First Annual Classical Book Fair

Coinciding with the fine summer weather, Pacific Books in Seattle is launching what
it hopes will become an annual event: a book fair celebrating those works of
literature that have stood the test of time—books we all know and love, and maybe
some we don’t love so much. Come to Waterfront Park on July 23, 24, and 25 for a
long weekend of book talk, antique bookmaking demonstrations, booths offering
exquisite classical editions, and a range of activities that will satisfy the
reader—and the thespian—in you.

Yes, this inventive bookstore has gone beyond reading. You now have the chance to
bring to life scenes
and dialog from a favorite novel or short story by participating in one of several
“dramatic stagings” from classical literature. The titles on the bookstore’s list
of classics span several centuries and embrace a range of countries.

While Pacific Books has drawn up a vast list, including works translated into
English, the bookstore has limited the festival’s focus to fiction. Erica Thomas,
manager of the Seattle store, says, “It might seem like a crime to exclude poetry,
but we’ve already established our fall poetry festival, and we decided it’s
fiction’s turn.”

Dramatic Scenes
The bookstore will create a basic stage setting with props such as armchairs,
tables, and a bit of other furniture. Use your imagination for the rest. Choose any
scene you like that can be dramatized in 15 minutes. All patrons with the
willingness to rehearse and spring for a costume are invited to participate.

Open-Mike Monologues
Go all out here. Be the thespian you’d love to be. You’ll have five minutes to
declaim, plead, weep, or swoon as you read a monologue from a classic of your
choice. Don’t hesitate to dress like your character. Though there’s no specific
award for costume in this category, this is no time for restraint.

Costumes
Just Togs has arranged with the bookstore to give customers 50 percent off for
festival rentals. The store is showcasing its period clothing: look for flounced
skirts, hoops, bustles, velvet jackets, satin bow ties, linen suits, cigarette
holders, wigs, frock coats, breeches, and more.
Contests
There’s no shortage of them. Win an author look-alike contest; write a winning
essay on your favorite classics; and submit trivia about authors, books, and
fictional characters.

Author Look-alike Contests

If you like the idea of impersonating an admired author, simply come to the
festival dressed as that author and stroll around in character. You might be still
youthful, at the height of your career, or maybe you’re wizened and wise. The
contests will take place daily and the roster is open as far as which author you
choose—but his or her name must
be on the list of festival titles. Judges will be five bookstore customers.

Essay: My Favorite Classics

We all have our favorite authors and books. Whenever someone tries to decide on the
best books of the last century or half-century or decade, each of us reads it and
cheers at some selections and bemoans
others. This is your chance to express your opinion about the greatest works of
literature. Enter the contest at the festival or at the bookstore. The deadline is
July 25.

Classical Trivia Sweepstakes

Maybe you’ve always been secretly proud of the fact that you could name the minor
characters in your favorite classics, something special a character wore in a
certain scene, or the name of a fictional workplace or an animal a character owned.
Maybe you know lots of author trivia, too. Test your mastery of trivial details by
entering this sweepstakes, and don’t miss the July 25 deadline.

Festival Entry Forms and Book List

If you plan to perform a dramatic scene at the festival, you must submit an entry
form. These are available at Pacific Books, 41 S. Marion St., Seattle, along with
the list of approved classics for the festival. Entry forms are due by June 30.

Note: The festival book list—drawn up by scholars and store personnel—may omit a
“classic” you have in mind. Submit your book suggestions by June 1st to the Seattle
store’s Book List box.

Schedule of Events
Daily Events
Author Look-alike Contest
Lecture Stage
12:00 noon to 1:00 P.M.

Open-Mike Monologues
Theater Stage
3:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M.

Speakers (details in Special Events)

Lecture Stage
1:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M.

Dramatic Scenes
Theater Stage
5:30 P.M. to 8:00 P.M.

Special Events: Day One (7/23)

Profs. John LeClair & Felicia Ardley
Defining Classical Literature
Waterfront Patio
10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.

Special Events: Day Two (7/24)

Writer Marjorie Scott
Classical Literature Today

Lecture Stage
1:00 P.M. to 2:00 P.M.

Writer Jeremy Minsk

Embracing the Classics
Lecture Stage
2:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M.
Special Events: Day Three (7/25)
Stephen Pence, buyer, Pacific Books

New Classical Editions

Pence will discuss recent marketing trends for hardcover editions of classical
literature.
Lecture Stage
1:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M.

Summer Lecture Series

Creative Writing for the Noncreative
Best New Nonfiction
An Evening of Poetry
Jasper Greenwald, Moderator
Choosing Books for Young Reader

Pacific Books Store Managers

R.H. Hiatt (510) 555-2983
Francis Lockwood (503) 555-9573
Erica Thomas (206) 555-3453

Pacific Books Branch Locations

Branch Location Hours
Berkeley 2226 Shattuck Ave. 10–10 daily
Portland 89 Rain Way 10–10 Tues-Sun, closed Mon
Seattle 41 S. Marion St. 10–10 daily