The Prairie Lights bookstore will bring former Democratic presidential candidate and current U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders back to Iowa City in August.

Sanders, who will soon be on tour to promote his latest book, "Bernie Sanders: Guide to Political Revolution," will talk about his book at 7 p.m. on Aug. 31 at Hancher Auditorium, according to a news release from Prairie Lights. Tickets go on sale for the event at 10 a.m. Friday at the Hancher box office.

The reading marks Sanders' first return to Iowa City since the end of the 2016 Presidential election. Sanders had proven to be a remarkably popular candidate in the Iowa City area, beating eventual Democratic Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton by nearly 20 percent in Johnson County. Sanders ended up losing the Iowa Caucuses by razor-thin margins.

Sanders rose to national fame with his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2015 and 2016 after decades in politics as the mayor of Burlington, Vt., and the lone congressman for his state. The senator proved to be the main competitor to eventual Democratic nominee former Secretary of State Clinton with a progressive liberal ideology that was seen as a more left-winged alternative to Clinton.

Jan Weissmiller, co-owner of Prairie Lights, said Sanders is no stranger to the Iowa City bookstore. Before he declared his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for President, Sanders read from his book "The Speech: A Historic Filibuster on Corporate Greed and The Decline of Our Middle Class" on Feb. 19, 2015, at the location.

"We had three days to promote that event and we got 150 people to show up," Weissmiller said.

Three months later, Sanders returned to Iowa City for a campaign rally at Iowa City's Robert A. Lee Center that drew over 400 people. Another rally three months later in Iowa City drew a similarly sized crowd. On January 30, 2016, at the University of Iowa's Field House, Sanders drew a crowd of somewhere between 3,900 and 5,000 people at a rally that featured Grammy-winning band Vampire Weekend, "The Hunger Games" actor Josh Hutcherson and philosopher Dr. Cornel West.

Tickets for Sanders' upcoming reading come in three options: $30 tickets include a signed copy of the book, $25 tickets include an unsigned copy, and tickets for those 16 and younger cost just $10.

Weissmiller said Prairie Lights approached staff at University of Iowa's Hancher Auditorium, which seats 1,800, about hosting the Sanders event because they expect a crowd larger than the book store or The Englert Theatre and its 725 seats could host. Englert often hosts Prairie Lights readings for celebrities and famous authors, including last year's readings by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Colson Whitehead and best-selling author Stephen King.

Englert will host a Prairie Lights reading for famed "Evil Dead" movie actor Bruce Campbell at 7 p.m. on Sept. 5. Tickets are still available through Englert for Campbell's reading.

Neither Prairie Lights nor Hancher are strangers to politicians. In 2010, President Barack Obama stopped by the bookstore to make a purchase. Weissmiller said the store has also hosted former Iowa Senator Tom Harkin, former Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry and other presidential nominees, including Howard Dean and John Edwards.

President Jimmy Carter gave a lecture at the former Hancher Auditorium on May 26, 1991, to a crowd of 2,580, according to attendance data from Hancher.

Reach Zach Berg at 319-887-5412, zberg@press-citizen.com or follow him on Twitter at @ZacharyBerg.

If you go

What: Senator Bernie Sanders reading for his latest book, "Bernie Sanders: Guide to Political Revolution."

Where: Hancher Auditorium, 141 East Park Road, Iowa City.

When: 7 p.m., Aug. 31.

Tickets: $25-$30; $10 for those 16 and younger. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday at the Hancher box office.

Contact: 1-800-HANCHER or 319-335-1160.