Fahrenheit 451 Flares to No. 1 On L.A. Times Bestsellers List

Posted on April 23, 2002

Ray Bradbury's classic Fahrenheit 451 was published in 1953 to great acclaim. The book has been a staple on high school reading lists for decades. But it never reached No. 1 on a Los Angeles Times bestsellers list until Mayor Jim Hahn made Fahrenheit 451 the first book in his "One Book, One City L.A." initiative.

On Sunday, April 14, Bradbury saw his "incendiary" piece of fiction atop the Los Angeles Times bestsellers list for paperbacks, just one month after Mayor Hahn began urging Angelenos to read Fahrenheit 451 and participate in the more than 30 citywide "One Book, One City L.A." events.

"I'm on top of the world right now," Bradbury said. "People in Los Angeles are reading Fahrenheit 451 as part of Mayor Hahn's `One Book, One City L.A.' initiative, and readers have for the first time ever made the book No. 1 on the Los Angeles Times bestseller list."

Bradbury's classic novel is one of Mayor Hahn's favorite books. "I am delighted that Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 reached No. 1 on the Los Angeles Times bestseller list. It means that Angelenos are participating in the `One Book, One City L.A.,'" said Mayor Hahn.

"We want to make our city the best it can be," Mayor Hahn said. "By reading great literary works, like Fahrenheit 451, we can foster dialogue among our city's diverse groups, and we can create a community that's unmatched by any in this great nation."

Bradbury, who started writing "Fahrenheit 451" while living in Venice on pay-by-the-hour typewriters at UCLA, said that the book's themes are as relevant today as they were nearly 50 years ago.

Throughout the month of April, Angelenos are invited to join Mayor Hahn's "One Book, One City L.A." initiative by participating in more than 30 events centered around Bradbury's science-fiction classic Fahrenheit 451. The citywide reading program is designed to promote literacy and civic pride. To promote the program citywide, book discussions are being held at Barnes & Noble, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and at select Los Angeles Public Library branches citywide. The library has given away 1,200 copies of Fahrenheit 451 in English and Spanish. The month-long initiative will culminate at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books on April 27 with an event featuring Bradbury.