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The Diary of a Bookseller

Audiobook
4 of 4 copies available
4 of 4 copies available

Shaun Bythell owns the Bookshop, Scotland's largest second-hand bookshop. It contains 100,000 books, spread over a mile of shelving, with twisting corridors and roaring fires, and all set in a beautiful, rural town by the edge of the sea. A book-lover's paradise? Well, almost ... In these wry and hilarious diaries, Shaun provides an inside look at the trials and tribulations of life in the book trade, from struggles with eccentric customers to wrangles with his own staff, who include the ski-suit-wearing, bin-foraging Nicky. He takes us with him on buying trips to old estates and auction houses, recommends books—both lost classics and new discoveries—introduces us to the thrill of the unexpected find, and evokes the rhythms and charms of small-town life, always with a sharp and sympathetic eye.

Hilarious, wry, and charming, Shaun Bythell's stories from his second-hand bookshop in remotest Scotland are sure to delight readers of all stripes.

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    • Publisher's Weekly

      August 13, 2018
      With wit and humility, Bythell, owner of a used bookshop in Wigtown, Scotland, chronicles a year—2014, specifically—in the life of a bookseller. In addition to describing the routine of managing his books-and-mortar store, he examines the plusses of virtual selling through Amazon (a much wider audience) as well as the minuses (negative reviews from customers with unrealistic expectations). A typical entry annotating his days might read: “Online orders: 6... Books found: 5... Till total: £95.50... 6 customers.” He shares amusing stories, such as how his staff creatively categorize books (such as placing a book called Alien Sex: The Body and Desire in Cinema in the shop’s theology section), as well as bookstore lore (George Orwell once worked in a bookshop, and immediately knew he didn’t want to be a bookseller). Tales of cheap customers abound, such as a couple in their 60s wearing “Lycra cycling gear” who walked out and “left a trail of resentment in their wake” when he wouldn’t give them a 25% discount. But there are also anecdotes of the quirky folk who adore books, such as a roving band of musicians who perform in bookstores, singing about books they’ve read. Bythell’s narrative is lively and intelligent, but readers may be disappointed that his book dispells any notions about the romance of owning a bookstore.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Robin Laing strikes a matter-of-fact tone with his narration--a choice that is both smart and on point. It has the dual benefit of taking the edge off author Shaun Bythell's more acerbic comments while simultaneously highlighting the eccentricities Bythell encounters among his customers and staff at his bookshop in Wigtown, Scotland. Listeners get an impression of a man who, despite his laments, would not wish to live any other life. Since the book has no narrative arc--it is just diary entries covering approximately one year--it's important to feel like you want to accompany this man through his day. Laing's narration style makes it seem as if you are meeting up with a companionable, if a bit irascible, old friend. K.W. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

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  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

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  • English

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