In February 1995, Michael Jackson traveled to San Diego to accept the Harry Chapin Memorial Humanitarian Award at a major music-industry convention. But before appearing in front of more than 2,000 people, Michael made a much quieter stop downtown. With Lisa Marie Presley and several bodyguards beside him, he disappeared into Wahrenbrock’s Book House for nearly two hours. A contemporary report even noted that Michael browsed while wearing a red satin surgical mask.
They did not leave with one or two books. Michael and Lisa Marie reportedly walked out with three large boxes, mostly filled with rare or out-of-print titles worth around $1,300. The purchases were wonderfully random too: stacks of The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, several books about Marie Antoinette and an order for a two-volume collection of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poetry.
Michael Jackson Receives the Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award in San Diego
The video shows Michael later that same day at the National Association of Recording Merchandisers convention. He received a standing ovation while accepting the humanitarian award and also previewed material from the upcoming HIStory album. Contemporary coverage confirms that the lengthy bookstore visit happened before this public appearance, making it an unusually ordinary detour during an otherwise major industry event.
And this was not a one-off shopping spree. Los Angeles booksellers later remembered Michael as a longtime customer who regularly disappeared into bookstores with his security nearby. He particularly loved poetry and was said to be fond of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Employees remembered him as quiet and polite, with little of the superstar behavior someone might expect from one of the most famous people alive.
His longtime lawyer Bob Sanger later said Michael could hold serious conversations about literature, psychology, history, Freud and Jung. Sanger estimated that Michael’s personal collection eventually contained around 10,000 books. Even in 2008, only months before his death, Michael was still being photographed browsing bookstores for long stretches.
Michael Jackson changed popular music through Off the Wall, Thriller, Bad, the Moonwalk and performances watched by millions. But on one afternoon in 1995, he and Lisa Marie spent nearly two hours doing something far less glamorous: digging through shelves for old books. And the fact that a superstar could leave carrying everything from Longfellow poetry to Nancy Drew may say more about Michael’s curiosity than another expensive celebrity purchase ever could.