Once Upon a Tome: The Misadventures of a Rare Bookseller
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2023-03-16 01:20:04
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Oliver Darkshire
- ISBN：B0B3GFCPC3
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Michelle Smith
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Charming， wryly observational， and oddly cozy， I adored this laugh out loud exaggerated memoir of an antique bookseller。 Each page was a delight！I enjoyed this so much I started following Sotheran's Twitter account， which Mr。 Darkshire still runs。 Recommended。 Thank you to W。W。 Norton & Company and NetGalley for the DRC。 Charming， wryly observational， and oddly cozy， I adored this laugh out loud exaggerated memoir of an antique bookseller。 Each page was a delight！I enjoyed this so much I started following Sotheran's Twitter account， which Mr。 Darkshire still runs。 Recommended。 Thank you to W。W。 Norton & Company and NetGalley for the DRC。 。。。more
Mayda （My Book Cafe Life）
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This was a delightful book。 Who wouldn't enjoy a book about booksellers， particularly antiquarian booksellers？ This memoir describes how the author became an apprentice bookseller at an old bookshop in London。 It was a clever and interesting look into the antiquarian book trade。 Well written and packed with intriguing book-related information。 I enjoyed his stories about cataloguing， book runners， secret cellars， as well as his insights into the store's trade。 There's a lot of rare book jargon， This was a delightful book。 Who wouldn't enjoy a book about booksellers， particularly antiquarian booksellers？ This memoir describes how the author became an apprentice bookseller at an old bookshop in London。 It was a clever and interesting look into the antiquarian book trade。 Well written and packed with intriguing book-related information。 I enjoyed his stories about cataloguing， book runners， secret cellars， as well as his insights into the store's trade。 There's a lot of rare book jargon， and an assessment of different collector types such as Smaugs and Draculas to name a few， but this only adds to the charm。If you love antique books or the trade， this book is for you。 。。。more
Diane
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This is the story of London's， possibly the world's， oldest bookstore， Sotherans Ltd on Sackville Street （est。 1761）。 Oliver Darkshire （real name？？？） steps in to become an apprentice and walks into an amazing place full of beautiful old books， no accounting system， no allegiance to internet selling and incredibly weird and wonderful customers。 Smaugs are book collectors who collect EVERYTHING。 Draculas only collect one type， EVER。 Oliver describes how each type of customer must be handled and wh This is the story of London's， possibly the world's， oldest bookstore， Sotherans Ltd on Sackville Street （est。 1761）。 Oliver Darkshire （real name？？？） steps in to become an apprentice and walks into an amazing place full of beautiful old books， no accounting system， no allegiance to internet selling and incredibly weird and wonderful customers。 Smaugs are book collectors who collect EVERYTHING。 Draculas only collect one type， EVER。 Oliver describes how each type of customer must be handled and who they will sell to and buy from。 Nazis （who don't deserve books or bookstores）， homophobs， racists etc do not get sold to and are actually ushered out the door。 There's a very serious discussion （p。192-3） about how they sell the right book in the right context and that it will be preserved for the right reasons。 The rest of the book is lol in places， witty， erudite and interesting。 Perhaps an only criticism that the cleverness is a bit ott in places。 A fun read。 。。。more
Olive Fellows （abookolive）
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A hilariously self-deprecating memoir of how the author became an apprentice bookseller at the very old London rare bookshop， Sotheran's。 If you've ever wondered what it's like to work in a bookshop - or even romanticized the idea in your head - this is a must-read since it will largely disabuse you of those notions while providing belly laughs！ A hilariously self-deprecating memoir of how the author became an apprentice bookseller at the very old London rare bookshop， Sotheran's。 If you've ever wondered what it's like to work in a bookshop - or even romanticized the idea in your head - this is a must-read since it will largely disabuse you of those notions while providing belly laughs！ 。。。more
Carole-Ann
