A Ball With Literary Whimsy

Elizabeth Bennett, seven Harry Potters, and the Old Lady Who Swallowed the Fly graced the stage of the Holyoke Center’s Forbes Plaza Saturday night as contestants in a literary costume contest at Harvard Square’s first-ever “Bookish Ball.”

Organized by the Harvard Square Business Association, the Bookish Ball featured a “Passport to Wisdom” stroll, in which visitors could receive “Stamps of Wisdom” from local book stores, while also enjoying discounts and refreshments.

The idea for the Bookish Ball came from discovering how many local bookstores were celebrating significant anniversaries this year, said Harvard Square Business Association Executive Director Denise A. Jillson.

Coincidentally, 2008 marks the 125th anniversary of the Harvard Coop, the 75th anniversary of Harvard Book Store, and the 25th anniversary of the Globe Corner Bookstore, as well as several other bookstore birthdays.

Besides celebrating these literary anniversaries, the Bookish Ball also brought attention to local bookstores that have lost business to online booksellers in recent years.

“Twenty-five years ago there were a couple dozen stores, at least. It’s just gotten harder and harder to sell books here,” said Jeffrey S. Flemming, manager of Harvard University Press Display Room. “Today we’ve sold more books than we have in the past several months since Christmas.”

The weekend’s events also spotlighted some of the Square’s less well-known booksellers.

Cambridge resident and high school senior Lang D. Haynes said he was delighted to discover Papercut Zine, a lending library of self-published magazines and books.

“I’ve read a lot about underground publishing world, but I’ve never known where to find them,” he said.

The day’s events concluded with the Grand Public Bookish Ball, featuring a literary costume contest sponsored by the Harvard Independent, literary-themed confections, and the soul music of the ’60s-revivalist band the Sweet Divines.

“It was a way to stand out from the crowd,” said Upstairs on the Square pastry chef Jacob Leighman, gesturing toward the “Mad Hatter Cake,” iced in the restaurant’s signature colors of white, pink, and purple.

Jennie A. Wasserman of the Sweet Divines, meanwhile, expressed enthusiasm about the spirit of the Ball.

“We’re an independent band and we understand the unique mentality that these sorts of independent bookstores have on people’s lives—independent bands and stores and artists can really have an impact,” she said.

The ball gained official public recognition with a presentation of awards by Cambridge Mayor E. Denise Simmons.

As an owner of one of the smaller bookstores of the 15 recognized, Devon Gray said that she appreciated the extra attention.

“A lot of people came who didn’t know we were there, and it’s nice to be recognized by the City,” she said.

Many people who attended the Bookish Ball said that they enjoyed the chance to discover such hidden literary gems.

Randy Royal, an employee at Herrell’s Ice Cream, said that he hoped that the Bookish Ball would become an annual tradition.

“They should do it again next year, but pick a weekend that won’t be as wet,” he said.

—Staff writer Hee Kwon Seo can be reached at hkseo@fas.harvard.edu