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Book nerds, rejoice! Ray Bradbury's long-time Los Angeles abode has been converted into 451 wooden bookends.
Bradbury's former Cheviot Hills home was disassembled earlier this year by local architect Thom Mayne. Not everyone was happy about that move, but pieces of the house have been recycled into cool, collectible bookends. The bookends were crafted by L.A.-based furniture company Saint Arbor and are being sold by The ReUse People, who helped salvage the wood from the demolition. These spiffy bookends would be the perfect way to shelve your favorite Bradbury novels—like, oh I don't know, Fahrenheit 451—with a lasting memento from the author's former home. Sadly, however, the limited edition bookends have already sold out. Maybe try eBay?
Each bookend set is branded with a series number and a "451 F" logo to commemorate Bradbury’s best-seller—and required-reading-list stalwart—Fahrenheit 451. The sets were sold for $88.50, and a portion of the proceeds go towards the Center for Ray Bradbury Studies at Indiana University. The money will help fund the re-creation of Bradbury’s home office, which is also pretty cool.
Bradbury was born in Waukegan, Illinois, but his family moved to Los Angeles in 1934 when he was 14. After attending high school here, he became a "student of life" and sold newspapers on L.A. street corners, while spending evenings at the public library and days working at his typewriter. He later wrote Fahrenheit 451 on a rental typewriter in the basement of UCLA's Lawrence Clark Powell Library. Bradbury lived in his Cheviot Hills home with his wife Maggie for more than 50 years.
