So this one hit me a little.
I’ve never been to Minneapolis (and this post will not be about the rioting or the situations associated with it, as I’m not trying to invite a firestorm of angry, opinionated people). I’ve never once set foot in Uncle Hugo’s Science Fiction Bookstore. I’ve never even ordered from them.
But I have heard stories about them. This is the place that picked up a self-pub book to sell before indie was a real thing and started sending it to publishers with notes along the lines of ‘here’s how many copies I bought, why are you not publishing this?’ From the stories I’ve heard at cons and from other authors, they’ve flat-out kickstarted a lot of careers.
The store itself is only halfway regarded as a store by many, given that the owner loved collecting rare Sci-Fi books. Many also referred to it as a “museum of Science Fiction literature.”
And well … last night it was burned to the ground. Complete loss. Here’s a picture of what the place normally looked like:
Given the stories I’ve heard about this place, this one hit even me. I’ve never even been there but I’ve heard the stories.
Worse, it seems that the insurance will not cover civil disturbance. At least, not to the degree that would be needed to recover from such a loss.
A GoFundMe page has been started to raise funds for recovery from this. EDIT: The GoFundMe is now open again and verified! Huzzah!
Unusual Things 
Thanks for sharing Max, it is, in truth, a sad incident… I am from Portugal and didn’t know about that library and it’s always negative when this kind of things happen! Have a good weekend and cheers from Lisbon, PedroL
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It’s not surprising these rioters burn books. The Nazis did as well.
They also probably don’t know how to read.
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Maybe keep your ignorance to yourself.
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ditto
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^Exactly; this incident wasn’t anything like a typical fascist book burning.
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Funny, because that’s exactly what these “Antifa” mongrels are,:brown shirts at the service of an unspeakable evil.
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According to who? You? People angry at another black man being chokeholded to death rioted, and (unfortunately) due to that riot, this store got burned down. That’s sad in and of itself, but a better thing to be addressing is why bookstores in North America are not supported as they are in France, and are subjected to high rents when located on major avenues in most cities, forcing said stores to close and go out of business, or have to relocate/be located in a (usually working class/ethnic) area where the rent is low, with a possible subjection to whatever viccitudes (sp) will or might happen in said area. Another question is why insurance companies can’t seem to protect against something like riots happening to destroy a business (although they can insure a so-called ‘businessman’ like Donald Trump when he ran those casinos of his.)
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Very sad. We loved Uncle Hugo’s. Dreamhaven is also a great store.
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This is so disheartening. How do we find the GoFund me site?
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The GoFundMe is halted while the owner works out their options and whether or not insurance will cover the loss. I’ll update the post when an official GoFundMe becomes available, but you can also check the bookstore’s site for the latest official word from them at http://www.unclehugo.com/prod/index.shtml to see what the word is.
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Thanks, Max. I was able to reach them, and I will be donating boxes of books to their inventory (as an author, I have many boxes of new books). I hope they can recover soon and well.
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You’re welcome! I was thinking of ways to do something similar (since I’m all digital, a box would be somewhat empty lol). Though this was a sad event, it is nice to see so many come together with offers of aid.
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The GoFundMe is now official and open once more! Post updated!
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Sad to hear this. I’ve been to Uncle Hugo’s; that makes the loss feel more real.
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[…] update to the post from this weekend concerning Uncle Hugo’s Bookstore. The GoFundMe is officially open once more and being run by bookstore folks (confirmed on Uncle […]
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This is the Minnesota fannish version of the burning of the Alexandrian Library. I was so looking forward to my next trip back to the Twin Cities to buy a new batch of bedtime reading, having just finished last year’s batch. Don, we grieve for you and everyone who worked there. So very sorry. Lalee Kerr, now gaffiating in western Colorado but still, and always a fan.
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