Seth H. Bramson

It is not hard to wax rhapsodic about the mecca of greater Miami's literary luminati but that is NOT the only reason why we should and must memorialize both Books and Books AND Mitchell Kaplan. Mitchell, through the store locations and the Book Fair, has given authors, primarily local but certainly nationwide, the opportunity to present their works at the stores and at the Fair. For many, particularly those being published for the first time, that has been a rare chance to become known in the Miami community, not just among bibliophiles but among and within the general public. Perhaps best of all, the Books and Books attitude that nothing is more important to our community than the culture of books and the opportunities they bring to enhance the people and the place brightly spotlights Mitchell's feelings about literacy, learning and the value of reading--and expanding one's knowledge of thousands of topics—to the Miami metropolis. For me, now the author of 12 books and working on five more, there is a comfort level in knowing that, indeed, there is and will be a Books and Books to support our work, not just at the selling end but in and with the encouragement that both would be and current authors receive from Mitchell and the staff. So to our friends at Books and Books, to all of you who have done so much for so many of us, and to paraphrase an old saw, "here's lookin' at you, kids, and expecting to see you at the 50th!"

With love from Mr. Miami Memorabilia, Seth H. Bramson