush, who drew 1,700 attendees, the biggest ever.

Why the rising attendance?

Weinberg thinks it relates to L.A.'s growing multi-culturalism, and interest by these diverse groups locally in international politics. "There's a lot of transplanted communities hem," she said. "There's a lot of uncertainty on the direction of the war (in Iraq) and where the economy is heading."