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Don't usually read memoirs/autobiographies， but （mainly） bc I follow Oliver on Twitter， AND I sell books too， I thought this may be interesting :） Famous last words: apart from SO being able to relate to customers/books/selling/buying， & allowing myself a chuckle every now & again， I thoroughly loved this。Maybe not to everyone's taste or humour， but it's great fun。 Don't usually read memoirs/autobiographies， but （mainly） bc I follow Oliver on Twitter， AND I sell books too， I thought this may be interesting :） Famous last words: apart from SO being able to relate to customers/books/selling/buying， & allowing myself a chuckle every now & again， I thoroughly loved this。Maybe not to everyone's taste or humour， but it's great fun。 。。。more
Mhd
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[led here by BookPage essay by the author; even though it's nf， really sounds good] [led here by BookPage essay by the author; even though it's nf， really sounds good] 。。。more
Jaclyn B。
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A fun anecdotal book about life as an antique bookseller。 I found that I enjoyed this more when I read it in small， 10 minute sections or a few chapters at a time， instead of trying to read it all in one or two settings。 It kept me eager to come back to it。 I realized the more I read that I hadn't ever given much thought to the differences between booksellers and antique booksellers。 I thought the primary connection would be a love of books， and wanting to surround yourself with them。 Turns out， A fun anecdotal book about life as an antique bookseller。 I found that I enjoyed this more when I read it in small， 10 minute sections or a few chapters at a time， instead of trying to read it all in one or two settings。 It kept me eager to come back to it。 I realized the more I read that I hadn't ever given much thought to the differences between booksellers and antique booksellers。 I thought the primary connection would be a love of books， and wanting to surround yourself with them。 Turns out， there are many differences。 From the level of customer service - I like to imagine that regular booksellers look forward to seeing their customers - to the important difference that antique booksellers must always remember the value of books。 Not only that， but their salability They deal in rare， expensive books， and it's not simply enough that a book is old and valuable。 They must be able to sell it， the sooner the better。 On top of the strange characters that occupy the bookshop full time， there were the even stranger customers。 Providing oddities and entertainment， this was a fun read， if a little bit slow at times。 。。。more
Denver Public Library
，
Take a deep dive into the world of antiquarian bookselling with this delightful title！ Darkshire writes what he knows with wit， humor and expertise - you will want to visit Sotheran's to sift， sell and smell his world of dusty treasures。 His observations of being in the retail life are welcome， alternating around appreciation， affection and distaste！ Share this with bookloving friends。 Take a deep dive into the world of antiquarian bookselling with this delightful title！ Darkshire writes what he knows with wit， humor and expertise - you will want to visit Sotheran's to sift， sell and smell his world of dusty treasures。 His observations of being in the retail life are welcome， alternating around appreciation， affection and distaste！ Share this with bookloving friends。 。。。more
radioheadfanatic
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i think i’d find it more interesting if i read a few pages every few weeks or even months maybe， but i didn’t and i found it very boring and slow
Iman Hakim
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Once Upon a Tome: The Misadventures of a Rare Bookseller by Oliver Darkshire is a humorous and charming memoir of life in one of the country's most ancient bookshops， Henry Sotheran Ltd。 The author had only intended to stay for a year before moving on to a less dusty and better-paying career。 However， he soon found himself unable to resist the alluring smell of old books and the temptation of a management-approved afternoon nap。 A collection of anecdotes that capture the eccentricities and quirk Once Upon a Tome: The Misadventures of a Rare Bookseller by Oliver Darkshire is a humorous and charming memoir of life in one of the country's most ancient bookshops， Henry Sotheran Ltd。 The author had only intended to stay for a year before moving on to a less dusty and better-paying career。 However， he soon found himself unable to resist the alluring smell of old books and the temptation of a management-approved afternoon nap。 A collection of anecdotes that capture the eccentricities and quirks of both colleagues and customers in the antiquarian bookselling world。 It offers a rare glimpse into the fascinating world of rare and antique books， and the eccentric characters who collect them。 