University of Delaware
Office of Public Relations
UpDate - Vol. 16, No. 22, March 6, 1997



          Mystery author to speak at library dinner April 17
     
     John Dunning, antiquarian book dealer and best-selling
mystery author, will speak on "Writing Mysteries and Selling
Rare Books-A Dual Life" at the annual dinner of the UD
Library Associates, to be held Thursday, April 17, in Arsht
Hall.
     Dunning, an expert on rare and collectible books, will
discuss how valuable volumes can be hidden in plain view
among otherwise ordinary book collections and will share an
insider's glimpse into the wonderful, unpredictable world of
old and not-so-old, rare books.
     Dunning was the proprietor of the Old Algonquin
Bookstore in Denver for many years before recently opening
an appointment-only, first edition business.
     His best-selling bibliomystery, Booked To Die,
published in 1992, won the prestigious Nero Wolfe Award and
was voted "Favorite Book to Sell in 1992" by the independent
Mystery Booksellers Association. Copies from the book's
first printing now sell for more than $700. A reviewer in
The New York Times called Booked to Die "a joy to read" and
Kirkus Reviews called it "a lively seductive primer on how
to open a bookstore, spot a first edition, warehouse it,
price it and enjoy it for its own sake."
     Dunning, who also is a radio historian and former radio
show host, recently completed a book on the history of
scheduled radio, On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-time
Radio, to be published later this year.
     Copies of Booked to Die (cloth, $20; and paperback, $6)
and The Bookman's Wake (cloth, $21; and paperback, $6) will
be available for purchase at the dinner, and Dunning will
autograph copies.
     The event is open to the public by reservation. Tickets
are $65 for non-members and $50 for members. Reservations
are encouraged by Friday, April 11.
     Invitations will be mailed to Library Associates
members in early March. To request an invitation, contact
the library director's office at 831-2231 or by e-mail at
UDLA@mvs.udel.edu
                                             -Jane Kilcullen