Nonfiction

The Bookseller's Tale

The Bookseller's Tale

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  • Create Date：2021-10-17 08:51:25
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Martin Latham
  • ISBN：0141991232
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Summary

A SPECTATOR AND EVENING STANDARD BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020

'A joy。 Each chapter instantly became my favourite' David Mitchell， author of Cloud Atlas

'Wonderful' Lucy Mangan

'The right book has a neverendingness， and so does the right bookshop。'

This is the story of our love affair with books， whether we arrange them on our shelves， inhale their smell， scrawl in their margins or just curl up with them in bed。 Taking us on a journey through comfort reads， street book stalls， mythical libraries， itinerant pedlars， radical pamphleteers， extraordinary bookshop customers and fanatical collectors， Canterbury bookseller Martin Latham uncovers the curious history of our book obsession - and his own。

Part cultural history， part literary love letter and part reluctant memoir， this is the tale of one bookseller and many， many books。

' If ferreting through bookshops is your idea of heaven， you'll get the same pleasure from this treasure trove of a book' Jake Kerridge， Sunday Express

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Reviews

Buchdoktor ，

Martin Latham， als Leiter der Waterstones Filiale in Cambridge buchhändlerisches Urgestein， war nach einem wissenschaftlichen Studium im Buchhandel Quereinsteiger。 Vermutlich aus der eigenen Biografie heraus zeigte er ein besonderes Händchen dafür， Kollegen mit herausragendem Spezialwissen einzustellen， die ihn selbst nach Jahrzehnten im Buchhandel immer noch verblüffen können。 Wer hätte auch ahnen können， dass David Mitchell aus der Belletristik-Abteilung heute weltberühmter Autor sein würde … Martin Latham， als Leiter der Waterstones Filiale in Cambridge buchhändlerisches Urgestein， war nach einem wissenschaftlichen Studium im Buchhandel Quereinsteiger。 Vermutlich aus der eigenen Biografie heraus zeigte er ein besonderes Händchen dafür， Kollegen mit herausragendem Spezialwissen einzustellen， die ihn selbst nach Jahrzehnten im Buchhandel immer noch verblüffen können。 Wer hätte auch ahnen können， dass David Mitchell aus der Belletristik-Abteilung heute weltberühmter Autor sein würde … Latham legt seine Kulturgeschichte des Buches und der Bibliomanie weiter an， als ich von einem „Buchhändler-Buch“ erwartet hätte。 Zunächst befasst er sich mit der Einzigartigkeit und der Trostfunktion von Büchern für einzelne Leser。 In der Suchthaftigkeit des Lesens， oft seit früher Kindheit， wie auch in der Eichhörnchenhaftigkeit， von einem begonnenen Buch möglichst lange etwas haben zu wollen， werden sich leidenschaftliche Leser wiederfinden können。 Zur Leserpersönlichkeit bietet Latham einen Rückblick auf lesende Frauen und Mäzeninnen von Bibliotheken wie Christine de Pizan， Margarete von Navarra und Lady Anne Clifford。 Über Jahrhunderte hinweg galten Frauen als Leserinnen für ebenso gefährlich wie auf einem Hochrad oder in Hosen gekleidet， weil Bücher ihnen Zugang zu Wissen， geistiger Freiheit und ihrem eigenen Körper vermittelten und nicht selten ihre Forderung nach demokratischen Rechten befeuerten。 Latham ist überzeugt davon， „chapbooks“， kurze oder gekürzte Romane des Ritter- und Prinzessinnengenres seien für breite Bevölkerungsschichten Einstiegsdroge ins Lesen gewesen und hätten langfristig zum gesellschaftlichen Wandel beigetragen。 Für den leidenschaftlichen Buchhändler Latham ist Buchhandel offenbar ein Marktplatz für die Ware Buch， aber auch für Geschichten， die durch erfahrene Buchhändler an passende Leser vermittelt werden。 Lathams Blick als Kaufmann und als Lesesüchtiger führt uns zurück in die Geschichte des Buchdrucks， zu legendären Bibliotheken und zur Macht des katalogisierenden Bibliothekars， der brisante Themen in einer Bibliothekssystematik in den Vordergrund stellen oder in der Versenkung verschwinden lassen kann。 Mit Blick auf Venedig， Paris， Lyon und New York als historische Zentren des Buchhandels demonstriert Latham， wie Flucht und Migration bereits im 19。 Jahrhundert zu kultureller Vielfalt und blühendem Handel beitrugen。Anekdoten aus dem Alltag eines Buchhändlers finden sich bei Martin Latham auch， wenn er von Kunden， Kindern， Kollegen， Katzen und Spinnen berichtet， seine Stärke ist jedoch， Buchhandlungen als Treffpunkt exzentrischer Menschen und Brutstätte subversiver Ideen zu zeigen。 。。。more

