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For Hoak, the books represent a lost bohemia, a generation now obscured by the East End's gen- trification and celebrity. "When I got to the Hamptons, many people from that creative burst were still there, but it started to change even as I was there," he says. Vestiges of the era are buried throughout the book collection. One day while sorting through them, Hoak found a childlike pen-and-ink sketch of a face on the back of an envelope, dated 1967 and inscribed to the pianists with a note about its or- igins. The sketch had been done during a Japanese game introduced by Jerome Robbins to his friends and played on his porch, where the players make a drawing of someone without looking down at the paper. The sender of the note remarks that it's Bill de Kooning's sketch of a friend. "At the time, the de Koonings ran around with these guys. You can sense it comes from his hand, it has such a dis- tinct style," says Hoak, who has carried his massive literary trove from house to house for more than 20 years. "I've tried to be a good steward of the books." As Hoak and Perkins have sold their other homes in the Hamp- tons and in Florida, this old French house in Houston just might be the last stop. "We love it here," says Hoak. (continued from page 102) PART OF THE FUN OF PEELING BACK THE LAYERS IN THEIR HOUSE IS THAT YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN ANOTHER INTRIGUING STORY WILL EMERGE. A cozy corner in the main house. 8570 Katy Freeway, Suite 111, Houston, T X 77024 | 713.827.9292 | backrowhome.com LIVE LIVE 007569_PaperCity_Sept2016_Mech.indd 1 8/3/16 8:48 AM