It’s not uncommon for movies to be adapted from books. It’s far less common for a movie to be made about books. And even less common for that movie to be a documentary. One that comes to mind is the 2002 film, Stone Reader, produced by Barnes & Noble about the 1972 novel Stones of Summer (referred to in my February 17th Blog posts, “Language Vs. Plot” and “Recommended”).

Another documentary about books is in the works and I’m looking forward to its debut. The title is simply Books, A Documentary but I don’t expect it to be a simple movie. It is the story of one man’s passion for books. That man is Larry McMurtry, American novelist, essayist, bookseller and screenwriter, a prolific writer best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Lonesome Dove.

What is less known about McMurtry is that he is so passionate about books that for more than 40 years he amassed a collection of 450,000 second-hand books by rescuing the inventory of 26 failing bookstores and more than 200 personal libraries. Those books filled four converted warehouses that comprised his Archer City, Texas, bookstore, aptly called “Booked Up.”

McMurtry lamented the loss of independent bookstores that couldn’t compete with discounters and internet marketers. “It’s tragic,” he said. “It’s just clear that bookselling as it’s been basically since Gutenberg — a form of dispensing culture, if you will — is clearly passing away. I don’t think we have a reading culture anymore. Five years ago, I would have thought I was leaving my son and my grandson a great asset, and now I’m not sure I am.”

In August 2012, Booked Up auctioned more than 300,000 antiquarian books from its inventory. Through the personal story of McMurtry’s life-time love affair with books and his 40-year journey as a collector-seller, Books, A Documentary promises to be a compelling look at the past, present and future of the American antiquarian book trade.