The Columbia Gorge Community College library has a new feature, thanks to the generosity of former The Dalles Mayor Steve Lawrence. He donated his collection of Ernest Hemingway books, both those written by him and those written about him. In this case, a total of 224 books, several of them rare first editions.
The library now has a Hemingway Room, a cozy space housing the volumes and with a comfortable place to sit and study. Lawrence said his sister is responsible, by giving him a Hemingway biography many years ago that sparked his interest:
“I started collecting books when I was in high school. This is something I’ve just had a love for. Hemingway changed American literature, and no matter what you think of him, he is a huge figure in American literature. We can learn so much from him. That’s why so many books have been written about him.”
Lawrence said his favorite by Hemingway was “A Movable Feast,” an autobiography about Hemingway’s years as a struggling journalist and writer in Paris during the 1920s.