Kerry ，

Occasionally a little dry and academic - I admit to skimming parts - but some wonderfully interesting and amusing facts and anecdotes that more than made up for the denser bits。 I particularly enjoyed the 17th century bookseller who had tiny stoves attached to his arms to make reading easy in the cold。。。and the fact that Ruskin used a saw to make all his books the same height。 Written by someone for whom the physical book and the art of bookselling are clearly everything。

Ele • Powaqa ，

Maronn'， ci ho messo mesi a finire questo。。。 saggio？ Non è da una stella solo per gli aneddoti assurdi e le descrizioni delle biblioteche e librerie più caratteristiche del mondo， ma per il resto è ridondante， autoreferenziale e sconclusionato。Sembra di stare a sentire quell'amic- con cui perdi continuamente il filo del discorso。 What's the point dear Martin？ Maronn'， ci ho messo mesi a finire questo。。。 saggio？ Non è da una stella solo per gli aneddoti assurdi e le descrizioni delle biblioteche e librerie più caratteristiche del mondo， ma per il resto è ridondante， autoreferenziale e sconclusionato。Sembra di stare a sentire quell'amic- con cui perdi continuamente il filo del discorso。 What's the point dear Martin？ 。。。more

Mariella Rinaldi ，

Martin Latham， “I Racconti del Libraio”Mi sono imbattuta per caso in questo libro， vagando tra gli scaffali di una nota catena di librerie in un afoso pomeriggio estivo pisano。L'ho preso tra le mani， accalappiata in primis dalla simpatica copertina: l'ho girato e rigirato， ne letto le solite e talora inverosimili mini-pillole-di-recensione che vengono riportate sul retro per tentare il potenziale acquirente; l'ho aperto in una pagina scelta dal caso e ho cominciato a leggerlo: scrittura scorrevo Martin Latham， “I Racconti del Libraio”Mi sono imbattuta per caso in questo libro， vagando tra gli scaffali di una nota catena di librerie in un afoso pomeriggio estivo pisano。L'ho preso tra le mani， accalappiata in primis dalla simpatica copertina: l'ho girato e rigirato， ne letto le solite e talora inverosimili mini-pillole-di-recensione che vengono riportate sul retro per tentare il potenziale acquirente; l'ho aperto in una pagina scelta dal caso e ho cominciato a leggerlo: scrittura scorrevole， tanti titoli in corsivo， fonti ben documentate; parzialmente persuasa ne ho consultato l'indice e， fattolo， completamente avvinta， ho deciso di fare di questo libro una delle mie future letture。Un bibliofilo troverà di certo nelle circa 400 pagine di questo volume qualche cosa di interessante: la sua attenzione potrà essere catturata dalle ricostruzioni della storia dei marginalia o di quella delle librerie di New York o dalle caricature degli ambulanti venditori di libri lungo il corso della Senna; potrà riconoscersi e schierarsi tra coloro che fanno dell'usura dei libri che leggono una testimonianza e un segno di riconoscimento dell'averli letti， spiegazzandone i bordi o sottolineandone i passi salienti o， al contrario， biasimare costoro e sostenere la necessità di lasciare i libri immacolati， impersonali imperituri。 Potrà perdersi tra le descrizioni di biblioteche labirintiche e divertirsi nel riconoscere o riconoscersi in bibliotecari bisbetici， riflettere su quali letture， in quali momenti， hanno costituito un consapevole supporto in frangenti difficili e quali， invece， hanno rappresentato un'inaspettata serendipità。Di serendipità si è trattato nel mio caso， e non potrei esser più lieta di aver assecondato lo stimolo visivo。 。。。more

