AUTHORS, DEALERS AND OTHERS GATHER TO CELEBRATE BOOKS

The Friends of the Library, Southeast Steuben County, is sponsoring "A Celebration of Books", September 25th, 2004. The day-long event, to be held at the Rink and adjacent Civic Center Plaza, will bring together a wonderful mish-mash of booksellers and several thousand enthusiastic readers and collectors.

Every book ever written has a reader. The trick is to bring reader and seller together. The trick is to put into the readers' hands the book that they didn't know they wanted until they saw it. "A Celebration of Books" will provide just such an opportunity.

There will be up to 50 booths filled with professional book dealers, individuals with books to sell or promote, illustrators, book designers and book artists. There a will also be a Scholastic Book Fair, a silent auction of collectible books, and literary readings, including the winners of a children's poetry contest.

A number of children's book writers and illustrators will be present. These include Tedd Arnold of Elmira, Jackie Horsfall of Corning and members of RACWI, Rochester Area Children's Writers and Illustrators: Vivian Vande Velde, Stu Smith, Marsha Hayles and Carol Johmann.

Other authors include Emerson Klees, prolific writer of books about the Finger Lakes Region, both historical and current guides. Brundage Publishing represents many regional authors of memoirs, fiction and poetry. Footprint Press publishes regional travel guides.

The book dealers will offer juvenile series, vintage paperbacks, mysteries, reference books on glass, ceramics and the decorative arts, miniatures, and general fiction and antiquarian books.

In addition, there are a number of individuals or organizations who have wonderful books to sell. Habitat for Humanity has a great collection of antiquarian books that have been donated to them. These include first edition Zane Grey, Popular Mechanics, Mark Twain and Pearl Buck. The Library will be offering the best of their donated volumes.

Throughout the day there will be short readings of significant literary works. There will be a Scholastic Book Fair and a silent auction of donated items from signed copies to uncorrected proofs; coffee table books to rare collectibles.

The Celebration will be rounded out by appraisals, an introduction to Internet Book Searches and a display of fine bookbinding, plus jazz and refreshments.

This "Celebration" offers every kind of bookseller an affordable shop window for a day.

Whether you are a bookstore, an internet bookseller, an individual with more books than space or a recently published author, September 25 is the perfect occasion to bring buyers and sellers together.