Lee Kaplan: Arcana Books, Art, and the History of Los Angeles Book Culture
Paris Chong welcomes Lee Kaplan, owner of the long-lived Arcana Books in Culver City, a destination known for its vast selection of visually-driven material, including modern and contemporary art, photography, music, and fashion. Kaplan discusses his eclectic background, revealing he was a musician and visual artist before opening his store. Notably, he was one of the original three employees at Rhino Records starting in 1975, where he pioneered the store's renowned selection of jazz, world music, and reggae imports.
Kaplan founded Arcana Books in 1984, originally operating out of a one-bedroom apartment in Westwood. The name "Arcana" was inspired by an avant-garde composer (and was strategically chosen to start with "A" for the pre-internet Yellow Pages). He reflects on the dramatic transformation of the book-selling landscape since the 1980s, noting the closure of many original, small used bookstores. Kaplan contrasts the early days of "the thrill of the chase" when hunting for used books with the modern grind of managing the business, sharing that his wife and partner, Whitney, assists with the operations from an annex in the Helms Bakery complex.
Today, Arcana is situated in the Helms Bakery complex, in a building rebuilt on the site of the official bakery for the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. Kaplan emphasizes that the store serves as more than just a retail space; it acts as a "confluence and meeting place" that connects artists, photographers, and publishers for various projects, an aspect he finds very rewarding. They also discuss the importance of books as a tangible calling card for photographers, mentioning the legendary initial success of Ed Templeton’s “Teenage Smokers*”*, and reflect on the patronage of late client Diane Keaton, who was a passionate book lover and photographer.
Show Notes:
www.theparischongshow.com/episodes/lee-kaplan-arcana-books-art-and-the-history-of-los-angeles-book-culture
Chapters:
00:00 Show Intro and Guest
01:27 From Music to Books
03:24 Rhino Records Deep Dive
06:00 West LA Food Detour
07:27 Family Roots and Influences
11:09 Why Arcana Books
15:10 Bookstore Life and Partnership
24:32 Old Hollywood Holdouts
25:03 Diane Keaton at Arcana
29:22 Arcana’s Book Universe
31:11 Famous Faces and Connections
34:45 Selling Books and Being Cut Out
40:04 Why Photographers Need Books
44:17 Martin Parr Pick and Final Plug
🎵 Music by Andrew Raiher https://andrewraiher.com/
📸 Shot & Edited at Visible Audio Studios https://www.visibleaudiostudios.com