Maurizio Codogno ，

NoiosoConfesso di essere rimasto deluso da questo libro。 Tra i vari capitoli， l'unico davvero interessante è l'ultimo， dove Latham parla della sua esperienza: anche quello sui cercatori di libri è carino， la seconda parte è passabile， ma la prima parte è davvero noiosa， e la traduzione di Elena Cantoni e Carlo Capararo non mi pare abbia fatto molto per ravvivarlo。 È un peccato， perché l'idea non era affatto male; ma molte delle storie mi sono sembrate un affastellamento di nomi e date senza un q NoiosoConfesso di essere rimasto deluso da questo libro。 Tra i vari capitoli， l'unico davvero interessante è l'ultimo， dove Latham parla della sua esperienza: anche quello sui cercatori di libri è carino， la seconda parte è passabile， ma la prima parte è davvero noiosa， e la traduzione di Elena Cantoni e Carlo Capararo non mi pare abbia fatto molto per ravvivarlo。 È un peccato， perché l'idea non era affatto male; ma molte delle storie mi sono sembrate un affastellamento di nomi e date senza un quadro di insieme。 。。。more

Sopo ，

Nicely written bizarre facts and tales about book lovers， bookshops， and libraries， you could hear nowhere but in this book。I bought this book because I thought it would be a novel about a bookseller。 Instead， it turned out to be more like a collection of essays written by the bookseller。 I really enjoyed reading some of the chapters， while others seemed to be slightly dull。 If you'd love to have a chat with a bookseller and hear some odd facts about his customers， book collectors， and fascinati Nicely written bizarre facts and tales about book lovers， bookshops， and libraries， you could hear nowhere but in this book。I bought this book because I thought it would be a novel about a bookseller。 Instead， it turned out to be more like a collection of essays written by the bookseller。 I really enjoyed reading some of the chapters， while others seemed to be slightly dull。 If you'd love to have a chat with a bookseller and hear some odd facts about his customers， book collectors， and fascinating stories about bibliophiles， you will love this book。 As for me， it didn't touch my heart because the author seems to prefer books over literature。 。。。more

Irina ，

“Upon entering a bookshop， you cannot know both who you are and who you might become， because you are both memory and instinct。”Really fun and quirky— full of bookish facts。 It felt like I was spending time with a fellow bookworm， made of the same weird stock。

Leslie Ann ，

3。5 stars。 Solid collection of anecdotes about how we treat books: collecting， selling， taking notes in the margins。 Some of them are quite humorous （my favorite is about the new British Library）， some drier， but Latham writes engagingly throughout。 This would be a good book to keep on the bedside table。

Madelyn Hall ，

Highly recommended。 My favourite chapters were:Comfort books，Organized Funkiness: New York Bookshops，Bookshops

Miriam ，

DNFed at 65%。 The one star is for the audio narration， which I enjoyed， and the general concept and mild quips and interesting quotes/snippets of information in the book， which probably would have made for a better podcast （I can't speak for the ebook， as if reading it would have increased my enjoyment）。 I feel bad as I love reading and I thought a book about books would be great， but as this audiobook went on it felt like a chore。 I struggled with a similar book this month， about embroidery （a DNFed at 65%。 The one star is for the audio narration， which I enjoyed， and the general concept and mild quips and interesting quotes/snippets of information in the book， which probably would have made for a better podcast （I can't speak for the ebook， as if reading it would have increased my enjoyment）。 I feel bad as I love reading and I thought a book about books would be great， but as this audiobook went on it felt like a chore。 I struggled with a similar book this month， about embroidery （a subject of interest for the author and for me） but in that book the author stuck to the same anecdote for pages and pages， not paragraphs。 Having listened to about 6 chapters， I'm not sure what， if anything， I have actually learnt。I may return to this audiobook in future just to say I've finished it， but the fact it's there on my list is putting me off other books and I just want to be done with it for a bit。 。。。more

