In Praise of Good Bookstores
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- Create Date：2023-01-21 07:53:50
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Jeff Deutsch
- ISBN：0691207763
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Summary
From a devoted reader and lifelong bookseller， an eloquent and charming reflection on the singular importance of bookstores
Do we need bookstores in the twenty-first century？ If so， what makes a good one？ In this beautifully written book， Jeff Deutsch--the director of Chicago's Seminary Co-op Bookstores， one of the finest bookstores in the world--pays loving tribute to one of our most important and endangered civic institutions。 He considers how qualities like space， time， abundance， and community find expression in a good bookstore。 Along the way， he also predicts--perhaps audaciously--a future in which the bookstore not only endures， but realizes its highest aspirations。
In exploring why good bookstores matter， Deutsch draws on his lifelong experience as a bookseller， but also his upbringing as an Orthodox Jew。 This spiritual and cultural heritage instilled in him a reverence for reading， not as a means to a living， but as an essential part of a meaningful life。 Central among Deutsch's arguments for the necessity of bookstores is the incalculable value of browsing--since， when we are deep in the act of looking at the shelves， we move through space as though we are inside the mind itself， immersed in self-reflection。
In the age of one-click shopping， this is no ordinary defense of bookstores， but rather an urgent account of why they are essential places of discovery， refuge， and fulfillment that enrich the communities that are lucky enough to have them。
Do we need bookstores in the twenty-first century？ If so， what makes a good one？ In this beautifully written book， Jeff Deutsch--the director of Chicago's Seminary Co-op Bookstores， one of the finest bookstores in the world--pays loving tribute to one of our most important and endangered civic institutions。 He considers how qualities like space， time， abundance， and community find expression in a good bookstore。 Along the way， he also predicts--perhaps audaciously--a future in which the bookstore not only endures， but realizes its highest aspirations。
In exploring why good bookstores matter， Deutsch draws on his lifelong experience as a bookseller， but also his upbringing as an Orthodox Jew。 This spiritual and cultural heritage instilled in him a reverence for reading， not as a means to a living， but as an essential part of a meaningful life。 Central among Deutsch's arguments for the necessity of bookstores is the incalculable value of browsing--since， when we are deep in the act of looking at the shelves， we move through space as though we are inside the mind itself， immersed in self-reflection。
In the age of one-click shopping， this is no ordinary defense of bookstores， but rather an urgent account of why they are essential places of discovery， refuge， and fulfillment that enrich the communities that are lucky enough to have them。
Reviews
John Paul Gairhan
，
Jeff Deutsch’s commitment to bookstores as leagues more than just a retail shop is inspiring。 They serve as community hubs for cultural， civic， and intellectual pursuits。 Bookstores are conduits to connecting with not only the greater world but our deeper selves。 I love bookstores and I especially loved this book。 —“The bookstore， then， to return to Conrad's artist， speaks to our capacity for delight and wonder， to the sense of mystery surrounding our lives; to our sense of pity， and beauty， and Jeff Deutsch’s commitment to bookstores as leagues more than just a retail shop is inspiring。 They serve as community hubs for cultural， civic， and intellectual pursuits。 Bookstores are conduits to connecting with not only the greater world but our deeper selves。 I love bookstores and I especially loved this book。 —“The bookstore， then， to return to Conrad's artist， speaks to our capacity for delight and wonder， to the sense of mystery surrounding our lives; to our sense of pity， and beauty， and pain; to the latent feeling of fellowship with all creation and to the subtle but invincible conviction of solidarity that knits together the loneliness of innumerable hearts， to the solidarity in dreams， in joy， in sorrow， in aspirations， in illusions， in hope， in fear， which binds men to each other， which binds together all humanity - the dead to the living and the living to the unborn。”—“If we are to build community， support the public square， and， perhaps for some， provide certain blessings in a book-lined house of worship， the responsibility for supporting a thriving serious bookstore must fall to all of us。 We're all， we readers， booksellers now。” 。。。more
