How did 2 Louisville library books go missing for nearly a century? Here's their story

Nearly a century ago, two books were checked out from the Louisville Free Public Library.

And like any good book, they've been on an adventure.

And like any good adventure, you must have a main character.

That's Morris Perelmuter.

And like any good story, you must have a theme, a climax and a resolution.

This theme centers around what music means to one Louisville family.

As for the rest, you will have to indulge in a little journey.

Let's begin at the end.

Monday, two books checked out by cardholder No. 48218, Miriam Perelmuter, were returned to the St. Matthews-Eline branch of the Louisville Free Public Library.

Miriam's family and friends gathered around the threadbare books.

"On behalf of my father and the entire Perelmuter family, it's a pleasure to return these books to where they properly belong," Michael King said.

The library no longer charges overdue fees.

Had it kept the 2-cent fee for the last 35,643 days, the family would have owed about $712.86 per book.

But how do books go missing for nearly a century?

A slender Los Angeles attorney sat down with a fresh cup of espresso just days before the books were returned. Michael King smiled from behind his thick-framed glasses.

"Go on," he said. "Ask me."

How do books go missing for nearly a century? Part 1

Morris Perelmuter's whole world was music.

His father, Max, who died from the Spanish flu in 1918 when Morris was 9, was a drummer in Europe.

Somewhere between ages 11 and 13, Morris became a violin prodigy. He was one of five children, and the family struggled financially, living above a grocery store that his mother, Miriam, managed at 437 S. 9th St.

One summer day, Morris and his mom went to the Louisville Free Public Library.

Miriam checked out First Russian Book by Nevill Forbes, a small 216-page book. Morris selected Famous Composers and Their Works: Volume 2, a large 976-page brown book.

It was Aug. 24, 1926.

By that time, Morris was a well-known violinist around Louisville, a local legend of Male High School and part of the small ensemble for WHAS radio.

By 1929, he composed concertos and appeared as a soloist with the Louisville Symphony, playing Tchaikovsky's Concerto in 1932, and then Lalo's "Symphonie Espagnole" in 1934.

The Courier Journal wrote in 1939 that Morris Perelmuter "had become a Louisville institution and is one of the most colorful personalities musical Louisville has produced."

During the depression, Morris toured with Eddie LeBaron's big band from Palm Beach to Atlantic City, Detroit to New York's Rockefeller Center, where he impressed atop 30 Rock inside the Rainbow Room.

In a letter to a friend in Louisville, Morris wrote, "There is one thing certain and that is that everyone here, from busboys and waiters to the elevator boys, knows the Wieniawski from cover to cover."

(Henryk Wieniawski was a Polish violinist and composer known for writing two technically demanding violin concertos.)

Even the Prince of Prussia and his Princess of Russia are said to have postponed a sailing to hear Morris play.

When World War II began, Morris Perelmuter joined the Marine Corp. where he was part of the Merry Men of the Marines band. He and an accordion player Bill Starkel, the family said, would play everything from foxholes to admirals' soirees.

Morris even wrote a Marine Corp. march called, 'Give a Salute to the Marines.'

"So after the war was over, you’re now going to hear more of an incredible story," King told The Courier Journal.

How do books go missing for nearly a century? Part 2

Back in Los Angeles after the War, Starkel and Perelmuter formed a band, The Star Kings and played at The Bel Air Hotel, one of the most exclusive hotels in the world.

"There was a bar there and the bar was very intimate, only about 20 tables," Michael King said. "Every night while they performed, there was an older lady who sat in the corner, drinking by herself."

She'd stay until the lounge closed at 2 a.m. After six months, she told The Star Kings they lifted her from a depression after losing her husband. She gifted them each an instrument.

To Morris, she presented a 1694 Stradivarius violin ― not just a national treasure, but a global one.

But in the 1950s, the music scene in Los Angeles began to shift away from live entertainment and into studio recordings. So Morris moved his family to Las Vegas and began serving as the choir director of Temple Beth Sholom. The president of the Temple was Carl Cohen.

"In those days, Las Vegas was not corporate," Michael said. "It was run by the mob and Carl Cohen was a front man for the mob."

Cohen was also president of The Sands Hotel. Morris asked Cohen for the opportunity to organize a violin group. He landed a contract to play at the hotel's lounge: The Copa. To fit his last name on the marquee, he changed Perelmuter to King.

"I have pictures of the marquee," Michael said.

Performing in the main room: The Rat Pack, with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and the likes.

Performing in the Copa: Morris King and his violins.

To end the story here would mean that the books just sat in Las Vegas not having an impact for 60 years.

But that's just not true.

A place in the sun

In his East Louisville home, Mark Perelmuter and Michael King blend the first notes of Schumann's "Fantasie."

Their family sits around them, immersed in the music that fills the house.

Mark is Morris' nephew and Michael's first cousin.

For the last 15 years, Michael and Mark have brought their musical talents together to form their own band.

"We wanted to call ourselves the Perel Kings," Mark said, as an homage to their fathers, but the family calls them "The Adorables" instead.

"Look at us, just a lawyer and an orthodontist," Michael said.

Mark plays the clarinet. Michael plays the piano. From across the country, they practice a new piece they perform each time they get together. That's how the books made their way from Las Vegas back to Louisville.

Sunday, the books of famous composers inhaled their last notes played by a Perelmuter.

Then Mark tucked them in his briefcase.

Monday, in front of that same family who enjoyed their concert, Mark and Michael returned the books.

"It's not just the physical book but the story that makes it so special," said Katie Leitner, the St. Matthews-Eline branch manager. "It's a treasure to have them back."

They will be kept with other rare books downtown.

But why did the family return the books? Why not just keep them?

It's the same reason they ended up selling the Stradivarius violin gifted to Morris so many years ago.

"I felt like I was holding on to a piece of civilization," Michael said. "I felt it needed to be played. It needed to be out there. It’s like hanging a Picasso in a closet."

The book about composers served its intended purpose for our main character, Morris Perelmuter King.

It set him on a musical journey that has lasted generations.

Stephanie Kuzydym is an enterprise and investigative reporter. She can be reached at skuzydym@courier-journal.com. Follow her at @stephkuzy.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Morris Perelmuter family returns music books to Louisville library