What I loved about this book was how relatable it was to my own experiences as a part time used book seller during my university years。 The anecdotes about dealing with quirky customers， haggling over prices， and discovering hidden gems in piles of books were all too familiar。 It's a love letter to the world of used and rare books， where being uncommon or strange is the best possible compliment。 A delightful and heartwarming read that will appeal to book lovers and anyone who has ever worked in retail。 Throughout the book， Darkshire's love for books is palpable， and his enthusiasm for the job is infectious。 It was an absolute pleasure to read and review this book， thanks to @putrifariza & @times。reads for making this happenOverall， Once Upon a Tome is a charming and entertaining read that will appeal to anyone who loves books or has an interest in the history of the book trade。 。。。more
Oscar
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*ARC exchanged for an honest review via NetGalley* This book is SO delightful and funny in such a refreshing way。 Sometimes， when I read essay-adjacent collections such as these， there comes to be a certain amount of tediousness or forced humor within it， but Darkshire makes it seem to natural and intriguing I can't help but start planning my own excursion to Sotherans。 Both insightful， poignant， and humorous， this is a book I will highly recommend to anyone。 *ARC exchanged for an honest review via NetGalley* This book is SO delightful and funny in such a refreshing way。 Sometimes， when I read essay-adjacent collections such as these， there comes to be a certain amount of tediousness or forced humor within it， but Darkshire makes it seem to natural and intriguing I can't help but start planning my own excursion to Sotherans。 Both insightful， poignant， and humorous， this is a book I will highly recommend to anyone。 。。。more
Melly
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Described as "poisoned books， spooky cupboards， and a bookshop ghost"。 What more can you ask for？ Oh。。 it's a MEMOIR。 I'm definitely picking this up。 Described as "poisoned books， spooky cupboards， and a bookshop ghost"。 What more can you ask for？ Oh。。 it's a MEMOIR。 I'm definitely picking this up。 。。。more
Jenny Lawson
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Witty。 Whimsical。 Smart。 SO FUCKING COZY。 I loved this memoir so much I instantly picked it for my Fantastic Strangelings Book Club。 Go read it。
John
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I'm heavily biased - I started working at an antiquarian bookshop when I was 16， and there wasn't much within the pages of Darkshire's book that didn't strike a chord with me。 In particular the notion that a bookselling job SHOULD involve a handling books， but that side of the business is consumed by the amount of time spent with all manner of weird and wonderful customers。 It's hard not to let a degree of bitterness consume you as you come to this realization， but these people do make for incre I'm heavily biased - I started working at an antiquarian bookshop when I was 16， and there wasn't much within the pages of Darkshire's book that didn't strike a chord with me。 In particular the notion that a bookselling job SHOULD involve a handling books， but that side of the business is consumed by the amount of time spent with all manner of weird and wonderful customers。 It's hard not to let a degree of bitterness consume you as you come to this realization， but these people do make for incredible stories to tell。 This book was a certain degree of therapy for me for the knowledge that other booksellers contend with the bizarre and disturbing on a daily basis， too， and I equal parts enjoyed and sympathized with every anecdote。The strong personalities on either side of the desk shone through with elements of love and agitation - The Spindleman is but one example of regulars with extreme personality that seem to haunt bookshops， but is often thought of fondly when not in present company。 The setting truly paints an accurate depiction of a limitless bookshop where various nooks and crannies can always be found when needed。 If I ever left the trade， I'd pick this book up again to reminisce about the high points of bookselling life。 It's a delightful read that was always a pleasure to pick up。 。。。more
Cari Allen