Nicole
，
This was a delightful read。 It is basically a treasury of bookish quotes about the joys and riches of a reading life。 Deutch makes the compelling case that the product that （good） bookstores are really offering is the experience of browsing - that meditative state of search and serendipitous discovery that cannot be replicated by an algorithm。 The only problem being that such an endeavor is only barely financially sustainable in the best of cases （and even then， only with sidelines of socks and This was a delightful read。 It is basically a treasury of bookish quotes about the joys and riches of a reading life。 Deutch makes the compelling case that the product that （good） bookstores are really offering is the experience of browsing - that meditative state of search and serendipitous discovery that cannot be replicated by an algorithm。 The only problem being that such an endeavor is only barely financially sustainable in the best of cases （and even then， only with sidelines of socks and greeting cards）， and he argues that actually a nonprofit model is the way to go。 There are so， so many delicious bookish quotes in here， but I think this is probably the one that best captures both my passion for reading and for those very special spaces that foster a rich reading life。 “The good bookstore serves as one such place to hold explicit and tacit public conversation， whether a reader engages in a dialogue with a bookseller or another patron over a book or a selection of books in which they share an interest or through which they sort through different perspectives; gathers with others to listen to an author speak of their work; or， as is commonly experienced， finds that the engagement with the books alone provokes an internal dialogue， a shuffling of hunches， assumptions， and prejudices， bringing texture and insight to the far reaches of our ignorance。 The ability to question our own beliefs， to dwell in uncertainty， empathy， or curiosity， to pursue knowledge， beauty， and meaning unstintingly， so that we might make our best attempt at understanding， and to continually put ourselves in spaces that will challenge， not just echo， our assumptions， is an act of citizenship as much as its own individual reward。” 。。。more
Lindsey Love
，
I really enjoyed the first half of this book！ The last half had chapters that just were not as interesting to me。 The beginning helped me understand why I love bookstores so much and why we continue going back to them。 It talked about the “art of the browse” which was fun to think about。 I have a new appreciation for booksellers and the books they’ve curated for their store and community。 No bookstore is the same！ One of my favorite parts was thinking about how every book has its reader - it sit I really enjoyed the first half of this book！ The last half had chapters that just were not as interesting to me。 The beginning helped me understand why I love bookstores so much and why we continue going back to them。 It talked about the “art of the browse” which was fun to think about。 I have a new appreciation for booksellers and the books they’ve curated for their store and community。 No bookstore is the same！ One of my favorite parts was thinking about how every book has its reader - it sits on the shelf until its destined reader stumbles upon it。 Another thing I found really interesting was that the average American reader will read approximately 3，500 books in their lifetime （50 books a year for 70 years）！！ This number feels small to me when I think about how many books are already in the world and how many are yet to be published！ I’ve never really thought about how many books I’ll read in my lifetime but had I thought about it I would have guessed a higher number than that。 Which then leads me to think about reading books I’m not enjoying… I’ve only got so many years to read， and only so many books that I could potentially finish， why waste any time on a book I’m not enjoying！？ I’ve always had a hard time putting a book down but I’ve acquired a new freedom！ My DNF pile will grow from now on！ Doris Lessing says， “there is only one way to read， which is to browse in libraries and bookshops， picking up books that attract you， reading only those， dropping them when they bore you。”Really enjoyed this read。 I love books！ 。。。more
Haleem
，
