SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The Rev. Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, co-authors of the multimillion-selling "Left Behind" novels, have begun a brief tour of the South, home to many of their biggest supporters.

About 800 packed the Christian Supply Inc. store Tuesday to pick up signed copies of "Glorious Appearing," the 12th and final installment of the evangelical series.

Tuesday's stop was the first in a 12-city tour of the South, where 44 percent of "Left Behind" readers live, publicist Beverly Rykerd said.

First published in 1995, the "Left Behind" books originally were sold in Christian book stores, but sales eventually extended to Barnes & Noble and other mainstream retailers. The previous 11 "Left Behind" books have sold 40 million copies and "Glorious Appearing" has about 2 million copies in print.

The series follows the most literal possible reading of Bible prophecies and the novels weave complex apocalyptic sequences from Revelations and other books of the Bible.

"The books make you realize you don't want to be 'left behind' after you see what these people had to go through," said Wanda White, who attended the reading.

Tiffany Hughes has read all 11 "Left Behind" books and was in line Tuesday to get the final installment signed. "The book of Revelations is very cryptic," she said. "They have taken that book and put it in layman's terms and made it easy to understand."

The authors thanked the crowd, which had fans of all ages. "Our ultimate dream has been fulfilled abundantly," said LaHaye, 77, who has been writing and preaching for decades.