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As someone who once worked in a bookshop and has fond memories of all my quirky and sometimes exacerbating customers， Once Upon a Tome felt like a trip down memory lane。 Oliver Darkshire takes us on an unexpected journey into the underbelly and realities of working at an antiquarian and rare bookshop。Full of charming anecdotes and dry British humor， this memoir is sure to bring a smile to the face of anyone who has ever had the privilege of working in the book industry。 My only complaint was tha As someone who once worked in a bookshop and has fond memories of all my quirky and sometimes exacerbating customers， Once Upon a Tome felt like a trip down memory lane。 Oliver Darkshire takes us on an unexpected journey into the underbelly and realities of working at an antiquarian and rare bookshop。Full of charming anecdotes and dry British humor， this memoir is sure to bring a smile to the face of anyone who has ever had the privilege of working in the book industry。 My only complaint was that some of the stories seemed like all too brief snapshots and I wanted more details， more information about a particular customer or situation。 Definitely recommended for anyone who has worked in a bookshop or dreamed of working in a bookshop。Thank you to NetGalley， Oliver Darkshire， and W。 W。 Norton and Company for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Brenda
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Witty， clever and informative Once Upon A Tome tickled my funny bone and taught me more about rare book selling and buying。 Delving into the world of once rare book apprentice Oliver Darkshire at infamous Sotheran's was pure joy with many lightbulbs appearing above my head。 Darkshire says most rare book sellers will not leave this uncommon and mysterious occupation and that quirky personalities are practically ubiquitous。 They become specialists in a peculiar curious world。 I believe that and at Witty， clever and informative Once Upon A Tome tickled my funny bone and taught me more about rare book selling and buying。 Delving into the world of once rare book apprentice Oliver Darkshire at infamous Sotheran's was pure joy with many lightbulbs appearing above my head。 Darkshire says most rare book sellers will not leave this uncommon and mysterious occupation and that quirky personalities are practically ubiquitous。 They become specialists in a peculiar curious world。 I believe that and at times feel part of that world when immersed in my old books。 Darkshire needed a job， saw an advertisement with no experience required。 He was successful and shortly after he discovered a new world amongst lecturns， busts and gourds。 He describes clientele such as "smaugs" and "Draculas" and extraordinary colleagues including Andrew and James， jam packed with knowledge。 Digital versus （and？） physical books are discussed。 So is bookbinding。 But my favourite bits are the funny glimpses at personalities （what an interesting world we live in！） and easy informal writing style。 Like Andrew， I once put out my back lifting a book of Trollopes。 But needs must。Book lovers， allow this biography to satiate your hunger for exploring the dark and musty dark nooks and crannies of words， pages and people。My sincere thank you to W。 W。 Norton & Company and NetGalley for providing me with an early digital copy of this spellbinding book。 。。。more
Cari Allen
，
As someone who once worked in a bookshop and has fond memories of all my quirky and sometimes exacerbating customers， Once Upon a Tome felt like a trip down memory lane。 Oliver Darkshire takes us on an unexpected journey into the underbelly and realities of working at an antiquarian and rare bookshop。Full of charming anecdotes and dry British humor， this memoir is sure to bring a smile to the face of anyone who has ever had the privilege of working in the book industry。 My only complaint was tha As someone who once worked in a bookshop and has fond memories of all my quirky and sometimes exacerbating customers， Once Upon a Tome felt like a trip down memory lane。 Oliver Darkshire takes us on an unexpected journey into the underbelly and realities of working at an antiquarian and rare bookshop。Full of charming anecdotes and dry British humor， this memoir is sure to bring a smile to the face of anyone who has ever had the privilege of working in the book industry。 My only complaint was that some of the stories seemed like all too brief snapshots and I wanted more details， more information about a particular customer or situation。 Definitely recommended for anyone who has worked in a bookshop or dreamed of working in a bookshop。Thank you to NetGalley， Oliver Darkshire， and W。 W。 Norton and Company for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Gina Dalfonzo
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Full review here: https://dearstrangethings。substack。co。。。Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC。 Full review here: https://dearstrangethings。substack。co。。。Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC。 。。。more
Kendra Jackson