A book that belongs in my list of "recommended for all ages but must for school"， for those who want to raise citizens that can analyze what society， media and generative AI is going to feed them。 Only three books so far！ 'A short history of nearly everything'， 'Until the End of Time: Mind， Matter， and Our Search for Meaning in an Evolving Universe' and this book。Here is why you will hate this book。 You are given a method to calculate how many books you will read in your remaining years and the A book that belongs in my list of "recommended for all ages but must for school"， for those who want to raise citizens that can analyze what society， media and generative AI is going to feed them。 Only three books so far！ 'A short history of nearly everything'， 'Until the End of Time: Mind， Matter， and Our Search for Meaning in an Evolving Universe' and this book。Here is why you will hate this book。 You are given a method to calculate how many books you will read in your remaining years and the book mentions far more than what you can manage （depending upon how old you are :-）。 And read the book to find why Amazon will hate it and paid negative reviews are likely to dominate the reviews。At page 48 I was seriously angered when author describes experience of a good bookstore using CityLight （the first bookstore I visited in USA） and his own store only。 I was sure Jeff has some beef with Strands; Or perhaps， he has never been to the basement of Strands？ But there， on very next paragraph， he takes us to the basement of Strands。 Over years， my work allowed me to be at walking distance to Strands and now to CityLight， giving me opportunity to browse the two exemplary "good/serious" bookstores mentioned in book。 So you should know this review is biased :-）， I love visiting bookstores。Later in the book， as argument builds about role of bookstores， I was asking myself， what are libraries for？ I could not figure out the difference and here again， few chapters later， question is answered。Jeff has power to clarify complex thoughts that matches Jordan Peterson and even surpasses it because Jeff seems to have larger vocabulary at his disposal。What this book is about？ It makes the case "how not to think about books as commodity and bookstores as retail stores"。 And read the book to find best bookstores around country and authors across the world。Book is serious work yet easy to read and yes， it added a lot to my "want to read" list。 。。。more
Anandh Sundar
，
Good read on why book stores are worth preserving and the possible metrics to use to measure。 Another new perspective on them as spaces which are lived in
Laura Hoffman Brauman
，
This is really a love letter to books and bookstores。 For me， bookstores have a special place in a community and I value the idea of curation and the reflection of the local community a great deal （this is the benchmark for me for a good bookstore）。 It's the thing that makes me want to visit bookstores every time I travel， because when it is done well， I know more about the area around the store's four walls when I've spent some time within the four walls。 The author is the director of the Semin This is really a love letter to books and bookstores。 For me， bookstores have a special place in a community and I value the idea of curation and the reflection of the local community a great deal （this is the benchmark for me for a good bookstore）。 It's the thing that makes me want to visit bookstores every time I travel， because when it is done well， I know more about the area around the store's four walls when I've spent some time within the four walls。 The author is the director of the Seminary Co-op Bookstore in Chicago - surprisingly one I haven't been to because I mistakenly thought it was focused on theological texts。 Sometime in the next two months， I'll make it in to check it out firsthand。 As much as I personally enjoyed the concepts in the book， it is extremely quote heavy - not only in the number of quotes but in the academic tone of many of them。 There were so many quotes and so many of them were so long， that it took away from the flow of the author's writing。 Still， if you want to engage in the reasons bookstores matter and what makes one stand out from another， this is a good one to pick up。 。。。more
Matt Ely
，
This is more in praise of how the author feels at his bookstore than anything。 I think the title does a disservice to how personal this book is。 It took me half the text to really recognize that this was more like a series of journal entries about book-adjacent thoughts than a robust inquiry into what good bookstores do。 It has the what （"create community" etc） and it has the why （"all these cool people said so and I also agree with them"）， but it's pretty disinterested in the how。 Now the autho This is more in praise of how the author feels at his bookstore than anything。 I think the title does a disservice to how personal this book is。 It took me half the text to really recognize that this was more like a series of journal entries about book-adjacent thoughts than a robust inquiry into what good bookstores do。 It has the what （"create community" etc） and it has the why （"all these cool people said so and I also agree with them"）， but it's pretty disinterested in the how。 Now the author is allowed to write whatever book he wants， but I think the framing devices make it out to be a more robust inquiry than it intends to be。 The author is mostly browsing， meandering through his bookstore experience， his personal library， and his thoughts。 That's fine enough， but this reader felt like it left little tangible material to grasp onto。 Although the author commends rootless wandering as an approach to life and reading， I'm not sure it serves this book well as a philosophy。 。。。more
