The library book
(Large Print Book)

Book Cover
Published
Waterville, Maine : Thorndike Press, a part of Gale, a Cengage Company, 2018.
Format
Large Print Book
Edition
Large print edition.
Physical Desc
539 pages (large print) : illustrations ; 23 cm.
Status

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Copies

LocationCall NumberStatus
Brownell Library - Large PrintLP 027.4799 ORLOn Shelf
Dorothy Alling Library - Adult AreaLGP 027.479 OrleanOn Shelf
Essex Free Library - Large PrintLP 027.47 ORLEANOn Shelf
Fletcher Free Library - 2nd Floor - Large PrintLARGE PRINT 027.479 ORL 2018On Shelf
Hartford Public Library - Large PrintLP 027.47994 ORLOn Hold Shelf

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Published
Waterville, Maine : Thorndike Press, a part of Gale, a Cengage Company, 2018.
Edition
Large print edition.
Language
English

Notes

Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 530-533).
Description
On the morning of April 29, 1986, a fire alarm sounded in the Los Angeles Public Library. As the moments passed, patrons and staff outside 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, reaching 2000 degrees and burning for more than seven hours. It consumed four hundred thousand books and damaged seven hundred thousand more. More than thirty years later, the mystery remains: Did someone purposefully set fire to the library -- and if so, who? Susan 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.

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Citations

APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)

Orlean, S. (2018). The library book (Large print edition.). Thorndike Press, a part of Gale, a Cengage Company.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Orlean, Susan. 2018. The Library Book. Thorndike Press, a part of Gale, a Cengage Company.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Orlean, Susan. The Library Book Thorndike Press, a part of Gale, a Cengage Company, 2018.

MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)

Orlean, Susan. The Library Book Large print edition., Thorndike Press, a part of Gale, a Cengage Company, 2018.

Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.

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