Bookstore Puts Its Stock in the Past : Proprietor Roger Jaep opened his treasure trove of 10,000 used volumes three years ago in ‘old town’ Camarillo.

Will John Wayne Bobbitt’s porno film, the trials of O.J. Simpson and Heidi Fleiss, and militant talk show hosts and their often-crazed callers keep us enthralled throughout 1994? Or do you hunger for a kinder world that encourages intelligent discourse rather than anxiety and fear? Here’s a suggestion.

Introduce yourself to Roger Jaep, film editor, writer (a novel in progress) and proprietor of Past Times Bookshop in Camarillo. Past Times is a used, rare and out-of-print bookshop with a general stock of about 10,000 fiction and nonfiction titles in all subjects. You can purchase a book for $1 or a rare collectible edition for $500. Or you can browse in a quiet atmosphere where you might stumble on a treasure, or a copy of a long lost title you’ve been searching for. The bookshop opened three years ago in “old town” Camarillo at 2312 Ventura Blvd. Call 388-9970.

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Margaret Jones will autograph “Patsy, the Life and Times of Patsy Cline” at a champagne reception from 6 to 7:30 p.m Friday at the Ojai Table of Contents, 208 E. Ojai Ave, Ojai.

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Actor Buddy Ebsen, who attracted hundreds of fans during his first appearance at the Phantom Bookshop six months ago, returns to the bookshop at 451 E. Main St., Ventura, from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday to sign his autobiography, “The Other Side of Oz” (Donovan Publishing). Ebsen’s film career spans six decades. He was originally cast as the Tin Man in “The Wizard of Oz” (replaced by Jack Haley) and is known worldwide for his television roles as Jed Clampett in “The Beverly Hillbillies” and Detective Barnaby Jones. Acknowledged for content, design and photographs, Ebsen’s book captured the prestigious Benjamin Franklin Award for best autobiography at the American Booksellers convention in Los Angeles. The award was presented in June by Publishers Marketing Assn., the largest nonprofit group of independent publishers.

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Dan Riley of Thousand Oaks has authored “The Dan Riley School for a Girl: An Adventure in Home Schooling.” The book focuses on Riley’s daughter Gillian who has been to public and private schools, and at age 16, decided to return to home-based education. Father and daughter tell their story at 7:30 p.m. Monday in the Earthling Bookshop, 1137 State St., Santa Barbara.

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Tom Sadowski will lead a talk on “Palm Latitudes” by Kate Braverman at the Friendly Book Discussion Group’s 10th anniversary celebration. The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Goebel Senior Center, 1385 Janss Road, next door to the Thousand Oaks Library. Sponsored by Friends of the Thousand Oaks Library, the discussion group was founded and is still chaired by Madeline Adinoff, a community activist who received a Conejo Award for “Outstanding Service to the Community” and served on the Thousand Oaks Art Commission from 1989 to 1992. At its first meeting 10 years ago, Ernest Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea” was read and discussed. Call 499-9076 for details.