Batgirl13
，
I wanted to love this book。 I am very passionate about bookstores and how the one-click online shopping for books does not even hold a candle to wandering around your favorite bookstores shelves to find a new book to read。 I found snippets of things I loved in this book。 It was just a bit like digging through bookstores clearance shelves to find those great moments。 The book is organized with different themes as chapters and I liked that decision， but the issues became apparent quickly when repe I wanted to love this book。 I am very passionate about bookstores and how the one-click online shopping for books does not even hold a candle to wandering around your favorite bookstores shelves to find a new book to read。 I found snippets of things I loved in this book。 It was just a bit like digging through bookstores clearance shelves to find those great moments。 The book is organized with different themes as chapters and I liked that decision， but the issues became apparent quickly when repetition threatened to make me lose interest。 I think this is a book better picked up and read in short bursts when the mood strikes than all at once like I did perhaps。 As a former bookstore employee myself， I expected more information in the book about all kinds of bookstores， and was left a bit disappointed when almost all mentions of bookstores centered on the Seminary Co-op Bookstore in Chicago （although this does make sense considering the author's background）。 Readers and lovers of bookstores will find comfort in pages of this book， but find themselves wanting a bit more or less of certain topics。 Those looking to be convinced about bookstores may need to look elsewhere for a broader look at topic as a whole。 。。。more
Bj
，
Very fun read。 The book is more philosophical than factual and conjures great feelings about bookstores。
Jasmin Brooks
，
I enjoyed luxuriating in bookstore praises。 This was a nice way to have my own feelings about bookstores validated and also analyzed。 At times the name dropping went a little overboard， as did the quotes。 The chapters on time and community lost focus， as though the author really wanted to share his own knowledge of those subjects rather than bookstores for a while。 But all said， it was a worthwhile read for those who think wandering a bookstore for hours time well spent。
"Dr" Kris
，
Not everybody will like the way this is written; it is pretty highbrow。 I love the University of Chicago and my hours browsing the Co-op。 I contributed to Obama’s Presidential Library。 There is a special place for both bookstores and libraries in my world。 Circumstances have changed my life and I will never expect to set foot in Chicago again。 But I have my memories。 I have an abiding love of books and reading modeled for me by my MorFar and PaPa。 I promise I will always seek out the kind of boo Not everybody will like the way this is written; it is pretty highbrow。 I love the University of Chicago and my hours browsing the Co-op。 I contributed to Obama’s Presidential Library。 There is a special place for both bookstores and libraries in my world。 Circumstances have changed my life and I will never expect to set foot in Chicago again。 But I have my memories。 I have an abiding love of books and reading modeled for me by my MorFar and PaPa。 I promise I will always seek out the kind of bookstore this book proposes and well run libraries to browse to make me a better person。 。。。more
India
，
For the book lovers out there who take it a step further and nerd out with browsing a great bookstore。 The browse is where it's at -- you either get it or you don't。 For the book lovers out there who take it a step further and nerd out with browsing a great bookstore。 The browse is where it's at -- you either get it or you don't。 。。。more
Lisa of Hopewell
，
I learned of this book via this post: https://sheseeksnonfiction。blog/2022/。。。 I learned of this book via this post: https://sheseeksnonfiction。blog/2022/。。。 。。。more
Evelyn
，
