By Joyce Kryszak
Little Valley, NY – Erie County is in the midst of a painful process to determine which of about two dozen libraries it should close. But a native Western New York author is cutting into his book profits to help build two Southern Tier libraries.
Little Valley, New York is about to make it on the map as the subject of a new book. But to collectors, the Southern Tier town is already well known as "The Village of Knives." It's where the country's oldest knife maker, Case Cutlery began.
Brad Lockwood is the great, great grandson of one of the company's founders. The family dynasty so intrigued Lockwood he decided to write a book tracing its history. And, as a lover of books, the author decided it was only fitting that he should help out the library where it all began.
"I don't think there's an issue of a Stephen King book there without my name in it. That's where we lived. That's where we rented movies and tapes and listened to the old records of Davy Crocket and things like that," said Lockwood. "So, the library was just the real focal point."
Lockwood is donating all the proceeds from 250 of his books, Tested XX: The Case Cutlery Dynasty. He says it could raise about $5,000. It's not a fortune, Lockwood says. But hopefully it will be enough to buy a few bricks.
Little Valley and Ellicottville are both trying to build new libraries. Lockwood, who lived and worked in Buffalo for seven years, says he's dismayed by how libraries are being targeted in the county budget crisis.
"I really don't think you can have too many libraries," said Lockwood. "I think they are actually using the libraries as a scapegoat to the bigger mess that's actually going on with shrinking population, shrinking tax base and using libraries as a scapegoat to a much bigger problem in that area."
Lockwood says it could help areas if it became a trend for authors to chip in profits from their work. For instance, he says a little bit of Harry Potter's 6.9 million book sales could go a long, long way.
But for his part, Lockwood will be in the Southern Tier this week, signing and selling his copies of book.
Reading and Signing Events, Dates, Locations and Times:
August 2 -- Bradford, PA, Main St. Art & Antiques Merchantile Store, 7 p.m.
August 4 -- Olean, Olean Public Library, North Second Street, 7 p.m.
August 6 -- Ellicottville, Public Library, Old School, Washington St., 4 p.m.