The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore | 
pickA nonfiction account of the history of American bookstores. I loved that we start with Benjamin Franklin & continue until Barnes & Noble and Amazon change the landscape of bookshops. Along the way we learn about gay rights and black-owned shops that acted more like community hubs than a traditional store. I loved traveling to each new space and hearing their stories. If this doesn‘t want to make you support independents, I don‘t know what will.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was a slow, but truly fascinating, read. I dipped in / out for a few weeks, adsorbing this delve into American book store history. Readers should want to know this! I know my appreciation has grown. A huge “Thank You” to those who, no matter the capacity or circumstance, put books into our hands and brains.
PS. I especially loved the chapter on my local indie, the incredible Parnassus.
pick#TheBookshop #EvanFriss #BookSpinBingo #SeriesLove2024
An affectionate and engaging history of the American bookstore and its central place in American cultural life, from department stores to indies, from highbrow dealers trading in first editions to sidewalk vendors, and from chains to special-interest community destinations. This was an interesting book about the history of bookstores.
6 NONFICTION books completed in November—setting up a few interesting matches. The tagged book was my pick. And my enjoyment of it pushed it ahead of its competitor from September. However, I‘m still thinking about the wild card memoir—so I gave it the nod to move on. But in the end, my love of a well-written narrative nonfiction propels “Challenger” into the finals. What a fun year this has shaped up to be!
#2024ReadingBrackets
pickI really enjoyed this breezy history of bookstores in the U.S., from colonial days to the present (shoutout to my local indie, RJ Julia Booksellers, which garnered a mention!). It took me a month because I didn‘t read it straight through — I dipped into it a chapter or a section at a time. Definitely recommend for anyone who loves books about bookstores —and nonfiction.
I have been so grateful for this community this past week. I spent more time here than I have in a long time and now I remember why I love it so much. This election cycle and the toxic waste from all other social media platforms almost did me in. But this community has people who are the complete opposite of toxic. Thank you. 💙
pickSigh. A perfect five star narrative history.
#AboutABook. #SetinBookstore
I am very interested in this nonfiction book about US bookstores.
@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
Someone was bad at B&N ! Well not too bad , McMurtry book on sale , having a magazine sale , who does that? $5 bucks off reward & paid for part with a gift card … still trying to downsize though 🙄I don‘t wear glamorous clothes but always enjoy the September brick of a Vogue !
pickWhat a wonderful book! Friss wisely looks at specific bookshops in depth to paint a picture of the history of bookstores in the US. I was riveted the whole time and definitely learned some things I didn‘t know. And I‘ve discovered that I want to be Frances Steloff. She was amazing!
pickThis history of the US bookstore begins with Benjamin Franklin, bookseller, spans the Strand and specialty stores like Oscar Wilde and Drum and Spear, the big box Barnes & Noble, and Amazon‘s brief brick and mortar stint, coming home to roost at Ann Patchett‘s Parnassus. What I most enjoyed were the characters—“the tsarina,” a trendsetting book buyer for a Chicago department store or the iconic, avant-garde Frances Steloff behind Gotham Book Mart.
pickI love a book that teaches me something and I don‘t want to put it down. That was this one, 100%. Reading the first page of the Table of Contents alone gave me a thrill (How does my beloved Marshall Field‘s & Co. relate to books??) and that sensation never dissipated. Keep your phone or tablet nearby while reading, I fell down so many rabbit holes you might as well call me Alice 🐇🫖☕️ Don‘t sleep on this one, publishing August 6, 2024!
pickA delightful history of a deeply romanticized industry with the space to both revel and bemoan. Friss begins his bookseller's tale with Ben Franklin and ends with Ann Patchett running the gamut between. If publishing is dominated by white men, bookselling is the realm of white women and Friss addresses the complications within that while historicizing the mission driven shops created to serve queer communities and people of color.