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This was a really entertaining read， although at times it felt a little self-conscious。 And I was fighting back the tears in the last couple of pages （without wanting to spoil anything）。There were plenty of laugh out loud moments in Oliver’s escapades and I would read more by this author but why the American use of z instead of the English use of s in words like realisation？ I don’t understand it and I certainly don’t like it。 Otherwise this would have been 4。5。
Bram
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Oliver Darkshire， die als jongste bediende al langer het twitteraccount van het antiquariaat Sotheran's beheert， schreef （aangemoedigd door zijn succes op Twitter） een boek over deze eigenaardige en zeer oude Londense winkel。 Gezien het onderwerp – ik houd enorm van boeken over het verkopen van oude boeken – een verrassend saai boek。 Darkshire doet bovendien te erg zijn best grappig te zijn。 In verschillende opzichten （het boek valt bijv。 ook niet lekker open） een vervelend boek。 Oliver Darkshire， die als jongste bediende al langer het twitteraccount van het antiquariaat Sotheran's beheert， schreef （aangemoedigd door zijn succes op Twitter） een boek over deze eigenaardige en zeer oude Londense winkel。 Gezien het onderwerp – ik houd enorm van boeken over het verkopen van oude boeken – een verrassend saai boek。 Darkshire doet bovendien te erg zijn best grappig te zijn。 In verschillende opzichten （het boek valt bijv。 ook niet lekker open） een vervelend boek。 。。。more
Martin Jones
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Once Upon a Tome， published in 2022， is the memoir of rare bookseller， Oliver Darkshire， telling the story of his apprenticeship at Sotheran’s antiquarian bookshop in Sackville Street， London。This is a charming and funny book， with a quick， unexpected stab of extremely moving right at the end。 There are plenty of colourful characters encountered in the surprisingly varied life of a bookseller。 If you think it’s just about working in an old shop you’d be wrong。 There are adventurous journeys to l Once Upon a Tome， published in 2022， is the memoir of rare bookseller， Oliver Darkshire， telling the story of his apprenticeship at Sotheran’s antiquarian bookshop in Sackville Street， London。This is a charming and funny book， with a quick， unexpected stab of extremely moving right at the end。 There are plenty of colourful characters encountered in the surprisingly varied life of a bookseller。 If you think it’s just about working in an old shop you’d be wrong。 There are adventurous journeys to libraries in crumbling mansions， book conferences in York， storage cellars in Kings Cross， as well as trips to other rare bookshops to return borrowed hat stands。Once Upon a Tome has a lot to say about all kinds of things， the enigma of value， health and safety in the ancient work place， the ironies of ownership， guords。 There’s rare book jargon， and assessment of various species of collector - the omnivorous Smaugs and the focused Draculas。 Out of this witty， wry， droll collection of observations， one in particular really said something to me about books。 I don’t mean books that cost thousands of pounds， which are way beyond my budget - I mean all books， including the books I borrow from Kent eLibrary， a type of book that has no physical existence at all， and can never find a place on Sotheran’s shelves。 This observation involved Oliver’s cautious reveal to his new colleagues that he was gay。 “If a place is aesthetically stuck in the 1800s the people who work there might be too。” But when Oliver drops a gendered pronoun regarding his partner into conversation， he gets no reaction。 There’s nothing， no drama。 The only difference is that bookseller James seems to put more authors like Oscar Wilde and Christopher Isherwood in Oliver’s cataloguing， as if making a point about the book world。 Wide reading tends to promote tolerance and acceptance， opening a reader to different points of view and experience。 A book shop as old at Sotheran’s may be a bit backward-looking， suspicious of computers， dusty， prone to mould， but it is a naturally tolerant environment。 Of course there have been intolerant books， dark books， books that are now an embarrassment。 An antiquarian bookshop could well have examples of those。 But Oliver suggests we can learn from any book。 A nazi might burn books， but Sotheran’s would not burn a copy of Mein Kampf。 The shop would seek to place it， say， with an institutional buyer interested in the context of such a work。 And none of this means that the shop would fail to show the door to any aggressive bigot who goose steps over the threshold。 You see the difference？ Book burners don’t usually read widely。 People who read widely don’t often burn books。 As someone who loves books， this was one of my favourite observations in a book of excellent book-centric observations。 。。。more
Jamie Bowen
