2004 National Book Festival Draws Book Lovers

85,000 people from around the country turned out to celebrate America´s creative spirit at the fourth annual National Book Festival, which took place today on the National Mall. Over 70 award-winning writers, illustrators and poets were joined by basketball stars, children´s storybook characters, reading advocates, librarians and book lovers of all ages at this free event organized and sponsored by the Library of Congress and hosted by First Lady Laura Bush. The day truly offered something for everyone with highlights including:

• Presentations and book signings by some of the nation´s favorite authors including Clive Cussler, Marc Brown, Neil Gaiman, Anna Quindlen, Joyce Carol Oates, R.L. Stine, Sandra Brown, Robert B. Parker, Edward P. Jones, E.L. Konigsburg, Ron Chernow, Connie Willis, Katherine Paterson, Juan Williams, Azar Nafisi, David Rice, Richard Peck, Douglas Brinkley, Nicholas Sparks, Kate DiCamillo, Nathaniel Philbrick, Cokie Roberts and Dana Gioia, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts
• Presentations in the "History and Biography" pavilion by special guests Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Congressman John L. Lewis (D-GA)
• A live broadcast on Liberty Broadcasting by Heloise, author of the "Hints for Heloise" column and contributing editor to Good
  Housekeeping magazine. During the broadcast, Heloise interviewed Librarian of Congress James H. Billington and several award-winning authors
• Special guests in the "Home & Family" pavilion including Leigh and Leslie Keno from PBS´ "Find!," Kevin O´Connor and Tom Silva from "This Old House," also seen on PBS, and chef Patrick O´Connell of the Inn at Little Washington
• Story collections for two oral history projects: Voices of Civil Rights, a joint project of the Library of Congress, AARP, and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, and the Veterans History Project
• Over 9,000 pictures taken of children with their favorite PBS and storybook characters including Clifford the Big Red Dog, Grover, Arthur and others
• Over 75,000 bookmarks and 30,000 bottles of water distributed to festival goers throughout the day.

"We are delighted that so many readers of all ages came to this annual celebration of creativity and imagination. The day has been filled with a wonderful spirit of appreciation for books, reading and writing," said Librarian of Congress, James H. Billington.

Among the popular pavilions this year were "Science Fiction and Fantasy," a first-time addition to the National Book Festival, and the "Children" pavilion where WNBA and NBA celebrities such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were present to support the "Read to Achieve" program. Hundreds of festival goers also flocked to the "History & Biography" pavilion to hear Juan Williams, senior national correspondent for National Public Radio (NPR), and Congressman Lewis discuss the Civil Rights Movement.

Thousands more turned out to talk with their favorite authors while having their books signed. Among the most sought-after authors was best-selling novelist Neil Gaiman, who appeared for two additional book signings due to popular demand. In total, Gaiman signed more than 500 books throughout the day.

This year´s festival was made possible by generous support from charter sponsors AT&T, Target Stores, The Washington Post and the Institute of Museum and Library Services; patrons AARP, the James Madison Council, Jones International University, the National Endowment for the Arts, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.; contributors Barnes & Noble, PBS, and Scholastic Inc.

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The Library of Congress

The Library of Congress, the world´s largest repository of knowledge and creativity, has been sustained for more than 200 years by Congress and serves all Americans in a variety of ways. It is the research arm of Congress through the Congressional Research Service and the Law Library; the protector of creativity through the Copyright Office; an unparalleled collector of more than 124 million items, including 28 million books and other print materials, millions of prints, photographs, films, maps, recordings, broadcasts and manuscripts. It promotes reading through its Center for the Book and Children´s Literature Center. The Library creates catalog records for libraries worldwide and serves as a library for people with disabilities nationwide. The Library of Congress has become an international digital library on the Internet, serving the world at website: loc.gov.