NYPL Centennial

The New York Public Library's centennial celebration is about a month away. On May 26, just three days after the actual century-date, I will be contributing to the NYPL's Huffington Post blog, in a "guest appearance." I've been asked to write about how I did the research for The Library Book.

On May 20. there will be an all-night scavenger hunt in the Fifth Avenue building. I have signed up for it, as have thousands and thousands of others. I'd be surprised if I were chosen. If I am, I will post to this blog and tweet from the Library's innards all night long!

The new Website is ready

Go to www.johnfiske.com to read about The Library Book, and my new book, The Pilots' Guide to the Airports of Historic Massachusetts. The Pilots' Guide is due from the printer this week.

The POD edition is out

The print-on-demand edition of The Library Book is ready, and available! I am very pleased with it, and I hope everyone will buy and read it. On the Amazon site, search "The Library Book John Fiske," and it'll pop right up.

I ordered a copy last week, and it arrived today. I showed it to the clerk at the post office and she could not tell that the book was POD. I raised the price from $19.95 to $22.00 (although I paid the old price for my own book!) The shipping was around $3.40.

Altogether, I've been quite pleased with CreateSpace's service, and the quality of the product. (CreateSpace is Amazon's POD affiliate).  I strongly believe that the POD business model is correct for The Library Book, as demand for the book is uncertain, and yet the book will be continuously available, or in print.

So, go to Amazon's site, and order a copy!

Carrere's death

John Merven Carrere, architect of the New York Public Library, died on March 1, 1911, one hundred years ago today. He had been injured in a car accident at Madison and 74th, and he never recovered. Carrere's wife, Marion, and his two daughters did return from their holiday in Europe before he died.

A few days later his body lay in state in the foyer of the New York Public Library, which was due to open to the public in May.

In my book, The Library Book, the foyer was Carrere's favorite space in the library. It is my favorite space because it reminds me of the marble quarries in which I went scuba diving, and from which the stone for the library came.

Learn more about the book at www.johnfiske.com

Almost Done

The second edition of The Library Book is almost ready for publication. I decided to use Amazon's CreateSpace to produce the book because almost everyone thinks of Amazon when they buy a book. Last week someone purchased a copy of the first edition; that person automatically went to Amazon. CreateSpace was not at all expensive to me, and with production, printing, credit card fulfillment, and shipping all under one roof, I felt it was the best way to go.

The print-on-demand model also makes sense. In the first edition, my cellar was a book warehouse. I was also the handler and shipper. Amazon is well constructed to be a printer, a warehouse, a shipper,  a handler, and I'll make more money to boot!

CreateSpace does not hold your hand. You have to remember to check the Project Homepage, and you have to make sure they do not make any mistakes. Their customer service teams are responsive, though, and I have no complaints with the service.

The accident

February 11, 1911, the taxi John Carrere was riding in was rammed by a trolley car in the intersection of Madison Avenue and 74th St. Here is the scene as it appears in The Library Book:

A patrolman stood at the intersection of Madison Avenue and 74^th. A trolley from uptown entered the intersection. The black Studebaker taxi, with driver and single occupant did too, but the trolley didn’t slow down. There was a huge, jarring crash — the trolley and the taxi collided! The policeman jumped back. Glass shattered and fell to the pavement. Carrère was ejected from the back of the taxi, landing on the pavement with a sickening thud, his head snapping back and hitting the curb. Barber jumped with fright, shock, and urgency and ran as fast as he could toward the scene, slipping and nearly falling on an icy patch. 

At the time of the accident, the New York Public Library building on Fifth Avenue was nearly finished. Carrere's wife and children were in Europe. Carrere had had dinner and cocktails with his friend, the architect Donn Barber, and was on his way home in a taxi. 

Carrere never recovered from his injuries, and passed away just a few weeks later, March 1, 1911. His bust is in the right-hand stair in the foyer of the New York Public Library.

 

Carrere bought a new car

It was Friday, January 13, 1911, John Carrere bought a new Packard. His partner's wife, Helen Hastings called it the Hoodoo because it was on Friday the 13th that Carrere took delivery.

A couple of days later, on January 15, the New York Public Library's Board decided that the library would be dedicated on May 23, the anniversary of the date the Lenox and Astor Libraries, and the Tilden trust merged to form the New York Public Library.

One hundred years ago, a date had been set!

The New York Public Library looks great

My son and I visited the NYPL on Saturday. He is keenly interested in architecture, and it was a pleasure to show his the craftsmanship in the Classical details in the building. And I was reminded at how difficult it was to limit The Library Book to a few, notable, features in the library. The book could not discuss every last, little detail without becoming repetitive.

The photo is of the "north" lion. The two lions are a major, and prominent feature of the NYPL. They were modeled by Ed Potter, and carved by Attilio Piccarilli from solid blocks of Tennessee marble.

Trip to NYC this weekend

My son and I will be visiting New York this weekend. One objective is to take pictures of the NYPL in order to explain some of the architectural details in The Library Book. I have not visited the library since I finished the book five years ago. I felt as thought I knew the building pretty well, back then, even though I visited it only three or four times when writing the book. I wonder if I still "know"the place?

I also want to view John Carrere's grave in the Moravian Cemetery on Staten Island. Alas, that will not be possible because the grave marker lies flat on the ground, and the ground is covered with snow!

Albertson '96

These pictures are from our first dive trip to the quarry in West Rutland, Vermont that we later learned was known as Albertson. Date: 0ct. 6, 1996. I am wearing the white t-shirt. Gil is relaxing in the water. Not shown is Tom Easop, who is featured in the Fugue, in The Library Book.

We had been told about the quarry by the veteran dive instructor in Massachusetts who taught us Nitrox. He spoke of underwater tunnels, and we decided to go dive the quarry. We had no idea what to expect, and little did I know that I would write a novel.

Self publishing

I published The Library Book, the first time, in 2006. I didn't try to find an agent because I knew the competition was fierce, and I was an unknown writer. Five years ago self-publishing was growing in acceptance. Now, as I publish the Centennial Edition of The Library Book, self-publishing as common and accepted. Social media have brought marketing into the hands of the authors. Self publishing is an authentic method for valuable contributions to be added to the literary canon.

How it started

The Library Book was the result of an unexpected experience: scuba diving in an abandoned marble quarry in western Vermont. The dives into that frigid water impelled me to write a novel! My work was fueled by those first dives, my love of research, and my the excitemewnt of writing about something completely original.