This is a rather extended， verbose， philosophical， and， at times repetitive， essay on the characteristics of a good bookstore with the Seminary Co-Op bookstore in Chicago as its focal point and exemplar。 Often the author gets lost in the weeds。 As a result points that should be made succinctly are discussed in such length that the reader becomes bored due to tedium。Unfortunately the author is so focused on one bookstore that he fails to compare or derive lessons from other well-known or even les This is a rather extended， verbose， philosophical， and， at times repetitive， essay on the characteristics of a good bookstore with the Seminary Co-Op bookstore in Chicago as its focal point and exemplar。 Often the author gets lost in the weeds。 As a result points that should be made succinctly are discussed in such length that the reader becomes bored due to tedium。Unfortunately the author is so focused on one bookstore that he fails to compare or derive lessons from other well-known or even lesser known bookstores ranging from large stores such as Barnes and Noble， to smaller ones such as Powells Bookstores in Chicago and Oregon; Strand， McNally Jackson and the Mysterious Bookstore in New York City; or Politics and Prose in Washington， DC。 Such comparisons regarding merchandising， presentation， staffing， and even online book selling efforts， aside from his sniping about the sale of non-book related merchandise， might have improved the book immensely。 Editing the chapters to remove the repetition and to make them shorter， and more centered on the characteristics that the author sought to emphasize would have also helped。The book rates 2。5 stars。 。。。more
Titus Hjelm
，
The first chapter promised a five-star read。 As a book enthusiast I love to read about writing， publishing， and selling of books。 Libraries， reading anything。 Jeff Deutsch if anyone would be one to offer a great ride into the world of books。 But。。。 Where the first chapters retain a solid narrative， the book soon descends into a collection of quotations from the world of literature。 I can imagine that it must be incredibly satisfying as a writer to be able to use a repository of book-themed quota The first chapter promised a five-star read。 As a book enthusiast I love to read about writing， publishing， and selling of books。 Libraries， reading anything。 Jeff Deutsch if anyone would be one to offer a great ride into the world of books。 But。。。 Where the first chapters retain a solid narrative， the book soon descends into a collection of quotations from the world of literature。 I can imagine that it must be incredibly satisfying as a writer to be able to use a repository of book-themed quotations， but a reading experience it is not。 I'm sure it is for someone， but not me， unfortunately。 By the last chapter I noticed that I wasn't even paying attention anymore。 The Seminary co-op and its fascinating history and future faded out and everything was left was sentences beginning with 'Borges thinks。。。 Valery says。。。 Shils thinks。。。'。 Such a pity。 。。。more
Dennis Gura
，
When I was young， I found my way to libraries and bookstores。 When I travel， I find my way to bookstores， even in countries were I don't know the language， for books， in and of themselves， seem to exude a certain magic--spines and pages and titles。 Even the smell of a new book， the fresh ink and fluttering pages， fascinate me。When I was young， there was little magic better than browsing in a book store。 Jeff Deutsch captures that magic， and explains well the committed， perhaps even obsessed， boo When I was young， I found my way to libraries and bookstores。 When I travel， I find my way to bookstores， even in countries were I don't know the language， for books， in and of themselves， seem to exude a certain magic--spines and pages and titles。 Even the smell of a new book， the fresh ink and fluttering pages， fascinate me。When I was young， there was little magic better than browsing in a book store。 Jeff Deutsch captures that magic， and explains well the committed， perhaps even obsessed， book store browser。 。。。more
RAW
，
Great recommendation by David Kern。 Could just as well been an argument for why read。 Many take a ways and things to ponder。 Makes me super thankful for the bookstores that have been part of my life through the years and why they are so important。
Philip Athans
，
I just adored this love letter to one of my favorite things in the entire world: bookstores。This is another I'll be looking at in much greater detail over at Fantasy Author's Handbook in the weeks ahead。 I just adored this love letter to one of my favorite things in the entire world: bookstores。This is another I'll be looking at in much greater detail over at Fantasy Author's Handbook in the weeks ahead。 。。。more
Kirsten
，