Sophy H ，

A book about all things bookish！！ My kind of gig！This book was just fabulous。 Facts， snippets， tales， reminiscences and meandering yarns all expertly weaved together to produce an amazing body of work on the history of books， their creators， sellers and readers。 Martin Latham has a natural storytelling ability which shines through in this title。 I always like a book which makes me stop and google authors， painters， artists that I may not have heard of。 It feels as I'm being led on a secret treas A book about all things bookish！！ My kind of gig！This book was just fabulous。 Facts， snippets， tales， reminiscences and meandering yarns all expertly weaved together to produce an amazing body of work on the history of books， their creators， sellers and readers。 Martin Latham has a natural storytelling ability which shines through in this title。 I always like a book which makes me stop and google authors， painters， artists that I may not have heard of。 It feels as I'm being led on a secret treasure hunt！ Some words that caught my eye amongst the reading were:-"Nothing lasts。 Our frail idea of self morphs and shape-shifts， then becomes a line on a death certificate and a few family anecdotes。 This is both sobering and liberating。。。。。。。Let us DNA our books。 One day they may be all we leave behind。""If you think stories， not dates， two thousand years is just a vibration。""Some 105 billion of us have lived since we started telling stories， but there are only 8 billion people alive。 We are a fraction of ourselves， and we all have moments when that knowledge drenches us like a sudden shower of rain。""Collectors know what they want and the collecting urge starts early， with toddlers' pockets full of pebbles and coloured things; we begin like jackdaws as we end， chattering apparent nonsense and valuing a few fond objects。"Words of wisdom。 。。。more

Rick ，

This is a book for lovers of books， buyers of books and collectors of books。 It is a book for everybody who at some point of his live discovered that his local library had the key to an infinite universe of stories and emotions， and for everybody who still feels the same thrill when he enters a bookshop。 The child in me still thinks it a miracle that I can enter one and buy all the books I want。 For me my book love started with Christmas gifts， and I quickly learned where to find the two places This is a book for lovers of books， buyers of books and collectors of books。 It is a book for everybody who at some point of his live discovered that his local library had the key to an infinite universe of stories and emotions， and for everybody who still feels the same thrill when he enters a bookshop。 The child in me still thinks it a miracle that I can enter one and buy all the books I want。 For me my book love started with Christmas gifts， and I quickly learned where to find the two places in town （a very small provincial town in Belgium， that was） that could quench my reading thirst， one a very old library on the Grote Markt， and one a rather good bookshop in the street where I lived; I can still see the faces of both the librarian and the bookshop-owner， even if this is now more then 50 years ago。 This book is even more special for me because it is written by Martin Latham， since 1990 the man behind Waterstone’s in Canterbury， my personal Aladdin’s Cave。 I remember the time when it was difficult to buy English books in Belgium and it usually took a year or more before my favourite books were translated into Dutch。 When I discovered that a/ I was in love with the English countryside and b/ England contained bookshops of the size （and the quality！） of a Waterstone’s I was hooked， stopped reading in Dutch and kept coming back at least once a year。 Only Brexit （‘suddenly feeling very unwelcome’） and Corona stopped me now， but we are still welcome in Scotland 😊 when the pandemic will slowly disappear。 Our visits to Canterbury allways followed the same routine。 Parking in the Castle Street car park， a 5 minute walk to the centre， and there it was， Waterstone’s， where I usually bought as much as I could carry （no shopping trolleys， thank God！）， then back to the car to drop the loot， and back in town for Next and a pint。 I remember， as if it was yesterday， the feeling I had when I looked in my car trunk and saw the books I bought， promising so many delightful reading experiences and surprises （I discovered Patrick O’Brian there， still my personal comfort reading whenever I am stressed）， and the feeling when I was at home again and put all the new books on the kitchen table: the little kid in me felt incredibly rich at that moment。 Waterstone’s gave me a habit of reading in English I never lost again， but my Leuven bookshops stock a nice selection where I can still my reading needs， and there is even a Waterstone’s in Brussels now， half an hour of where I live。 But I look back to visit my Canterbury Aladdin’s Cave， so much that I can almost smell it ！ I see the entrance for me…And about this book ？ If you somehow recognise the passion I feel for the fysical book and a good bookshop， you should read it: 349 pages about the love we heavy readers all share。 I loved every letter and every comma of it。 。。。more

