The Library Book

In 1986, a catastrophic fire at the Los Angeles Central Library destroyed 400,000 books and damaged 700,000 more. Susan Orlean investigates this cold case by profiling Harry Peak, an aspiring actor and habitual liar suspected of arson. She reconstructs the events of the blaze through interviews with firefighters, librarians, and investigators while examining the history of public libraries as civic institutions. The narrative details how these spaces function as shelters for the unhoused, archives for local history, and centers for information technology in the digital age.

Readers interested in investigative journalism and urban history will find a meticulous account of forensic fire science and municipal bureaucracy. The book appeals to those curious about how public spaces adapt to societal shifts like the rise of the internet and increasing economic inequality. A reader walks away with a technical understanding of the 1986 investigation and a clear picture of the labor required to maintain a massive urban library system. It provides a factual grounding in how physical archives survive man-made disasters.