We all know Frank Sinatra for his lyrics, his songs, his love of women and living large. But, did you know he also had a love of a bookstore, Shakespeare and Company, a small independent bookstore in Paris?
Ed Walters, a former pit boss at the Sands, in Las Vegas, who was taken under Sinatra’s wing in the 1960’s and offered this account of how much Sinatra actually talked about books:
What few Sinatra fans know is that he loved books, especially history books. He was in the casino at a 21 table, playing blackjack and talking with his friends. He told the guys, “I’m giving Eddie some books to educate him. He needs it.”Ed Walters, Friend of Frank Sinatra
He asked about a book he’d given me, was I reading it. He said, “Eddie you must travel and when you do, go to Paris, go to the Shakespeare bookstore. I know the guy there… . Go see the guy George—he’s a guy that lives with the books.”
We suppose it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, after all, he also loved to write songs about love. And what better resource for a poet than to read books!
For more Literary pop culture at The Ritual, check out this thread. You might also like reading Guy de Maupassant – Horror Fiction and 10 Killer Quotes
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