Silvia ，

Per me è stato faticoso leggere questo libro， perché non ha una trama travolgente dato che è un saggio e una conversazione dell'autore con il lettore， ma la fatica è stata ampiamente ripagata。Cosa mi è piaciuto così tanto？ La possibilità mentre lo leggevo di fermarmi immaginando di essere seduta ad un tavolino con l'autore sorseggiando una bevanda， mentre ascolto i suoi aneddoti e le sue riflessioni sull'essere libraio。I saggi per me sono faticosi， perché come ho detto ho bisogno della trama che Per me è stato faticoso leggere questo libro， perché non ha una trama travolgente dato che è un saggio e una conversazione dell'autore con il lettore， ma la fatica è stata ampiamente ripagata。Cosa mi è piaciuto così tanto？ La possibilità mentre lo leggevo di fermarmi immaginando di essere seduta ad un tavolino con l'autore sorseggiando una bevanda， mentre ascolto i suoi aneddoti e le sue riflessioni sull'essere libraio。I saggi per me sono faticosi， perché come ho detto ho bisogno della trama che mi trascina。 Però di questo libro ho letto anche i ringraziamenti （non sempre lo faccio o gli dò una veloce occhiata） e le note bibliografiche perché erano scritti molto bene ed in modo originale。 Questo è un libro che parla di librai e di libri e che ti fa venire voglia di leggerli e viverli ancora più intensamente di quanto non fai。 Una piccola avvertenza: io non ho preso appunti durante la lettura per non rischiare di allungare all'infinito la mia lista di libri da leggere （già lunga！）。 。。。more

Alexander， James Pickering ，

A book not just about the life of a bookseller， or a bookstore。 The book also looks at bibliomania， Venice， bookstalls， ancient and modern libraries。 My favourite part was chapter 7- On Marginalia。 I highly recommend the book for any bibliophile; written by a passionate bookseller for passionate readers。

Rob ，

This book is very well written and has some good anecdotes but ended up being pretty disappointing。 The author should have stayed on track and discussed bookshops rather than go into a pretty unforgivable 50 page digression on book collectors and then two subsequent chapters on marginalia。 There’s very little， if anything， on the economics of running a bookshop or working in one – nothing on pay and remuneration （notoriously low of course）， nothing on discounts， nothing on survival。 At one point This book is very well written and has some good anecdotes but ended up being pretty disappointing。 The author should have stayed on track and discussed bookshops rather than go into a pretty unforgivable 50 page digression on book collectors and then two subsequent chapters on marginalia。 There’s very little， if anything， on the economics of running a bookshop or working in one – nothing on pay and remuneration （notoriously low of course）， nothing on discounts， nothing on survival。 At one point， he mentions the demise of Barnes & Noble in passing and it would have been good to have a longer section on his – do ‘lifestyle’ bookshops that are light and airy and attempt to reach a broader public work （see also Borders） or is part of the appeal that customers can see themselves as an elite？ There’s also nothing on giving over sections of shops to coffee （which， I am told， is the only way certain branches of Waterstones have managed to survive）。 Sadly， I started hanging out in Clerkenwell too late to ever see the book stalls of Farringdon Road that Latham evocatively describes。 。。。more

Diana Coleman ，

Really interesting book which took me a while to read due to words， references and book titles leading up side alleys and investigations。 All very enjoyable。 Written with warmth and humour。 I’m feeling a little sad we don’t have an abundance of bookstores where I live。

wildbriarose ，

Il libro è un oggetto imperituro， immortale。 Diventerà， forse， di nicchia: di una categoria di nostalgici amanti del profumo delle pagine antiche - o nuove - ed è a tutti questi che “I racconti del libraio” si rivolge。 Ma non solo！ Questo libro è un saggio， un’analisi in cui， attraverso aneddoti storici su personaggi famosi ed altri invece vissuti direttamente da colui che scrive - che vanta più di 30 anni di servizio come venditore di libri -， si delineano tipologie di lettori， di libri， di cit Il libro è un oggetto imperituro， immortale。 Diventerà， forse， di nicchia: di una categoria di nostalgici amanti del profumo delle pagine antiche - o nuove - ed è a tutti questi che “I racconti del libraio” si rivolge。 Ma non solo！ Questo libro è un saggio， un’analisi in cui， attraverso aneddoti storici su personaggi famosi ed altri invece vissuti direttamente da colui che scrive - che vanta più di 30 anni di servizio come venditore di libri -， si delineano tipologie di lettori， di libri， di città libresche， di biblioteche antiche e nuove， e di libri rari， economici e di consolazione （caratteristiche che possono essere contemporaneamente rappresentate dallo stesso volume！）。 “I racconti del libraio” è un’ode a chiunque ami questo oggetto， una perla per chiunque vorrebbe saperne di più sulla sua storia e sull’amore che unisce l’umanità al libro。 。。。more

