May 13, 2012 Northwest Washington, D.C., Is Subject of Book Discussion

The red brick of old Georgetown, the streetcar lines of Tenleytown and the eclectic and stately homes of Cleveland Park – the neighborhoods west of Rock Creek Park – were the setting for the remarkable history of the United States capital. Amid the gardens of their Friendship Estate, the McLean family held lavish parties until they were laid low by the rumored curse of the Hope Diamond, and it was the fashionable residences of Woodley Park that attracted the senators and Cabinet members of the 1920s and 1930s. From the history of Georgetown College and American University to stories of runaway slaves seeking protection at Fort Reno, historian Mark N. Ozer charts the evolution of the storied neighborhoods of the nation’s capital in “Northwest Washington, D.C.: Tales from West of the Park” (The History Press, 2011).

Ozer will discuss and sign his book on Wednesday, May 23, at noon in the Mary Pickford Theater, located on the third floor of the Library of Congress James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C. The event is sponsored by the Center for the Book as part of its Book & Beyond author series. It is free and open to the public; no tickets are required.

Mark N. Ozer is a former professor of neurology at the Georgetown University Medical School and is currently a study group leader at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at American University. There he has lectured extensively on the history of most of the great cities of the world. He has translated this interest in a series of books on Washington. The first, “Washington, DC: Politics and Place,” was followed by “Massachusetts Avenue in the Gilded Age,” published in 2010.

Since its creation by Congress in 1977 to “stimulate public interest in books and reading,” the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress (www.Read.gov/cfb/) has become a national force for reading and literacy promotion. A public-private partnership, it sponsors educational programs that reach readers of all ages, nationally and internationally. The center provides leadership for affiliated state centers for the book (including the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands) and nonprofit reading- promotion partners and plays a key role in the Library’s annual National Book Festival. It also oversees the Library’s Read.gov website and administers the Library’s Young Readers Center.

Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution. The Library seeks to advance the knowledge and creativity of the American people through its collections, programs, and services. Many of the Library’s rich resources can be accessed through its website at www.loc.gov.