We will again stay open till midnight Monday (Tuesday a.m.) on the eve of the release of "Inherent Vice," the new novel by Thomas Pynchon (who our buyer Charles says is "the greatest American author of the 20th Century"). Pynchon fans eager to get started on the latest epic by the legendary author can come before midnight, share a cup of coffee or glass of wine with other like-minded readers, pre-purchase the book, and pick it up at its on-sale date - the stroke of midnight. Please pre-purchase the book before midnight (you will receive a ticket for book pickup) to ensure that we have enough copies.

For anyone who loves Infinite Jest or who is taking part in the mass reading of it for Infinite Summer, we will be offering the store as a meeting place to find kindred DFW fans. We won't be leading a discussion per se -- the point is to put lots of IJ readers in the same room and see what happens. Maybe we'll talk about the book. Maybe we'll vent about how heavy it is to lug around. Maybe we'll play "cartridges." Maybe we'll break into a spontaneous game of tennis. Who knows? All of our staff members that evening either have read or are currently reading Infinite Jest! This is the first of two events -- see September 22 for more details about the second gathering. For more information on Infinite Summer, visit http://infinitesummer.org

5:00 PM

VICTORIAN L.A. 

Victorian L.A. explores the relationship between Los Angeles's nineteenth-century neighborhoods and the rail network that served them. Horse cars, cable cars, and electric cars--our city's early transportation companies--were highly competitive and when unified became the nation's most extensive system. When the trolly cars were illegally removed, the Victorian neighborhoods soon after disappeared.

Michael Jacob Rochlin is the author of eight books including the well-received Ancient L.A.

Mustang: The Saga of the Wild Horse in the American West (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) by Deanne Stillman

Twelve, the King (Perceval Press) by Michael Blake

Two authors will discuss and sign their books about the American West!

Deanne Stillman is a widely published, critically acclaimed writer. In addition to Mustang, she is the author of the bestseller Twentynine Palms: A True Story of Murder, Marines, and the Mojave, an LA times “best book 2001” which Hunter Thompson called “A strange and brilliant story by an important American writer.” It was recently published in a new, updated edition.

Michael Blake’s first novel, Dances With Wolves, was published as a mass-market paperback in 1988, receiving no attention until the film version was released to worldwide acclaim in the late 1990s. The phenomenal success of the movie ended more than twenty years of impoverished struggle to make a living out of literature and resulted in a downpour of awards, including the Oscar. In addition, Blake has received other prestigious awards including The American Library Association’s Hero of the Year and Cancervive’s Survivor of the Year. His latest work is a memoir about a rescue horse that greatly impacted his life titled Twelve, The King (Perceval Press, 2009) and his past works include The Holy Road and Indian Yell. Blake also has a new movie in development with Keven Costner that is based on a short story he wrote titled “The One”. He resides on his ranch, Wolf House, in the foothills of Tucson, Arizona.

A modern-day mixer for the literary minded. Our staff will share their
faves from indie presses. Wine and hors d'oeuvres will be served!

 This month: L.A.-based publishers!

Justin will show us the ropes of Ammo Books, publishers of beautifully designed books on the arts.

Emily will discuss Green Integer, who specialize in a variety of books by leading artists, critics, and historians.

Monica will introduce us to Les Figues, who focus on the innovative, experimental, and avant-garde.

Come join us and find out more about these terrific indie publishers!

Best of the Web 2009 (Dzanc)

Katherine Taylor, Tricia Louvar, and Lou Mathews will be reading from their selected work.

Katherine Taylor, author of Rules for Saying Goodbye, has won a Pushcart Prize and the McGinnis Ritchie Award in Fiction. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Elle, Town & Country, Details, Allure, and literary journals such as Ploughshares, The Southwest review, and ZYZZYVA.  Much
like her fictional alter ego, she has burned bridges in London, Rome,
and Brussels, but now lives in Los Angeles, where she is working on her
second novel.

Tricia Louvar , born in Iowa, is a writer, editor, and poet.  She lives in a
bucolic area of Los Angeles.  For more of her work, please visit www.tricialouvar.com.

Lou Mathews is a fourth-generation Angeleno. He worked as a mechanic until he was thirty-nine. His first novel, L.A. Breakdown, about illegal street racing, was picked by the Los Angeles Times as a Best Book of 1999. He has received a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Fiction, a California Arts Council Fiction Fellowship, a Pushcart Prize, and a Katherine Anne Porter Prize.  He has published recent work in Black Clock and Tin House. His nonfiction has been published in the Los Angeles Times, L.A. Reader, L.A. Weekly, Mother Jones, Tin House, and L.A. Style, where he was a contributing editor for eight years and a restaurant reviewer for forty-three pounds. He teaches fiction writing and literature in the UCLA Extension Writers' Program, where he was Teacher of the Year is 2002.

Los Angeles's Original Farmers Market (Arcadia Publishing)

The authors of a new book celebrating Los Angeles's original farmer's market (at 3rd and Fairfax) will be here to discuss the 75 year history of this historic landmark.

Balloons, Refreshments, Discounts all day Saturday and Sunday - to celebrate our 13th Anniversary!!!

Discounts on every book - from 10 to 70%!

 Join us from 3 to 5pm on Saturday, Oct 31 for a wine and treat reception.

Balloons, Refreshments, Discounts all day Saturday and Sunday - to celebrate our 13th Anniversary!!!

Discounts on every book - from 10 to 70%!

 Join us from 3 to 5pm on Saturday, Oct 31 for a wine and treat reception.

One Model Nation (Image Comics)

We're thrilled to host the Dandy Warhols' Courtney Taylor (aka C. Allbritton Taylor) and Camp Freddy's Donovan Leitch as they present their new graphic novel One Model Nation, illustrated by Jim Rugg.

A native of the Pacific Northwest, C. Allbritton Taylor has lived in New York, Amsterdam, Los Angeles, London and has made countless trips to Berlin for more than a decade while collecting information and writing One Model Nation. Now a resident of Washington State, C. Allbritton says of his first published full-length work, "I did my best to present a clear story while having to protect the people who wanted to remain hidden. I had to change names (and occasionally places) to do this while remaining true to my original intention: to pay homage to the great artists who played their parts in that time of unsung greatness."

Actor, musician, producer, rock historian, Donovan Leitch co-conceived One Model Nation with his collaborator C. Allbritton Taylor. Donovan was the lead singer for the '90s andro-glam NY band Nancy Boy and now fronts the all-star jam band Camp Freddy. As an actor, he has appeared in many late night cable cult classics and he played the lead role in Hedwig and the Angry Inch in both New York and L.A. productions. He has produced several documentaries and is now developing rock based musicals. As an avid music historian, Donovan constantly seeks to uncover the deeper truths of the mysterious band One Model Nation.