Childhood books led to career as a writer

Theme of this year's Florida Antiquarian Book Fair is Children's Literature: Pages of Wonder. What's your favorite childhood book?

He read to his children 'til the book fell apart

Larry Baker is the author of The Education of Nancy Adams (2014), Love and Other Delusions (2012), A Good Man (2009), Athens, America (2005), and The Flamingo Rising (1997), which was adapted for television as a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie. He teaches writing at the University of Iowa.

Books brought a lifelong love of discovery

The library in my small hometown was my favorite place in the whole world. I was safe, warm, protected, and could be alone in my own little world. It was wonderful.

One of my favorite books from the library was The Secret Garden. I loved the story. It inspired and nurtured in me a great gift – the gift of compassion, of transference of feeling from one human being to another. It opened my heart and soul to another’s pain, another’s joy, another’s tribulations. I was probably 10 years old when I read the book. I felt so much

When I was 14, I began reading my mother’s magazines. They were magazines like True Romance, Real Romance and True Story. She would drop my dad off to work at 5 a.m. and then go back to bed. My sister and I would crawl into bed with her and read the magazines with her. Those stories, too, taught me about kindness, love, misery, heartbreak, perseverance, patience and all those many attributes a person needs to get through life, to get through each day’s challenges.

Those stories took me out of myself, transported me to other worlds, introduced me to so many different, interesting personalities. They helped me to realize that life could be full of joy and sorrow at the same time, that life was a mixture of good and bad, and that we have choices. They taught me that we are our best friend and worst enemy, and that, no matter what, we can prevail.

My education happened at the Winona Public Library. It was my supplemental grade school, my supplemental high school, and my entire college. Through books, I learned how to start and run a successful business. I learned how to be a kind, caring, compassionate person.

That is what The Secret Garden introduced me to – the love of reading, which has led to a lifelong love of discovery, of adventure, of learning – all through the marvelous, amazing world of books.

– Sherry Pringle, Spare Room Mini Storage

SHARE YOUR FAVORITE CHILDHOOD BOOK: We'd love to hear about the book (or books) that made a difference to you as a child. It can be a video or an essay. Here's a link that gives you the guidelines.

Tap into your inner child at the book fair

Our theme for the 2014 Florida Antiquarian Book fair is all about the children—and the inner child in you!

Children's Literature: Pages of Wonder calls to mind those youthful days of all book enthusiasts when everything was new. It was a time of discovery, a time of awesome
spectacle, and yes, a time of wonder.


Now, does that mean that children's books are the only things to be found at the Florida Antiquarian Book Fair? Of course not. Don't worry! We'll have the full complement of books, maps, prints, ephemera, autographs, incunabula, and more at this year's book fair.

But it does mean that you're likely to discover that long lost treasure of your childhood. That one book that turned you on to a lifetime of loving books for the worlds they opened up to you.

What's more, the book fair is likely to reveal to you some amazing tome you're going to be eager to share with the young people in your life because it meant so much to you when you were a child.

HOW TO SHARE YOUR BOOK: We're asking people to share some of their memories about special books that meant so much to them as youngsters, and you're welcome to participate. There are two ways to share.

At the top of this article, you'll find a video from writer Jon Wilson, who shared his memory. If you'd like to do the same, it's easy. You can record your memory on your cell phone if you'd like. (We'd ask that you try to get it in focus and turn your phone to the horizontal position. It makes a better picture that way.) Keep it short. Less than a minute is best. If you need a little more time, go ahead but make it interesting.

Send your video to us by email to floridabookfair@gmail.com. If the file is too big, send us an email to let us know and we'll set up a Dropbox you can put it in.

The other way is easier if you don't want to deal with video. Write your memory in 100 words or less. Snap a selfie, attached it to an email and send it to us at floridabookfair@gmail.com. Leave enough room above your head for an excerpt from your 100 words, and some room on the side for a logo. There's an example below.

Don't worry about formatting. We'll take care of converting your photo or video to black & white and making it look like the others. Be sure to include your name and your claim to fame.We hope to end up with a wall full of these memories. It'll be fun!

 MY FAVORITE CHILDHOOD BOOK: "When I was young I remember going to our local Carnegie library maybe once a week or so – and there was a whole floor of children's books there. I read a good part of them but there was one in particular that really captured my imagination – Otto of the Silver Hand. Immediately upon reading that I was fascinated by all sorts of knights, and read Ivanhoe and looked forward to the Sunday papers with Prince Valiant. I spent the rest of my childhood reading about knights of one kind or another, and all because of Otto of the Silver Hand."

– Michael Slicker, Lighthouse Books, ABAA

FLORIDA ANTIQUARIAN BOOK FAIR, March 14-16, 2014, The Coliseum, St. Petersburg