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 th is was not the usual fire alarm. As one fireman recounted\, &ldquo\;Once t hat first stack got going\, it was &lsquo\;Goodbye\, Charlie.&rsquo\;&rdqu o\; The fire was disastrous: it reached 2000 degrees and burned for more t han seven hours. By the time it was extinguished\, it had consumed four hu ndred thousand books and damaged seven hundred thousand more. Investigator s descended on the scene\, but more than thirty years later\, the mystery remains: Did someone purposefully set fire to the library&mdash\;and if so \, who?
\nWeaving her lifelong love of books and reading into an inv estigation of the fire\, award-winning \;New Yorker \;reporter and \;New York Times \;bestselling author Susan Orlean delivers a mes merizing and uniquely compelling book that manages to tell the broader sto ry of libraries and librarians in a way that has never been done before.\n
In \;The Library Book\, Orlean chronicles the LAPL fire and its aftermath to showcase the larger\, crucial role that libraries play in ou r lives\; delves into the evolution of libraries across the country and ar ound 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-groun d reporting\; studies arson and attempts to burn a copy of a book herself\ ; reflects on her own experiences in libraries\; and reexamines the case o f Harry Peak\, the blond-haired actor long suspected of setting fire to th e LAPL more than thirty years ago.
\nAlong the way\, Orlean introduc es us to an unforgettable cast of characters from libraries past and prese nt&mdash\;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 k nown as &ldquo\;The Human Encyclopedia&rdquo\; who roamed the library disp ensing information\; from Charles Lummis\, a wildly eccentric journalist a nd 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 ensu re that their institution remains a vital part of the city it serves.
\ nBrimming with her signature wit\, insight\, compassion\, and talent fo r deep research\, \;The Library Book \;is Susan Orlean&rsquo\;s th rilling journey through the stacks that reveals how these beloved institut ions provide much more than just books&mdash\;and why they remain an essen tial part of the heart\, mind\, and soul of our country. It is also a mast er journalist&rsquo\;s reminder that\, perhaps especially in the digital e ra\, they are more necessary than ever.
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