“Among the most irascible and amusing bookseller memoirs I’ve read.” New York Times
Description
Shaun Bythell owns the Bookshop, Scotland’s largest second-hand bookshop. It contains 100,000 books, spread over a mile of shelving, with twisting corridors and roaring fires, and all set in a beautiful, rural town by the edge of the sea. A book-lover’s paradise? Well, almost … In these wry and hilarious diaries, Shaun provides an inside look at the trials and tribulations of life in the book trade, from struggles with eccentric customers to wrangles with his own staff, who include the ski-suit-wearing, bin-foraging Nicky. He takes us with him on buying trips to old estates and auction houses, recommends books—both lost classics and new discoveries—introduces us to the thrill of the unexpected find, and evokes the rhythms and charms of small-town life, always with a sharp and sympathetic eye.
Hilarious, wry, and charming, Shaun Bythell’s stories from his second-hand bookshop in remotest Scotland are sure to delight readers of all stripes.
Praise
“Among the most irascible and amusing bookseller memoirs I’ve read.” New York Times
“Robin Laing strikes a matter-of-fact tone with his narration—a choice that is both smart and on point…Laing’s narration style makes it seem as if you are meeting up with a companionable, if a bit irascible, old friend.” AudioFile
“Bythell writes with biting humor…Bythell is a man on a mission, and a year seen through his eyes convinces the reader that it is a mission worthy of undertaking.” Chicago Tribune
“For anyone who has ever dreamed of owning a bookstore. Bythell’s hilarious account will have those in the industry crying and those otherwise employed dropping their resume off at their local indie.” San Francisco Chronicle
“Sure to bring book lovers chuckles, nods of recognition, and a surge of hope for bookshops everywhere.” Shelf Awareness
Details
| Language | English |
|---|---|
| Release Day | Sep 3, 2018 |
| Release Date | September 4, 2018 |
| Release Date Machine | 1536019200 |
| Imprint | Blackstone Publishing |
| Provider | Blackstone Publishing |
| Categories | Comedy & Humor, Literature & Fiction, Literature & Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Professionals & Academics, Education & Learning, Words, Language & Grammar, Memoirs, Diaries & Correspondence, Nonfiction - Adult, Nonfiction - All |
Author Bio
Shaun Bythell is the owner of The Bookshop, the largest second-hand bookshop in Scotland. When not working amongst The Bookshop’s mile of shelving, Shaun’s hobbies include eavesdropping on customers, uploading book-themed reworkings of Sugarhill Gang songs to YouTube and shooting Amazon Kindles in the wild. He lives in Wigtown, Scotland.
Narrator Bio
Overview
Shaun Bythell owns the Bookshop, Scotland’s largest second-hand bookshop. It contains 100,000 books, spread over a mile of shelving, with twisting corridors and roaring fires, and all set in a beautiful, rural town by the edge of the sea. A book-lover’s paradise? Well, almost … In these wry and hilarious diaries, Shaun provides an inside look at the trials and tribulations of life in the book trade, from struggles with eccentric customers to wrangles with his own staff, who include the ski-suit-wearing, bin-foraging Nicky. He takes us with him on buying trips to old estates and auction houses, recommends books—both lost classics and new discoveries—introduces us to the thrill of the unexpected find, and evokes the rhythms and charms of small-town life, always with a sharp and sympathetic eye.
Hilarious, wry, and charming, Shaun Bythell’s stories from his second-hand bookshop in remotest Scotland are sure to delight readers of all stripes.
Reviews
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