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Any book that gives an insight into book selling is a winner for me， this is about Oliver Darkshire of Sotherans。 It’s funny and highlights some of the quirky customers and staff that enter the shop。
Leslie Zampetti
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Darkshire's memoir of working at Sotheran's antiquarian bookstore is as delightful as his social media presence for the shop。 His self-deprecating voice and wry humor combine to create a cozy exploration of antiquarian bookselling and Sotheran's， in particular。 A lovely look at a part of the book world that is often overlooked。（I read this as an ARC provided by the publisher through Edelweiss+。） Darkshire's memoir of working at Sotheran's antiquarian bookstore is as delightful as his social media presence for the shop。 His self-deprecating voice and wry humor combine to create a cozy exploration of antiquarian bookselling and Sotheran's， in particular。 A lovely look at a part of the book world that is often overlooked。（I read this as an ARC provided by the publisher through Edelweiss+。） 。。。more
Anjana
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This is a story that I did not expect when I picked the book up。 I obviously knew it was non-fiction when I first requested the book and stored it on my virtual shelf， but a lot of time passed between that and me actually reading it。 The cover of my version as well as the name， had me expecting a mystery tale of some sort。 Once I was over that surprise， I settled in to listen to the story of a man who stumbled onto a job that became his life （This is something I always hoped would happen to me）， This is a story that I did not expect when I picked the book up。 I obviously knew it was non-fiction when I first requested the book and stored it on my virtual shelf， but a lot of time passed between that and me actually reading it。 The cover of my version as well as the name， had me expecting a mystery tale of some sort。 Once I was over that surprise， I settled in to listen to the story of a man who stumbled onto a job that became his life （This is something I always hoped would happen to me）， and Oliver puts in the effort to do a good job。 The book begins with the foreword that the author is in charge of the social presence of Sotheran's online。 The rare books' store is not one that I would frequent - my used book shopping is and will always be limited to cheaper works that get the job done。 I was still drawn to the anecdotes the author provides in the book。Oliver comes across as a generally genial person， and one of the first things that struck me as funny and stayed with me throughout the book was the image of a really tall man having to be squished behind a tiny desk surrounded by stuff。Any role working in the Rare Books business seems to come with a lot of different things to accomplish， some more entertaining than others。 The author manages to convey the whole atmosphere of the people and the place where he works。 The stories are not in any particular order， some of them go back and forth in time， but for once， I did not mind that。 I could dip in and out of the book as and when I felt the inclination。 There is an inherent love for the written word that is a part of this entire narrative that will make it enjoyable for any bibliophile （of whatever type they may be）。The writing feels consistent throughout all the chapters making it easy to get a feel for everyone that we are introduced to。 There are emotions tied to some stories， and others are more general。 The latter poke good-natured fun at the kind of people who end up visiting the store。 I would highly recommend this to everyone， especially since it can be read in parts。 I received this book as an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading。 。。。more
Linda
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Such an interesting and entertaining look at life in a rare book store。 The author brings lots of humor to these dozens of vignettes of his experiences with buyers， sellers， hoarders， lonely people， investors， ghosts， and those who don’t have a clue。 I enjoyed this peek in “the oldest bookstore in the world”。Thanks to NetGalley and W。W。 Norton and Company for the ARC to read and review。
J
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aud
Yvette Thomas
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Thoroughly enjoyable romp through the antiquarian rare book world - enjoy！
Liz
