Love your neighborhood bookstore? A lot of people love Mystery & Imagination Bookstore in Glendale, CA including the “Friends of Ray Bradbury” who’ll do a marathon reading on November 13 (6 p.m. to midnight) to raise support for the store.
The November 13th event will be a tribute to Ray Bradbury, a benefit for Mystery and Imagination Bookshop in Glendale, and a call to arms for all who love to hold a book in their hands and spend an afternoon treasure-hunting the aisles of their favorite local bookseller. More than anything, the day will serve as a clarion call—let all who love and collect books speak out against the death of books by continuing to support your local bookstore. The bound book will only die if we stand by passively and watch.
The event is being produced by George Clayton Johnson — Ray Bradbury’s dear friend and co-author of Icarus Montgolfier Wright, their Academy Award nominated short film.
The full text of the press release follows the jump.
[Thanks to John King Tarpinian for the story.]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
FRIENDS OF BRADBURY STAGE READ-IN AS FUNDRAISER FOR MYSTERY AND IMAGINATION, PROVING THAT RUMORS OF THE DEATH OF BOOKS ARE GREATLY EXAGGERATED
Glendale, California, November 7, 2010…On November 13th, from noon until six o’clock in the evening at Mystery and Imagination Bookshop in Glendale, “Friends of Bradbury” evoke the spirit of the Sixties and light Ray Bradbury’s favorite bookstore on fire with their passion for books.
Visionaries like Bradbury foretold the future—and it is our today. However unwittingly, electronic data and devices like Kindle assume the role of Guy Montag in Bradbury’s iconic “Fahrenheit 451” and undermine the role of physical books in our culture. Believing ourselves powerless, we stand by and watch our neighborhood bookstores topple.
You have heard the warnings: The bound book is dead or dying! Let us not prove the doomsayers right. Come join the Friends of Bradbury, and show that we will not take this lying down. The marathon read-in will be an all-day happening, as many special guests raise their voices, channel Ray Bradbury, and demonstrate the power that resides in books by great authors, many of which can be found for sale at the Glendale bookstore.
The November 13th event will be a tribute to Ray Bradbury, a benefit for Mystery and Imagination Bookshop in Glendale, and a call to arms for all who love to hold a book in their hands and spend an afternoon treasure-hunting the aisles of their favorite local bookseller. More than anything, the day will serve as a clarion call—let all who love and collect books speak out against the death of books by continuing to support your local bookstore. The bound book will only die if we stand by passively and watch.
All readings will be recorded and sold at Mystery and Imagination Bookstore in Glendale , and all proceeds thereof will be divided between the bookstore and Mr. Bradbury himself. Given his remarkable longevity, Ray Bradbury is frail of health, and does not get out as often as he would like, so his attendance is not expected. The event is being produced by celebrated writer of books, teleplays, and screenplays, George Clayton Johnson—Ray Bradbury’s dear friend and co-author of Icarus Montgolfier Wright, their Academy Award nominated short film.
For More Information, Contact:
Mystery and Imagination Bookshop
238 N. Brand Blvd.
Glendale , CA. 91203
818-545-0206
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I love books. Hardcover especially, when they are affordable (and these days, available). I have spent money on books rather than food, on rare past occasions. Still, I am casting longing eyes toward a Kindle.
It is ironic that SF fen, in particular, seem to be leading the latest incarnation of Luddite nostalgia. There are advantages to printed books, such as their durability, their resistance to obsolescence, and that they don’t need any power other than sunlight. But when was the last time you tossed Lord of the Rings — or even the Annotated Hobbit — into your laptop bag? And how does searching for an unindexed phrase work for you?
I can’t tell you how many times I have wished for an electronic copy of LotR so I could find something I am SURE is in there. Now, that format is within reach, for less than the cost of a hardbound book (after the initial investment in an electronic reader).
Electronic search is the 800 pound alien monster that has begun to assimilate and digest the industry built around printed books. Its fraternal twin is print on demand publishing. Between the two, bookstores focused on selling new printed works face extinction. If you prefer, a nice, quiet, well-deserved retirement.
There are lots of things I remember with fondness: CP/M computers with 8″ screens. Cars with huge tail fins. Slide rules. Party line telephones. 1950s doctor visits, especially the prices. But I would hate to be stuck with them today. The nearby independent bookstore is almost on that list. So be nostalgic if you wish, but resistance is … unreasonable.