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Harvey Jason was sitting in his trailer with Steven Spielberg in 1996, in the middle of filming. The Lost World: Jurassic Parkwhen he went to the director and declared that he was leaving the business. “I said, ‘Steven, you know what? When we finish this film, I will go into the first edition book business with my son Louis.’”
Jason was immersed in a successful career in Hollywood at the time. “Steven couldn’t believe it!” says Jason, now 84 years old. “’What are you talking about? You’re an actor!’” But two years later, true to his word, Jason and his son Louis opened Mysterious Pier Books in a quaint cabin in an alley off Los Angeles’ Sunset Strip. “I’ve been obsessed with books my whole life,” he says. “My mother read to me constantly. “She was in love with books and I inherited her passion.”
Today, thousands of literary works line the walls of Mystery Pier’s three rooms. A collection of 2,000 copies spans hundreds of years, from the 17th century to Harry Potter, with books stacked on a jumble of tables and old canvas director’s chairs. The house cat, Booksie, can usually be found snoozing in front of the plant-filled fireplace. Original film scripts and framed photographs adorn the walls, including the oldest photograph ever taken of the Beatles, signed by John, Paul, George and Pete Best. In a place of honor is a photo of the Pope with The Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola by the eponymous theologian of the 16th century. “We sold you that!” Jason announces proudly. “It’s one of his favorite books.”
Jason loves sharing his treasures with visitors. He released a 1734 edition of five of Shakespeare’s plays (including Village and the tempest$12,000), one of the first separate printings of the works (at first, they published small groups as opposed to the collected editions that became more common). And inside a glass case I can see the work of Walt Whitman. The leaves of the grass (numbered 37 of 600, priced at $25,000), signed by the author. “How’s this for political incorrectness?” he asks as he reaches The history of the Communist Partywhich, he reveals, has been signed by Stalin and Molotov ($35,000).
His personal favorites include the works of Charles Dickens. Little Dorrit ($7,500). “I loved it when I was a kid!” And he very much regrets having sold a First Dutch edition of The diary of Anne Frankof which just over 3,000 copies were printed. You have another painful case of seller’s remorse for The discovery of DNAsigned by Watson and Crick. “It was a coincidence to find him and a rarity that those two men signed something. “I know I’m here to sell books, but sometimes they mean a lot to me.”
Books like this are not easy to find. “We do extensive research,” he says. They belong to international book associations and maintain relationships with individual collectors. “It’s fascinating. “We travel all over the world in search of treasure.”
Jason’s shopping skills are in high demand among people looking to create their own collections. “Several years ago we built a library for someone in Pennsylvania who wanted to collect all the great books, from Ulysses to Orwell, from Fitzgerald to Dickens,” he recalls. “We found them, each a first edition, most signed.” Another customer arrived “quite disheveled, with two large shopping bags full of empty cans. “He asked about Dickens and Shakespeare.” It turned out that she was filthy rich and became one of his best clients. “You can never judge a book by its cover!”
Having been in show business his entire life, Jason is delightfully unfazed by his A-list clientele. Hunter S Thompson once vomited on the premises. guillermo del torohe says, is “walking in the sun with a fabulous library of collectible literature.” Ben Affleck stopped by earlier that week. “She bought a lot of books for her 17-year-old daughter,” Jason says. “I see a lot of creatives walk through the door, but what really interests me is what they’re looking for.” He is also a devotee of Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who has been a regular customer since the beginning. He attributes him to having “tremendous intellectual tastes.” And recently, Jason and Louis were sent a photo of Dakota Johnson carrying a Mystery Pier Books tote bag. “We had so many requests for those bags it was unbelievable,” he says.
Jason may have left a successful acting career, but his love for his books and the opportunity to spend each day sharing his passion with his son surpasses any award-winning performance. “I have my books, I work with my son,” he says. “I think I have everything a man could want in life.”
8826 Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA 90069, mysterypierbooks.com