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I really loved this。 Genuinely made me laugh out loud at least 10 times - keeping my fits of giggles silent so I didn't wake my sleeping partner in the next room was quite a task！ I really love the characters and the way the regular customers are referred to - it's a nice bit of flavour and humour， but also a really clever way of protecting anonymity。 Oliver seems like such a gentle soul， even when his patience was clearly being tried to the limit， he writes with humour about the events， not bit I really loved this。 Genuinely made me laugh out loud at least 10 times - keeping my fits of giggles silent so I didn't wake my sleeping partner in the next room was quite a task！ I really love the characters and the way the regular customers are referred to - it's a nice bit of flavour and humour， but also a really clever way of protecting anonymity。 Oliver seems like such a gentle soul， even when his patience was clearly being tried to the limit， he writes with humour about the events， not bitterness。 This book is clearly a love letter， and that's what I like about it。 Also， I'm now completely in love with James - he reminded me of one of my best friends！If you liked books like "this is going to hurt" and other somewhat disjointed anecdote-y works， this is for you。 If you prefer a clear chronology and a plot arc， maybe not。 。。。more
Chris Aylott
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I don't think I've read a book about booksellers since I left bookselling myself， but nothing has changed。 Especially not at Sotherans， founded in 1761 and one of the oldest bookshops in the world， an establishment that seems determined to ignore the passage of centuries。 There's a certain level of "how on earth have these people stayed in business？" -- I suspect the owners are using it as a tax dodge -- but Darkshire's book is filled with love for his co-workers and their often fusty and incomp I don't think I've read a book about booksellers since I left bookselling myself， but nothing has changed。 Especially not at Sotherans， founded in 1761 and one of the oldest bookshops in the world， an establishment that seems determined to ignore the passage of centuries。 There's a certain level of "how on earth have these people stayed in business？" -- I suspect the owners are using it as a tax dodge -- but Darkshire's book is filled with love for his co-workers and their often fusty and incomprehensible ways。 I wouldn't have minded a bit more continuity in his personal narrative， but this is a charming collection of incidents and stories。 。。。more
Laura
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When I first requested this ARC I thought it was fiction。。。 reader， I was wrong！ It's delightful non-fiction， filled with anecdotes from an apprentice rare books seller at the oldest bookstore in the world。 Readers are introduced to the denizens of the shop， the types of collectors and shoppers that are attracted to these types of shops， and the various things that may -- or may not！ -- be sold therein。 My only question is the timeline， since the author is not yet 30 and yet writes as though he When I first requested this ARC I thought it was fiction。。。 reader， I was wrong！ It's delightful non-fiction， filled with anecdotes from an apprentice rare books seller at the oldest bookstore in the world。 Readers are introduced to the denizens of the shop， the types of collectors and shoppers that are attracted to these types of shops， and the various things that may -- or may not！ -- be sold therein。 My only question is the timeline， since the author is not yet 30 and yet writes as though he was at Sotheran's for decades。 I guess it's like dogs， with one human year equalling several rare bookseller years。eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss。 。。。more
tpg0
，
As an AI language model， I cannot provide a personal opinion but can provide an overview of the book 'Once Upon a Tome: The Misadventures of a Rare Bookseller。' 'Once Upon a Tome: The Misadventures of a Rare Bookseller' is a memoir written by a rare bookseller， Martin Shepherd， describing his experiences during his thirty years in the trade。 He shares amusing and sometimes serious misadventures he experienced while struggling to make a living buying and selling rare books。 His first-hand account captures the joy of finding a rare treasure and the despair of taking a financial hit while living the life of a rare bookseller。 The book is filled with the author's witty observations， as well as a veritable goldmine of information on the rare book trade。
tpg1
，
As an AI language model， I cannot provide a personal opinion or review about books。 However， Once Upon a Tome: The Misadventures of a Rare Bookseller is a memoir written by William Schaberg， a rare book dealer， that chronicles the ups and downs of the trade as well as his passion for books。 The book offers an insider's perspective into the rare book world from a dealer's point of view， with anecdotes and stories that are both humorous and informative。 It is a recommended read for book lovers and those interested in the curious world of rare books。
tpg2
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