Southampton Press
December 7, 2006

East Hampton Bookstore Brings Books, Authors Together at Event

By Aimee Fitzpatrick Martin

In the frenzied weeks leading up to Christmas and Hanukkah, chances are your holiday “to do” and “gifts to get” lists seem longer than the one Santa uses to check off who’s naughty and nice. With so much to get done, the convenience of sitting at your home computer in your pajamas and ordering gifts online is hard to beat. In only a few clicks of your mouse, you can order the newest James Patterson bestseller for your brother-in-law in Schenectady and J.K. Rowling’s latest epic, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” for your nephew in Fresno.

But as true bibliophiles can attest, when you’re shopping for a beautifully illustrated coffee table book for that special someone, there’s nothing like perusing the shelves of a well-stocked neighborhood bookstore.

“If you’re impassioned by visual books, I don’t know how you can find or buy that special present without touching the book and looking through its pages,” noted Lena Tabori, director and publisher of Welcome Books.

This Saturday afternoon from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., Ms. Tabori, who has a country home in East Hampton, will co-host, along with East End Books owner John Brancati, a unique holiday event at the bookstore in East Hampton.

Almost a dozen book creators—photographers, artists, authors and editors—will be on hand to share a glass of Mumm Napa sparkling wine with fellow book lovers and sign copies of their latest works, all of which were either published or distributed by Welcome Books.

According to Ms. Tabori, her New York City-based independent publishing house has earned a reputation for creating “extremely beautifully designed and manufactured books.”

“I’m really excited to have so many of our creators coming out for the event because many of them have a connection to the Hamptons,” she said. “Some are longtime friends, others will be meeting each other for the first time, and some will be renewing old friendships.”.......

Author Christopher Cerf and illustrator Paige Peterson, who have a house in Amagansett, will sign copies of their mostly-true children’s book, “Blackie: The Horse Who Stood Still.” Told in rhyming verse, the book (Welcome Book’s first juvenile offering) tells the story of a horse that was a champion rodeo horse and tourist favorite at Yosemite Park, yet made standing still a lifelong endeavor. Ms. Peterson knew Blackie’s story from her childhood in Tiburon, California, where Blackie was a beloved town mascot and spent 26 years of his life in pasture.

“This is a heartwarming book about the gifts that come to you when you stand still—an important lesson for today’s busy families. There are so many life lessons to be learned from this book, including lessons about death,” Ms. Tabori explained.