The Bookish Ball

Highlights of the 2nd Annual Bookish Ball include

1:00 until 7:00 p.m. – The “Passport to Wisdom” Book Stroll – Wander through the bookstores and printed word shops of Harvard Square and gain “Stamps of Wisdom” on your Bookish Ball Passport! Wisdom Stamps will allow you to be entered to WIN TWO FREE ROUNDTRIP VIRGIN AMERICA TICKETS with a drawing at 8:00 p.m. Enjoy special in-store events, refreshments, entertainment and shopping discounts at participating stores all afternoon and evening.

From 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. – A Grand Public Bookish Ball on Palmer Street!

Join us for a party to honor and celebrate Harvard Square’s Book Stores spanning the decades from 1882 through 2009! This year, we invite the public to help us toast the 35th anniversary of The Million Year Picnic and the 30th anniversary of Revolution Books with cake and awards!

Dance to bookish beats! EAT CAKE with literary themes designed by Harvard Square restaurants! Hear Guest Authors and Local Dignitaries! Bring the kids to a Literary Themed Costume party and parade at 1:00 p.m. with special prizes! All events are free and families are encouraged to attend.

Pick up a “Passport to Wisdom” between 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. at the HSBA Kiosk (Corner of Palmer and Brattle Street) or at one of the participating bookstores the day of the Bookish Ball. Get your “Passport” stamped at any of our participating bookstores and be entered to win TWO FREE ROUNDTRIP VIRGIN AMERICA AIRLINE TICKETS! Stamped passports must be returned to the HSBA Kiosk by 6:00 pm to be entered to win the Grand Prize of free airline tickets. The “Passport to Wisdom” features a map of Harvard Square bookstores, newsstands, comic book stores, restaurants and shops participating in the Bookish Ball. The “Passport” features special offers and a schedule of special Bookish Ball events.

We hope that you will join us for this celebration of Harvard Square as a place of books and bookstores, public learning, public discourse and a community that treasures the printed word.

BOOKSTORES PARTICIPATING IN THE PASSPORT TO WISDOM STROLL!

Get your “Passport to Wisdom” stamped at any of the following locations:
Curious George Books and Toys
The Globe Corner Bookstore
The Grolier Poetry Bookstore
Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book & Binding
The Harvard Coop
Raven Used Books
Revolution Books
Schoenhof’s Foreign Books
Tokyo Kid
and just outside of Harvard Square: Bryn Mawr Books

SPECIAL IN-STORE EVENTS & DISCOUNTS (Check back often for complete details).

Curious George Books and Toys, 1 JFK Street, 617-498-0062, established in Harvard Square in 1995 http://www.curiousgeorge.com/

Musician Charlie Hope will play two acoustic sets, one early and one later in the afternoon.

Local New England artists/authors Matt Tavares (Lady Liberty, Zachary’s Ball), Jo Knowles (Lessons from a Dead Girl, Jumping Off Swings), and Steve Kluger (Last Days of Summer, My Most Excellent Year) will be reading, signing books, and leading art and writing activities.

There will also be an assortment of activities led by our staff, including book-making, belly-dancing, and cupcake decorating.

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Lame Duck Books, 12 Arrow Street, 617-868-2022

Year established in business: 1983. Year established in Harvard Square: 2005

Lame Duck specializes in Used and Rare Books including American & European Literary First Editions, Latin American Literature, Philosophy, Intellectual History, Autographs, Manuscripts, and Illustrated Books. Art, Appraisals, Archives We are always interested in purchasing individual volumes and collections of books, letters and manuscripts of literary, philosophical, artistic and historical significance. We provide consultation and appraisal services and serve as agents in the institutional placement of archives of importance.

Visitors can pick up a passport and get it stamped and enjoy something good to eat!

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The Globe Corner Bookstore, 90 Mt. Auburn Street, 617-497-6277

Year Established in business in Harvard Square: 1982. Formerly located at 28 Church Street, www.globecorner.com

The Globe Corner Bookstores, an independent bookstore located in Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA, carries one of North America’s largest selections of books and maps for the traveler. We provide a full range of travel and outdoor recreation reference materials for a destination.