Officially, John Kasich's book tour has nothing to do with a possible 2020 presidential run.

However, the Ohio governor will be brushing up against all sorts of presidential trappings in the next two weeks as he travels from coast to coast to tout "Two Paths: America Divided or United."

Kasich will read from his fourth book May 5 at the Nixon Library in southern California.

He will be interviewed Wednesday at Harvard by David Gergen, adviser to multiple presidents.

On May 1, David Axelrod, Barack Obama's longtime political guru, will chat with Kasich at the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics.

The governor returns Thursday to the presidential testing grounds of New Hampshire. No overtly political events are scheduled for the Granite State, although a small reception for his supporters will be held just before his talk at St. Anselm College — where Kasich made the first appearance of his 2016 presidential campaign more than two years ago. He also may do a TV interview in the state that traditionally hold's the nation's first presidential primary.

The two-week run starts Monday night at a prime-time town hall in New York City with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, followed by an event Tuesday afternoon at Manhattan's Hudson Union, which costs $39 to attend. "Early RSVPs are suggested as the event will reach capacity," the group advises.

The Nixon Library is charging $30 a head for what is billed as a “lecture and book signing,” while Harvard is holding a lottery for the John F. Kennedy Jr. forum moderated by Gergen, co-director of the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard Kennedy School. The Chicago gathering with Axelrod is free but open only to those associated with the university.

Earlier that day, you can pay $60 to hear Kasich — as well as attend a reception and lunch — at the Windy City’s Union League Club. Dress code is business casual, and no denim is allowed.

It will set you back only $25 to hear the Ohioan next Friday at the Museum of American Revolution in Old City Philadelphia with local talk show host Dom Giordano.

Kasich also has several more conventional events at book stores, including one April 28 at Politics and Prose in Washington, D.C. The west coast swing includes book stores in Seattle and San Francisco.

And he has stops in Ohio, such as a 1:30 p.m. visit on April 29 at Books and Company in Beavercreek near Dayton, followed by a 7 p.m. event at Joseph-Beth book store in Cincinnati.

The next day, Kasich will be at the Barnes & Noble in Crocker Park Mall in Westlake, near Cleveland.

Finally, the governor comes home for an appearance at the Columbus Metropolitan Club on May 16.

Kasich's publisher is footing the bill for the tour, said Kasich spokesman Chris Schrimpf.

The state is required by law to pay for State Highway Patrol security for the governor wherever he travels. However, the governor's office refused to confirmed this would be the case on Kasich's book tour.

In the past Kasich's office would not disclose how much was paid for security, arguing that was a risk for the governor. But now it won't even confirm whether taxpayer money is being used or not.

Spokeswoman Emmalee Kalmbach said, "For the safety of the governor, his family and those with him, we simply never discuss security procedures or resources."

drowland@dispatch.com

@darreldrowland