The library book, Susan Orlean
Type
Label
The library book, Susan Orlean
Language
eng
Form of composition
not applicable
Format of music
not applicable
Literary text for sound recordings
other
Main title
The library book
Music parts
not applicable
Oclc number
1047691033
Responsibility statement
Susan Orlean
Summary
Susan Orlean re-opens the unsolved mystery of the most catastrophic library fire in American history, and delivers a dazzling love letter to the beloved institution of libraries"On the morning of April 29, 1986, a fire alarm sounded in the Los Angeles Public Library. As the moments passed, the patrons and staff who had been cleared out of the building realized this was not the usual fire alarm. As one fireman recounted, "Once that first stack got going, it was 'Goodbye, Charlie.'" The fire was disastrous: it reached 2000 degrees and burned for more than seven hours. By the time it was extinguished, it had consumed four hundred thousand books and damaged seven hundred thousand more. Investigators descended on the scene, but more than thirty years later, the mystery remains: Did someone purposefully set fire to the library--and if so, who? Weaving her lifelong love of books and reading into an investigation of the fire, award-winning New Yorker reporter and New York Times bestselling author Susan Orlean delivers a mesmerizing and uniquely compelling book that manages to tell the broader story of libraries and librarians in a way that has never been done before. In The Library Book, Orlean chronicles the LAPL fire and its aftermath to showcase the larger, crucial role that libraries play in our lives; delves into the evolution of libraries across the country and around the world, from their humble beginnings as a metropolitan charitable initiative to their current status as a cornerstone of national identity; brings each department of the library to vivid life through on-the-ground reporting; studies arson and attempts to burn a copy of a book herself; reflects on her own experiences in libraries; and reexamines the case of Harry Peak, the blond-haired actor long suspected of setting fire to the LAPL more than thirty years ago. Along the way, Orlean introduces us to an unforgettable cast of characters from libraries past and present--from Mary Foy, who in 1880 at eighteen years old was named the head of the Los Angeles Public Library at a time when men still dominated the role, to Dr. C.J.K. Jones, a pastor, citrus farmer, and polymath known as "The Human Encyclopedia" who roamed the library dispensing information; from Charles Lummis, a wildly eccentric journalist and adventurer who was determined to make the L.A. library one of the best in the world, to the current staff, who do heroic work every day to ensure that their institution remains a vital part of the city it serves. Brimming with her signature wit, insight, compassion, and talent for deep research, The Library Book is Susan Orlean's thrilling journey through the stacks that reveals how these beloved institutions provide much more than just books--and why they remain an essential part of the heart, mind, and soul of our country. It is also a master journalist's reminder that, perhaps especially in the digital era, they are more necessary than ever."--Publisher's description
Transposition and arrangement
not applicable
Creator
Subject
- Bibliothèques (Édifices) + Incendies et prévention des incendies -- Californie -- Los Angeles
- Books on CD -- Unabridged
- Audiobooks
- Incendies -- Californie -- Los Angeles
- Library materials + Conservation and restoration -- California -- Los Angeles
- Los Angeles Public Library -- Fire, 1986
- Documents de bibliothèque + Conservation et restauration -- Californie -- Los Angeles
- Library buildings + Fires and fire prevention -- California -- Los Angeles
- Fires -- California -- Los Angeles
- Books + Conservation and restoration -- California -- Los Angeles
- Livres audio
- Livres + Conservation et restauration -- Californie -- Los Angeles
- Compact discs
Content
Author
Narrator
Mapped to
Incoming Resources
- Has instance1
Outgoing Resources
- Creator1
- Genre4
- Subject13
- Bibliothèques (Édifices) + Incendies et prévention des incendies -- Californie -- Los Angeles
- Books on CD -- Unabridged
- Audiobooks
- Incendies -- Californie -- Los Angeles
- Library materials + Conservation and restoration -- California -- Los Angeles
- Los Angeles Public Library -- Fire, 1986
- Documents de bibliothèque + Conservation et restauration -- Californie -- Los Angeles
- Library buildings + Fires and fire prevention -- California -- Los Angeles
- Fires -- California -- Los Angeles
- Books + Conservation and restoration -- California -- Los Angeles
- Livres audio
- Livres + Conservation et restauration -- Californie -- Los Angeles
- Compact discs
- Content1
- Author1
- Narrator1
- Mapped to1