About three years after I opened and moved Lemuria to Highland Village, a large strange man came to check out my collection of books for sale.
My memory tells me he wore a navy blue suit, he walked around a bit, scoped the layout of my store, and then parked his assertive self in front of the Nobel Prize winners bookcase.
He looked at the desk where Tom, Val and myself were learning the book business and blared out to all ears: “I guess you guys like Hemingway.” We said, “Yeah!” and from there my enduring friendship with J.C. Simmons grew. Soon his buddy, another Papa crony, showed up to check out the joint, and that was when I met Ed.
Over my lifetime of bookselling, I’ve had the good fortune to meet many wonderful bibliophiles (Good Doc “T” Rest in Peace) but none have embarked on a journey like my ole pal Ed Grissom. After a lifetime of learning all about Ernest Hemingway, Ed launched into the ultimate “Papa” project of which this extraordinary book is the result.
I encourage all Hemingway fans, on any level, to stop over this Thursday at 5:00 to visit with and talk to Ed about his fascinating journey of bookselling and the oddities he encountered. I’m told some of the “rarest of the rare” Hemingway books will be shown and explained.
Remarkably, Ed’s passion came to fruition. It’s not everyday that in pursuit of your wildest dreams that there actually awaits that cup of gold. And for Ed his cup is filled with the publication of this ambitious project. I praise my pal for never giving up on his passion.
All who share the love of this author’s great work, please join us in celebration of Papa’s literature. Not only will Ed share some his “rarest of the rare” at Lemuria, but our old bookstore crony, J.C., will be hanging around again just like the old days.
Ernest Hemingway: A Descriptive Bibliography by C. Edgar Grissom (Oak Knoll Press, 2011)
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