Kepler’s Books has long been a hub for literary bohemians, countercultural musicians, and readers interested in a good browse, and is one of the most influential independent bookstores in American history. When owner Roy Kepler opened the San Francisco Bay Area store in 1955, he led the way as a pioneer in the “paperback revolution.” He popularized the once radical idea of selling affordable books in an intellectually bracing coffeehouse atmosphere.
Paperback selling was not the only revolution Kepler supported, however. In Radical Chapters, Doyle sheds light on his remarkable contributions to pacifism and social change. He highlights Kepler’s achievements in advocating radical pacifism during World War II, antinuclear activism during the Cold War era, and antiwar activism during Vietnam. During those decades, Kepler played an integral role, creating a community and a space to exchange ideas for such notable figures as Jerry Garcia, Joan Baez, and Whole Earth Catalog cofounder Stewart Brand. Doyle’s fascinating chronicle captures the man who inspired that community and offers a moving tribute to his legacy.
Radical Chapters was first published in 2012, and is being reissued in paperback with a new introduction by Michael Doyle–just in time for Kepler’s Books’ seventieth birthday!
About the Author
Michael Doyle is a reporter in Washington, D.C. with E&E News/POLITICO and formerly was with the DC bureau of the McClatchy newspaper chain. He holds a master’s degree in government from The Johns Hopkins University and a master of studies in law from Yale Law School, where he was a Knight Journalism Fellow. He is the author of Forestport Breaks: A Nineteenth-Century Conspiracy along the Black River Canal and The Ministers’ War: John W. Mears, the Oneida Community and the Crusade for Public Morality, both also published by Syracuse University Press.
About the Moderator
John Markoff has covered Silicon Valley since 1977, wrote the first account of the World Wide Web in 1993, and broke the story of Google’s self-driving car in 2010. He is the author of five books, including What the Dormouse Said: How the Sixties Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer Industry and Machines of Loving Grace: The Quest for Common Ground Between Humans and Robots.
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