RELEASE: IMMEDIATE        DATE: 9/17/04

CONTACT: EMILY SILVERMAN, (413) 545-0995

Friends of the UMass Amherst Library
Presents
Author Nicholas Basbanes

Talk, book signing, and reception
Sunday, September 26, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Memorial Hall, UMass Amherst

     Nicholas A. Basbanes, author of A Splendor of Letters: The Permanence of Books in an Impermanent World (2003) will speak at the UMass Amherst Library's 6 th annual donor appreciation reception on Sunday, September 26, 2004 , in Memorial Hall. The reception is 2:00 – 4:00 p.m., with the program beginning at 2:30 p.m.

     Well known for writing books about books and bibliophiles, Nicholas Basbanes has worked as an award-winning investigative reporter, a literary editor, and a nationally syndicated columnist. Now in its eighth edition with more than 80,000 copies in print, his first book, A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion for Books , was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in nonfiction for 1995. It was named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year.

     Basbanes will discuss his research and the writing of his books. His other books include Among the Gently Mad: Strategies and Perspectives for the Book Hunter in the 21 st Century (2002) and Patience & Fortitude: A Roving Chronicle of Book People, Book Places, and Book Culture (2001). His latest work, Every Book Its Reader, will be published in 2005.

     The Friends of the UMass Amherst Library is pleased to sponsor this donor appreciation reception and author talk. The event is free and open to the public. RSVPs are requested to Susan McBride at (413) 545-3974 or friends@library.umass.edu.