This was a little too highbrow for me。 The perspective too narrow， the references too obscure。 And the quotations， ohmygoodness， felt like more quotes than original text。 The author seems to equate good bookstores （or maybe more accurately， Good Book stores） with “serious bookstores” carrying mostly theology， philosophy， and the classics。 Now I know that the author is the director of Chicago’s Seminary Co-op Bookstores， I have a better understanding of the title， and if I’d figured it out sooner This was a little too highbrow for me。 The perspective too narrow， the references too obscure。 And the quotations， ohmygoodness， felt like more quotes than original text。 The author seems to equate good bookstores （or maybe more accurately， Good Book stores） with “serious bookstores” carrying mostly theology， philosophy， and the classics。 Now I know that the author is the director of Chicago’s Seminary Co-op Bookstores， I have a better understanding of the title， and if I’d figured it out sooner I may have realized this wasn’t going to be a book for me。 Turns out I’m more of a Diary of a Bookseller kind of gal。 。。。more
Shannon Clark
，
A short ode to the special place and purpose of a great bookstore。 Written by the current bookseller at one of the best bookstores in the country， one I have been a customer of （and when it was a Co-op a member of） for over 30 years， the Seminary Co-op in Hyde Park Chicago IL。 This is a book that made me nostalgic for hours spent browsing the stacks of the bookstore and for the types of conversations that happen in the best of bookstores。 This is also a book that anyone interested in thinking ab A short ode to the special place and purpose of a great bookstore。 Written by the current bookseller at one of the best bookstores in the country， one I have been a customer of （and when it was a Co-op a member of） for over 30 years， the Seminary Co-op in Hyde Park Chicago IL。 This is a book that made me nostalgic for hours spent browsing the stacks of the bookstore and for the types of conversations that happen in the best of bookstores。 This is also a book that anyone interested in thinking about what is lacking in the all to common econocentric view of business and society and success might look like。 This is a book full of questions with fewer answers but that the act of questioning is， perhaps， part of the answer。 Reading this has been a joy over the past week and while it is a short book it rewards careful reading and thoughtful questioning of the contents。 。。。more
robin friedman
，
A Love Letter To Books And BookstoresJeff Deutsch's "In Praise of Good Bookstores" （2022） is a meditation on bookstores， books， the life of the mind， and biography。 It is eloquently， if repetitively， written and attempts a great deal in a short space。 Still， I was moved by reading this book。The book has a strong autobiographical component。 Deutsch was raised in an Orthodox Jewish family in Brooklyn where books were everywhere。 When he was old enough to make his own decisions， Deutsch immediately A Love Letter To Books And BookstoresJeff Deutsch's "In Praise of Good Bookstores" （2022） is a meditation on bookstores， books， the life of the mind， and biography。 It is eloquently， if repetitively， written and attempts a great deal in a short space。 Still， I was moved by reading this book。The book has a strong autobiographical component。 Deutsch was raised in an Orthodox Jewish family in Brooklyn where books were everywhere。 When he was old enough to make his own decisions， Deutsch immediately moved away from the Judaism of his birth， feeling that he needed to understand other approaches to life。 He retained from his upbringing the love of books and of reading and entered the bookselling business in 1994。 He has worked for many years for the large Seminary Co-op Bookstore in Chicago and has overseen its transition to a non-profit。 Deutsch is concerned with the demise of small， independent bookstores which he attributes largely to the rise of Amazon。 He has little good to say about Amazon and its impact on books and reading。 In his book， Deutsch argues for the importance of small， brick and mortar bookstores where readers of all persuasions can come and browse and learn， more than purchase a commodity。 He looks from varying perspectives of how bookstores enhance a community and readers and he urges that bookstores need to have a separate business model from that common in the culture and used， say， in the selling of tools or of socks。The book explores the layout and design of Deutsch's beloved bookstore in Chicago and of the ways it encourages browsing and， in his word， "rumination"。 He explains why he finds this important。 Deutsch throughout distinguishes between education and learning。 