Obituary: Lorraine Zimmerman

Former bookstore owner Lorraine Zimmerman died at age 76 on July 12. She is survived by two brothers, three children, and seven grandchildren.

Lorraine Zimmerman with her son Joshua

Zimmerman was the owner of Fahrenheit 451 Books in Laguna Beach, California, from 1978 to 1988 and of Collected Thoughts Bookshop in Berkeley from 1996 to 2004. She was also a partner at Berkeley’s University Press Books from 2004 to 2017. Hailing from Chicago, Zimmerman earned her bachelor’s in social ecology from University of California, Irvine.

In 1976, Zimmerman bought Fahrenheit 451 Books, which was called “one of the most distinctive independent bookstores in Southern California” by the Los Angeles Times in 1987. The store was known for its children’s reading program, its Fahrenheit Flasher newsletter, a customer rewards program, and events with big-name authors, such as Ray Bradbury, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Allen Ginsberg, and Michael Chabon.

In 1995, Zimmerman opened Collected Thoughts Bookshop in Berkeley, which she sold in 2004, before joining Berkeley’s University Press Books as partner.

Memorial details will be announced on the Fahrenheit 451 Books (1976–1988) Facebook group page.