A Lawrence Block Memory

Yesterday, on Facebook, I posted a little thing about writer Lawrence Block, a post prompted by the recent appearance on my book-nerd calendar of some information about his novel Eight Million Ways to Die (see above, see below). I mentioned in the post that I'd seen Block at a signing in Cleveland, had gotten him to sign a bunch of books.

Later in the day a former student "liked" that post (no comment from him), but seeing his name enlarged my memory. I had taken him and a small group of 8th grade students to see Block that evening! But when?

I was not keeping a regular journal before 1997, but I remembered just a little while ago today that I had kept track of school activities I'd done--a little annual report I submitted to my building principal. And I am going to look right now to see if I can find it ...

PAUSE WHILE I LOOK FOR IT

Found it! (After a five-minutes' search.)

And I discover I was right. That student was among the youngsters I took. (I think.)

The trip was on June 24, 1995 (was school even in session?)--and the event was at the Barnes & Noble store up near Cleveland. I took three kids (I see on my sheet): No names, though. (Grrrrr.)

I see that earlier that month (June 1995) Block had published the latest in his series about Bernie Rhodenbarr--The Burglar Who Thought He Was Bogart. So ... It was not one of his Matt Scudder novels (books I really loved, by the way).

And I remember something now that makes me blush. In the Q&A after his reading and presentation, I asked with great pomp how he felt about the making of the film Bank Shot (1974) based on his book. (I must have seen the film recently on TV.)

He looked at me as if I were ... challenged.

"Bank Shot," he said, "was based on the book by Donald Westlake."

Oops. Heh, heh.

My students looked at me, watched me diminish before their sight. (Wow, Dr. Dyer does not know everything!)

That night, I had brought with me a pile of Block books, but before the signing, he announced that he would sign only three (or was it five?) by any one person. Jerk.

So ... I distributed the books among my three students, who did the Dirty Work for me. And now I, though somewhat diminished (feeling like a Blockhead), have a pile of signed Blocks.

I have to say that even before I embarrassed myself that day, I was not all that crazy about his presentation. He seemed ... dismissive of questions, annoyed that he had to be there, impatient. Who knows?

But an interesting coda to all of this: Joyce and I started selling our library (well, much of it) on ABE.com a couple of years ago. All the Block books, signed and otherwise are for sale.

And over the past two years we've been in business, we've not sold a single one of his.

I can't say whether I'm pleased or annoyed by that.

PS: Haven't sold any of our Donald Westlakes, either!