The Diary of a Bookseller (Paperback)
Shaun Bythell (author)- 10+ in stock
'Warm, witty and laugh-out-loud funny, this gently meandering tale of British eccentricity will stay long in the memory.' - The Daily Mail
Shaun Bythell owns The Bookshop, Wigtown - 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.
Publisher: Profile Books Ltd
ISBN: 9781781258637
Number of pages: 320
Weight: 260 g
Dimensions: 194 x 128 x 20 mm
Edition: Main
MEDIA REVIEWS
'Funny and fascinating in equal measure - a must for all those of us who haunt the sepulchres where old books are laid to rest.' - Anthony McGowan
'The Diary Of A Bookseller is warm (unlike Bythell's freezing-cold shop) and funny, and deserves to become one of those bestsellers that irritate him so much.' - The Mail on Sunday
'Peopled with fascinating characters ... a sarcastic reminder of the struggles of small business ownership, the importance of community and the frustration of dealing with customers ... occasionally laugh-out-loud funny.' - Herald
'Wonderfully entertaining.' - The Observer
'Tempted to follow your dream and open a second-hand bookshop? Don't do anything before you read Shaun Bythell ... second-hand bookshops are alive because of people like him.' - The National
'Utterly compelling and Bythell has a Bennett-like eye for the amusing eccentricities of ordinary people ... I urge you to buy this book and please, even at the risk of being insulted or moaned at, buy it from a real live bookseller.' - Charlotte Heathcote, The Sunday Express
'Warm, witty and laugh-out-loud funny, this gently meandering tale of British eccentricity will stay long in the memory.' - The Daily Mail
You may also be interested in...
“Bookselling at the sharp end.”
This is not a novel, not terribly exciting, but nevertheless an endearing read for anyone who is obsessed with books. It is indeed a diary, which reveals the mundane and the deeply interesting progress, or lack of,... More
“It's funny because it's true.”
Being a bookseller (for Waterstones - boo!) I was fortunate enough to get a free copy of this book. I requested it as A. I'm a bookseller (for Waterstones - boo!) and B. I'm more than familiar with Wigtown... More
“If you love bookshops, you'll love this book. ”
A witty, amusing and insightful snapshot of a year in the life of 'The Book Shop', Wigtown. Anyone working in the industry (which I do) will spend the entire book chuckling knowingly to themselves and... More
Please sign in to write a review
Sign In / Register
Sign In
Download the Waterstones App
Would you like to proceed to the App store to download the Waterstones App?
Click & Collect
Or, add to basket, pay online, collect in as little as 2 hours, subject to availability.