PAUL ，

A little too highbrow for my intellect。 This is not the author's fault but mine alone。 Some of the early chapters I found a little tedious but really enjoyed the last two chapters as they became more contemporary and interesting to my philistine mind。 Anyone expecting a Shaun Bythell type of book will probably be disappointed， but bibliophiles' who lean towards academe will find it a riveting read。 A little too highbrow for my intellect。 This is not the author's fault but mine alone。 Some of the early chapters I found a little tedious but really enjoyed the last two chapters as they became more contemporary and interesting to my philistine mind。 Anyone expecting a Shaun Bythell type of book will probably be disappointed， but bibliophiles' who lean towards academe will find it a riveting read。 。。。more

Dafne Turci ，

Uno spettacolo per chiunque ami leggere 😍 ricco di informazioni， annedoti， fatti storici。 Personaggi particolari e altri che hanno lottato per avere la libertà di scrivere o semplicemente leggere。 Un insieme di racconti che ti fanno pensare a quanto siamo fortunati oggi anche solo di poter leggere il libro che ci piace。 ❤️

Anna ，

↠ 4。5 stars

Neeraja Sankaran ，

I'm taking this slowly; it's a really enjoyable reflection on and history of reading practices。 The first chapter， "Comfort Books"--what a wonderful title--won me over almost immediately when he rattled off a list of his own （I think） which contained many of my favorite go-to's as well， Tolkein and Wodehouse among them。 The second chapter on "Reading in Adversity" began with this topic with some wonderful examples of coal miners and shepherds in England a few hundred years ago， but soon veered o I'm taking this slowly; it's a really enjoyable reflection on and history of reading practices。 The first chapter， "Comfort Books"--what a wonderful title--won me over almost immediately when he rattled off a list of his own （I think） which contained many of my favorite go-to's as well， Tolkein and Wodehouse among them。 The second chapter on "Reading in Adversity" began with this topic with some wonderful examples of coal miners and shepherds in England a few hundred years ago， but soon veered off more into accounts that to my mind would be just as easily classified as reading in "secret，" which I guess is a form of adversity。 Some historical gems within。 More to come as I progress。 May 26: So many delightful factoids and snippets here--exactly my kind of trivia， which means it's probably not to everyone's taste。 Am reading about private libraries now （ch。 6）。May 28: Still in the private libraries/collections chapter I learned a new word--always a delight。 Incunabula （sing: incunabulum） which is a printed book in the earliest days of movable type， i。e。， before there was mass production--so extant copies of books printed before 1501。 How cool is that？ The earliest of course are of Chinese origins。June 7: Just finished it。 This book is a keeper--may not be for everyone， but it is definitely for me！ Reminds me that I once wanted to work in one--actually threatened to do so in a Barnes and Nobles。 Might have been more gainfully employed now had I done so。 Maybe I should try to get a job as one in a bookstore once I retire from whatever it is I pretend to do now。 But it has to be a bookstore that appeals。 Something with atmosphere and a special room （a la the upstairs rooms at The Strand in New York or of course， Shakespeare and Co。 in Paris （sigh））。 。。。more

