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As
a very young bookseller, Mister SF was responsible for organizing
events for authors such as Garfield cartoonist Jim Davis and rock
star/memoirists Daryl Hall and John Oats at the Waldenbooks
stores at Crocker Galleria, Four Embarcadero, and Geary Street. These
images are from Polaroids from Mister SF's archive. Says Hank, "In
the 1980s, Waldenbooks was on top as the national bookstore. In our
San Francisco district we entertained great writers but also many
mainstream authors including Janet Leigh, Bette Midler, and the film
critic Roger Ebert. One day, Studs Terkel arrived unannounced at the
store at the Embarcadero. He talked with me about World War II-era
San Francisco for half an hour before signing a copy of The Good War
for my high school Oral History teacher. (I doubt that many high schools
have Oral History programs at this writing in 2008.) My final paper
was on mom and pop stores, which I guess dates my interest in neighborhood
character and independent businesses like San Francisco's at least
that far back. This teacher of mine idolized Mr. Turkel, who was very
kind and also full of vodka."
 Jim Davis  Hall and Oats  Daryl Hall  John Oats |
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Copyright 2008 Hank Donat |