He finds that many people in the United States have been blessed with the opportunity of higher education and are educated in a skill or profession but he finds fewer people， regardless of educational attainments or their lack， are learned。 The love of learning， for Deutsch， is undertaken for its own sake while most education is undertaken for the sake of something else， usually a good job and a paycheck。 In some ways， this is a distinctly unpragmatic approach but undoubtedly valuable。 Deutsch's distinction parallels the more classical distinction between knowledge and wisdom。 He finds it is the role of a good bookstore to promote the love of learning for its own sake and that a bookstore is better equipped to meet this goal than is a university or even a library。 He draws heavily， not exclusively， in his discussion on Talmudic sources and means of learning from his childhood。 Some of this is fascinating and valuable， but I find it overdone， for an approach that Deutsch abandoned as soon as he was able and never looked back。 There are many paths， as he recognizes， to reading and the love of learning。Deutsch is himself a reader as well as a bookseller and his erudition shows。 Virtually every page of this book includes allusions to and insightful discussions of many writers which show the love of learning more， perhaps than does the discussion of the economics of bookselling。 Every person， Deutsch rightly says， must find the books that mean the most to him or her， and the path to these books is not always obvious。 He discusses many authors I know and many with whom I am unfamiliar。 Let me mention two examples。Just before reading this book， I had reread a long difficult novel "Auto-da-Fe" by the 1981 Nobel Prize winner Elias Canetti。 I had read the book， which focuses upon books， bookstores， and a reader， shortly after Canetti received his award and went back to it when it was selected by our book group。 Deutsch says that Canetti "brings up the rear" of his own canon the authors "whose oeuvres I long to read entire and then reread。" He aptly quotes Canetti who said "true spiritual life consists in rereading"， a sentiment I came to share from my rereading of "Auto-da-Fe"。The second author is Walt Whitman。 I have been rereading a great deal of Whitman of late， including his essay on the nature and promise of American democracy， "Democratic Vistas"。 Deutsch discusses and quotes Whitman's poetry several times in his book but he gives his most sustained attention to a passage from "Democratic Vistas" in which Whitman says that it is the reader， more than the author， who must "himself or herself construct indeed the poem， argument， history， metaphysical essay -- the text furnishing the hints， the clue， the start of framework"。 Deutsch comments on this passage and concludes that Whitman is referring to the "construction of the poetic and principled narrative one tells about oneself to oneself， the narrative one tells about the world to oneself and one's community in an attempt to live a meaningful life。" I have recently studied "Democratic Vistas" intensely and written about it。 Deutsch brought Whitman's essay home to me again。I have lived in Washington， D。C。 for many years and the Capital City is still blessed with several good bookstores。 I remember my younger days when there were many more and when I browsed in them。 The life of reading and of learning continues。 Something has， indeed， been lost with the loss of so many bookstores。 The more important part of what Deutsch has to say， however， is not about bookstores or ways of operating bookstores。 It is about books themselves， learning， and the life of the mind。Robin Friedman 。。。more
Sherry Fyman
，
I agree with others who found the COPIOUS quotes and footnotes distracting and unnecessary。
Adam
，
“The space of a bookstore must be conducive to unhurried rumination， if only to promote good digestion。”
Shatov
，
Deutsch correctly points out how the good bookseller selects and filters which books to stock。 Unfortunately， despite being so well-read， Deutsch seems to think littering a book with quotation after quotation makes for good writing。 This book is tedious， clumsy， and repetitive。 It should have been edited into three different texts:- a book of quotations on books， reading， and bookstores- a hymn to and history of Seminary Co-op- an essay on the difference between libraries and bookstores， as well Deutsch correctly points out how the good bookseller selects and filters which books to stock。 Unfortunately， despite being so well-read， Deutsch seems to think littering a book with quotation after quotation makes for good writing。 This book is tedious， clumsy， and repetitive。 It should have been edited into three different texts:- a book of quotations on books， reading， and bookstores- a hymn to and history of Seminary Co-op- an essay on the difference between libraries and bookstores， as well as the problems of - and alternatives to - the retail model。 。。。more