Carol ，

What a wonderful book！ It is non-fiction， and may not be everybody’s cup-of-tea， but I loved it – highlighted， made marginal notes， would read it again someday！ It is stuffed with wonderful information about books – their origin， the beginnings of mass printing， the cheap novels everyone read called “chapbooks” the old door-to-door book pedlars who sold the chapbooks， perhaps upon threat of painful death if discovered…。I could go on and on。The censorship of books is covered， neither the Governme What a wonderful book！ It is non-fiction， and may not be everybody’s cup-of-tea， but I loved it – highlighted， made marginal notes， would read it again someday！ It is stuffed with wonderful information about books – their origin， the beginnings of mass printing， the cheap novels everyone read called “chapbooks” the old door-to-door book pedlars who sold the chapbooks， perhaps upon threat of painful death if discovered…。I could go on and on。The censorship of books is covered， neither the Government or the Church （often much the same） didn’t want mass distribution of books。 “Marginalia” – who knew that was a thing？ Famous people writing in the margins of books – very old books in some cases。 The rebinding of such books， losing these （now important） margin notes because the rebinding cut most of the notes off; or， the “scrubbing” of these marginal notes trying to make the books look newer and cleaner。Marginalia also encompasses the beautiful colored illustrations which graced early publications。 In the early days of mass production the book would be printed， but the colored margins would be painted in afterwards。 How closely have you ever examined these illustrations？ This book sent me running for my tablet to look up some examples of early marginalia…。my goodness， some of it is rather embarrassingly graphic。 But extremely fascinating！ Those illustrators must have been taking drugs – such imagination。Collectors through the ages are described。 Many very prolific collectors were responsible for the beginnings of public libraries as we know them。 The British Library， for example， was created when an antiquarian named Robert Cotton campaigned to have the country acquire his library – which exceeded in volume that of the King。 Civilizations attempted to wipe out the writings of other civilizations – for example， the Spanish did their best to destroy the CODEX MENDOZA， which is an account of indigenous culture written by an Aztec scribe in the early 1500’s。 These were systematically collected and burned in an attempt to extinguish the Aztec civilization。 Just google Codex Mendoza illustrations and you can see them in color。And my personal love – book stores and used book markets。 The booksellers of the Seine in Paris are well-covered。 Simply fascinating。 And…。my next trip to England will definitely take in a trip to the South Bank of the Thames under the Waterloo Bridge to view this wonderful outdoor book market， open 7 days a week。 Oh – the shipping charges to get them home！The author is owner of a Waterstones Book Shop in Canterbury UK – a store which has a restored Roman bathhouse floor in the basement of his store。 Now I want to go to Canterbury， just to see it！I could go on and on， but hopefully this will give you a taste of the wonderful adventure you will experience if you take it up and read on through。 Yes， there were a few spots where my eyes glazed over a bit – but not many！ Oh - just one complaint - there is no index at the end， which would have been helpful to look up something you know is somewhere in the book。 。。。more

Jing ，

Interesting tidbits about the history of booksellers。。。 a nice relaxing read for book lovers

Shuhui Shen ，

A Pedant's Tale with an unfantastic pedantic tone A Pedant's Tale with an unfantastic pedantic tone 。。。more

Ida ，

3。5

Nicola Pierce ，

I love books - and this is a book about books and bookshops and publishers of books and libraries of books and collectors of books and booksellers by a bookseller。 Ergo， I loved this book！

Rckay ，

Put it down with a third left to go。 Probably won't go back。 Some interesting information but the passion and joy felt fake to me。 Much of it felt like a copy and paste from Wikipedia。 Ultimately I found I just did not like the guy who was telling the tale。 His tone was a bit off for me。 Put it down with a third left to go。 Probably won't go back。 Some interesting information but the passion and joy felt fake to me。 Much of it felt like a copy and paste from Wikipedia。 Ultimately I found I just did not like the guy who was telling the tale。 His tone was a bit off for me。 。。。more

Priyadarshini ，

“Some 105 billion of us have lived since we started telling stories， but there are only 8 billion people alive。 We are a fraction of ourselves， and we all have moments when that knowledge drenches us like a sudden shower of rain。”The Booksellers Tale is that wonder-book that not only perfectly describes the realms a reader may find herself lost in but also enlightens about the history of books， book selling， libraries， book collectors and reading itself。 It is that rare book that is thoroughly r “Some 105 billion of us have lived since we started telling stories， but there are only 8 billion people alive。 We are a fraction of ourselves， and we all have moments when that knowledge drenches us like a sudden shower of rain。”The Booksellers Tale is that wonder-book that not only perfectly describes the realms a reader may find herself lost in but also enlightens about the history of books， book selling， libraries， book collectors and reading itself。 It is that rare book that is thoroughly researched and exquisitely written， and I would’ve written so much more about it if all was well with the world。 “Marx warns us that ‘history repeats itself， first as tragedy， then as farce’。 Keeping our stories close protects us from that cycle。。” Today， we find ourselves stuck in that cycle。 Tomorrow， we must endeavour to read and continue to record our stories in books so our children have a fighting chance to break it。 。。。more

Amelia ，

3。35

Jennifer ，

The Bookseller's Tale has been an absolute joy to read。 It's full of lovely little historical facts and tales about booksellers， book collectors， libraries and all things bookish。 It has made me want to read more about book history as there is so much I don't know。 Latham writes in a conversational style that is very readable and engaging and brings life to the history he discusses。 The Bookseller's Tale has been an absolute joy to read。 It's full of lovely little historical facts and tales about booksellers， book collectors， libraries and all things bookish。 It has made me want to read more about book history as there is so much I don't know。 Latham writes in a conversational style that is very readable and engaging and brings life to the history he discusses。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Bookseller's Tale

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Bookseller's Tale&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Bookseller's Tale&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0