Fahrenheit 451 Books
Fahrenheit 451 Books was a bookstore, formerly located on 509 South Coast Highway in Laguna Beach, California. It was described by the Los Angeles Times as a "literary landmark" of the region.[1][2] It closed in 1994.
Early years
The bookstore, which also included an art gallery, was established in 1968 by Dennis Madison and
New owners
The bookstore's fortunes changed for the better when, in June 1976, Fahrenheit was bought by Lorraine and Norman Zimmerman, and their friend, Mike Kopp (the Zimmermans became sole owners from the fall of 1978). After extensive
National recognition
Within five years of its grand opening, Fahrenheit 451 Books received national recognition. In a 1981 article in
Hosting authors
In the period 1976 to 1988, Fahrenheit hosted
At the request of Zimmerman, on Nov. 16, 1980, "from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.," local performance artist
Evaluation
Novelist P. D. James entered into the bookstore's scrapbook that she considered Fahrenheit to be "my idea of a perfect bookstore."[10] The success of Fahrenheit 451 Books was largely due to the competency and commitment of its owner, who stated less than a month before passing the keys to a new owner that "to say I own a bookstore, it's a title of respect and integrity and honesty."[11] In an article for American Bookseller, Zimmerman discussed her core philosophy of bookselling. "Discussing books," she wrote, "with customers and local writers; sponsoring literary events; having a finger on the pulse of current American thought through the knowledge of forthcoming books and my customers' requests; having the ability to disseminate hard-to-find information--these were the daily rewards of bookselling."[12]
After moving to northern California, Lorraine Zimmerman opened Collected Thoughts Bookshop in Berkeley in 1996. Eight years later, in 2004, she sold the bookstore after which she became partner at University Press Books (UPB) in Berkeley. Then a grandmother to five boys, Zimmerman created and managed UPB's first ever children's book section. She retained her position at UPB until her death on July 12, 2017.
References
- ^ Los Angeles Times, Nov. 19, 1988, p. R3.
- ^ McLellan, Dennis (31 March 1994). "Fahrenheit 451 Burned by Money Woes : Bookstore: Laguna group seeks to help keep it afloat. Its owners say an embezzlement is to blame". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
- ^ "Humor from the underground".
- ^ The New York Times, 3 August 1981, p. C11.
- ^ Los Angeles Times, Jan. 4, 1987, p. 9.
- ^ Los Angeles Times, Nov. 11, 1988, p. D13.
- ^ Ray Riegert, Hidden Coast of California: The Adventurer's Guide (Berkeley, Cal.: Ulysses Press, 1988), p. 133.
- ^ T. Jefferson Parker, Little Saigon (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1988), p. 107.
- ^ Bloch, Mark. "Why Am I Sitting in the Window of the Farehheit 451 Bookstore?," Panmag Issue 451 (Nov. 16, 1980), pp. 1,2,8, Laguna Beach, New York.
- ^ Los Angeles Times, Nov. 12, 1988, p. 6.
- ^ Los Angeles Times, 26 November 1988, p. 6.
- ^ Lorraine Zimmerman, "Our Stores, Our Selves," American Bookseller (May 1989), p. 201.