Michigan Daily I michigandaily.com t Thursday, November 18, 2010
weekend
essentials
Nov.18 to Nov. 21
'< ON DISPLAY
' ~The Hubble Space Tele-
S scope has taken some
of the most fascinating
sed bookstores many secondhand book stores, images of the universe
possess a certain and that is really unique," he ever produced. In
w"q^ inscrutable charm: said. The Special Collections
the warm, stale Library, housed in the Hatcher beVii t
smellofoldbooks; themaze-like Graduate Library, holds his- by the UM Exhibit
rows; the disheveled shelves; torical and culturally sinifi- Museum of Natural
the sometimes-surly employees. cant books ranging fron ancient History's Planetarium,
These hole-in-the-wall shops, medieval manuscripts to n-
AK1 toverflowing with volumes of lit- temporary novels. Amon e the best of the images
'. a erature by obscure authors, are collection's more notewothy are constructed into a
a paradise for some, daunting holdings are a second folio of tapestry of the most
and impregnable for others. the works of Shakespeare and beautiful sights the cos-
"You either get it or you a manuscript in Galileo's own '
don't,' said Jay Platt;owner of hand, written in 169. ' mos have to offer. The
West Side Book Shop on West "Some of our books, I would exhibit opens at 12:30
Liberty Street in Ann Arbor. argue, are in a very similar con- p.m. on Saturday and
And from the look of his shop, dition to the way they were read runs until December
A, - it's clear that Platt is someone 400 years ago," Alvarez said.
who "gets" the appeal of books. This, according to Alvarez, 18. Admission is $5.
Stacks of them surround the allows one to reconstruct the
desk in his quaint shop, and reading experience of the book's
shelves brimming with them original audience, aprocess that
tower over him. A glass case in is only possible with a physical,
the middle of the room displays printed book.
the store's most prized volumes, "If you see many digital col-
including pristine first editions lections, exhibits, very few of
of "The Scarlett Letter" and them tell you how big the book
"Through the Looking Glass." actually is, and that's very
Platt, a University alum with important because you really T H- - |-
a degrein naval architecture, need to know whether, for A TH V1I
became interested in books instance, the Bible was held in
when he went into a used book- only one hand or if that Bible MT&D senior Kacie
store in New York City in 1970. was actually meant to be read in Smith will be present-
"It was like turning on a light a cathedral," he said.
bulb," Platt said. "I like the idea that you could ing her directing the-
He got into the business that learn, not necessarily from text, sis, "And Baby Makes
year and opened West Side in from the written word, but from Seven," today through
1975. an artifact." Saturday at 7 p.m. and
one of the store's most
impressive books is a Biblel. tomorrow at 11 .m.
printed in 1610. It's a giant vol- Ilike the idea This comedy addresses
tme, coe to five-inches thick that you cud learn, issues in the LGBT com-
alda t i notnecessarily munity and discusses
godinlay on the cover. Hold- notltael
ing t t fi ! 4w 'w>fom C1-d lnt
hard not to feel some sense of written word but structures. The show,
wondeat its history a d 'ee written artwritten by Paula Vogel,
substance. from an artifact.wlbeprrmdnth
"Wrilieteph cipe-. will be performed in the
ec b ai Bil - Pablo Alvarez Walgreen Drama Cen-
more, ner of Dawn Treai ' ' ' " ter. Admission is free.
Book Shop a few blocks aw-yon
East L'ie'rt 1 Gillmore started However, the Internet is
his shp the same year as Platt, chaning the wa people bu
butthe founing i str was ad rad hbols. 'mthmore and
more intal. m' e people toilng t c-
"au ' i'' my, y landlord onic readers andperaps ore
pushed me into it,"'Gillmore proinently to other types
said. media, actual printed b alesA
Gillmore had been workin aredectiin
as a b kb' inde in the basemet i'ome used bokstres h ae
of the Michigan Theater whn tied to adapt to theA hang-.
his laidl rd told him he ',!'ad to ing buinss,t llingboks
come Apl,%%ih a reail oi°n or online is time-cnsumng. The independent film
hslean ' woldntern e'. D"id''Book oni, "iAiamSteet "Cherry" will be playing
Anid soDawn Trdr waslorn, as beun todo mot ofits ui
and Gilmoe got to eep hisnesvrth ebtonerEd tonight at 7:15 and 9:30
lease. Ktrnsimuchharder than p.m. at the Michigan
DawU. n Tr ade<r s deepti ely sengin the stre. Theater. Shot in West-
Srge , etnding fater ack Itotaks:lngr to dal ith erMihatefm
'A g~ A~' '. Y'. emn Michgan, the film
a tan the mal]trefrot u T- boks row;topan'[t jst put
Sg Asts, and cotai A 0 'hem 9 n the 'Asheif and xet follows a love trangle
bo As ' smene tcomn wtin aI between a naive college
h s a' has a "iamre'books ik or two end uy t " oster freshman, a 34-year-
thXn it can hld," iLmore aid. ,ai."You'vereally go ttolist the od udn dhe
c' Av reah amt t te thing nl'e'ndyu t old studentand her
ciling ,lndkee-"gh noacks of someone t it. y u'e ge't 14-year-old daughter.
obooks lne thfnr.tpackthe tig, shp the ting ' The movie premiered
S althatl "1' at SXSW in Austin,
The allun' ofthe tangibe Gillmlore ha also epr- Texas and has played at
encd the negtive effets of
Th tic;ou j-, usd k- Intrnet ; pgbte n a ie a d- several festivals around
stora have sed in' rnt fr . Michigan. Director Jef-
""supp, Ann Aroin st a I a'' ' ' mia" frey Fine will be present
man te enci 'ent tan a a s. s after the 7:15 screening
many uthr amtte.a__ntends tetat Iwud have the nly S
SPabl . A >are, c'ato t he opy of a crtain book in Ann for a Q&A moderated
Spscia I ColectiAn. Library a 'Aorb'rthtanbody had en by Jim Burnstein.
heUitrvsity. oryitars, and1" cold Charge
"Iui thn Annrbour i %sry htve atdfr it. IThe
rtrtatbeau, v wttirat
t i th toun,th e so ''e USED BOOKS, P aA4B
CONCERT
Craving some electro-
dance pop vibes? Catch
the University alumni of
My Dear Disco at the
Blind Pig this Saturday.
The group's shows are
a unique experience,
complete with the
delightfully bizarre jux-
taposition of new-wave
synthesizers, Irish bag-
pipes and the occasion-
al megaphone. After
playing a slew of high-
profile summer gigs,
the band has quite a
following. Early show at
7 p.m., late show at 10
p.m. Tickets from $12.