Barack Obama's face is selling books and magazines, but can he save the publishing industry?

In an historic night, Democrat Barack Obama won the 2008 race for the presidency. Essence editor Patrik Henry Bass reflects from New York City, and WBEZ Chicago Public Radio's Ben Calhoun gives a first-hand account of Obama's victory rally from Chicago.

In the last few days before the election, House and Senate Republicans, have been pushing hard to help incumbents facing tough re-election races keep their seats in Congress. The Senate GOP poured new resources into states like Minnesota, North Carolina and Georgia, while House Republicans focused on Virginia, Indiana and Kentucky. New York Times reporter David Herszenhorn talks with John Hockenberry about whether this last push for Congressional republicans has legs.

Record numbers of Americans voted early this year. Michael McDonald, a voting expert and professor at George Mason University, analyzes what we know about those early votes, and what they say about what will happen tomorrow.

Tomorrow, for the first time in history, American will put either an African-American man in the White House or elect a woman as vice president. Today, we take a look at several African-American women who helped make this moment in history possible. These women were writers, politicians and civil rights leaders. But their names are often omitted in the discussion about how we got to this pivotal moment in American history.

As the United States gets ready for a history-making and record-breaking election, people across the nation are preparing for their election night parties. The Takeaway checks in with party planners to find out what you serve, what you wear and who you invite to watch election returns.

Maine and Vermont are the only two states in the country that allow convicted felons to vote while in prison. But in Maine, prisons are one of the only places that the campaigns can't actually penetrate. Prisoners don’t have access to the candidates' campaigns and are barred from talking politics with prison staff. As the presidential campaign wraps up, Jeffrey Merrill, the warden of Maine State Prison joins us to talk about how Maine's prisoners participate in the electoral process.

For those of you looking for hope in times of economic woe, look no further than the man who brought you Oliver Twist. University of Oxford English professor Robert Douglas-Fairhurst says no other author can encapsulate the anxiety of our current economy better than Charles Dickens.

Web-only extra! Full audio of Andrea interviewing Bob the Roofer and his friend John.