Tyler Critchfield
，
Good， but a bit long and pretentious - bookstores are cool and important and their value to a community is often underappreciated。 That said， the author is pretty over-zealous about them （including his own bookstore）， especially when so many of his main points can also apply to public libraries。 Perhaps I'll appreciate them more when I have more budget to start forming my own mini-library。 Good， but a bit long and pretentious - bookstores are cool and important and their value to a community is often underappreciated。 That said， the author is pretty over-zealous about them （including his own bookstore）， especially when so many of his main points can also apply to public libraries。 Perhaps I'll appreciate them more when I have more budget to start forming my own mini-library。 。。。more
Gijs Zandbergen
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Kreeg dit boek voor mijn verjaardag van D。J。 en W。O。， omdat ze dachten dat het mij zou passen。 Dat klopt ook wel， en ik zou graag eens een kijkje nemen in een Seminar Co-op Bookstore in Chicago。 Maar de eerlijkheid gebiedt te vermelden dat de auteur tamelijk zelfingenomen overkomt 。 Een boekhandelaar is meer dan een salesman。 Zo hoort het ook。 Maar om dat nou te bewijzen met tientallen citaten van zeergeleerde， zeer beroemde， vaak al eeuwen dood zijnde filosofen en schrijvers， komt wat snobby en Kreeg dit boek voor mijn verjaardag van D。J。 en W。O。， omdat ze dachten dat het mij zou passen。 Dat klopt ook wel， en ik zou graag eens een kijkje nemen in een Seminar Co-op Bookstore in Chicago。 Maar de eerlijkheid gebiedt te vermelden dat de auteur tamelijk zelfingenomen overkomt 。 Een boekhandelaar is meer dan een salesman。 Zo hoort het ook。 Maar om dat nou te bewijzen met tientallen citaten van zeergeleerde， zeer beroemde， vaak al eeuwen dood zijnde filosofen en schrijvers， komt wat snobby en ijdel over。 。。。more
Lynn
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A rumination on the purpose and value of bookstoresThis discussion of bookstores goes at a very leisurely pace。 Deutsch idea is that good bookstores provide a space for contemplation， discovery and community。 That is what I value them for so it is good to have my values reinforced。
Peter Baker
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Interesting read。 Thought provoking
Chris Via
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Video review: https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=aRfHx。。。This book is so many things: a bibliophile’s commonplace book， a treasury of bookish quotes and anecdotes， a nostalgic romance of a life spent in pages， a philosophical treatise on bookstore browsing， a warning cry of and a sobering look at the future of bookstores if we don’t agree that there needs to be a new business model to support a business that currently has no proper model。 Jeff Bezos is devaluing books by selling them at a loss （Ama Video review: https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=aRfHx。。。This book is so many things: a bibliophile’s commonplace book， a treasury of bookish quotes and anecdotes， a nostalgic romance of a life spent in pages， a philosophical treatise on bookstore browsing， a warning cry of and a sobering look at the future of bookstores if we don’t agree that there needs to be a new business model to support a business that currently has no proper model。 Jeff Bezos is devaluing books by selling them at a loss （Amazon’s loss leader， in fact） in order to attract customers to the more expensive and profitable items。 We either feed the machine， trust algorithms to tell us what to read， and make bookstores obsolete （at least those that specialize in books and not tchotchkes）， or we agree that the serendipity and community of bookstores and the expertise of booksellers is worth the extra money in our purchases to sustain the human community。 It’s a knee-jerk reaction to spring for the cheaper offering， but when it comes to books we are making intellectual and emotional investments。 Of course， if you’re just a consumer of books to simply fill time， this is probably totally irrelevant， and， really， cheap and popular is a more sound investment。 But for the rest of us， perhaps going for the more expensive options will actually help us make a more informed and discerning pick since we have more financial restriction。 If you really value something， the extra cost is worth it。 Overall， this is a very important book that won this book lover and close reader over on so many counts。 。。。more
Roger
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