sellingbooks

The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore | Evan Friss

@bennettbookworm has created a masterpiece in a document for all littens to use! Traveling? You can explore what bookshops are in your area and add bookshops to the doc!
original post:
https://www.litsy.com/web/post/2899239

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BennettBookworm

The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore | Evan Friss

Confession: This was on my to-do list for 3 years. Now I‘m so excited to see it GROW as Littens add to this list of our fave bookstores around the world. If you‘re traveling, you can use the list to see if there‘s a cool bookstore you‘d like to visit!🗺️🤓

Please add YOUR faves! Thanks to all who contributed 3 years ago… happy exploring!

SHOUTOUT to my sister who opened a new bookstore THIS YEAR!! Bookish Notions- Media, PA!! 🥳 @LiteraryinPA

Julsmarshall, wanderinglynn, Hooked_on_books, BarkingMadRead, AmyG, TheBookHippie, Amiable, LeahBergen, Sharpeipup, shortsarahrose, CaitZ, Bklover, TrishB, Deblovestoread, Eggs, Chrissyreadit, RowReads1, BekaReid, TheQuietQuill, Liz_M, Nessavamusic, kstadt929, Slajaunie, Ruthiella, jdiehr, TheSpineView, hissingpotatoes, dabbe, IndoorDame, Scochrane26, TheAromaofBooks, Jess861, Twainy, peanutnine, BookBosomed1, Zuhkeeyah, ETALTON

BennettBookworm https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bhrLSxrlmKcF3aIUlraHGNQ5XedXvextPbfd3RYeQgw/... 2d

BennettBookworm @LitsyEvents 2d

BekaReid Love this! I just added several 📚🤗 2d

See All 26 Comments

charl08 I split the UK into nations and added some more. Tagging @squirrelbrain incase she can add some more here (and hasn't seen already!) 2d

Amiable Yay!! I was just talking to @TheBookHippie about this!! 2d

Itchyfeetreader Oh I will go back and add …. 2d

Chrissyreadit 💛💛💛💛 2d

TheBookHippie @Amiable yay!!!!! 2d

Liz_M Brooklyn is better represented, now. Thanks for sharing the list! @Kitta, what did I miss? I haven't started on Manhattan or Queens yet. (edited) 2d

wanderinglynn How awesome! And congrats to your sister! 🎉👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 2d

squirrelbrain Thanks @charl08 - I‘ll add some once I‘m back from my hols! 2d

dabbe Fabulous idea! I added a few! 💜🩶🧡 2d

LeahBergen This is such a wonderful idea!! 👏👏 2d

Hooked_on_books I can‘t manage to get the doc to let me add any, so I‘ll mention here: Beach Books in Seaside, OR, Cannon Beach Book Company in Cannon Beach, OR, and Basically Books in Hilo, HI. 2d

staci.reads This is awesome! I added a bunch from the Midwest and a few from the southeast! 1d

Ruthiella Fantastic! I added Vromans, Skylight and Cellar Door Books for California and Smith Family Bookstore for Oregon. 1d

monalyisha This is going to be such a useful tool! I didn‘t see any listed for my state yet, so I‘ll go in and add my favorite local RI shops once my laptop‘s charged up. 😉 Fabulous idea! Thanks for dreaming it up! 19h

monalyisha @Amiable, I want to go in and add an asterisk to The Book Barn in support to show how much I love it! …Part of me thinks asterisks might be helpful (like ratings/favoriting) but that‘s probably complicating things unnecessarily. I‘m good at complicating things. 😅 19h

monalyisha @BennettBookworm Are the bunny pics from your sister‘s bookstore? If so, I think we might be kindred?!?! 18h

lil1inblue Oh, how wonderful! This is amazing! 😍 17h

TheKidUpstairs Love this! I'll add my favourite Ontario bookstores soon! 17h

Faranae Would you mind terribly if I added headings that work with the table of contents function? This would make it a quick click for folks to get to the country they wanted to see. 15h

BennettBookworm @Faranae Yes please!! I wanted to but forgot how 😄 14h

Faranae @BennettBookworm Happy to help! And Google keep messing about with the functions of Google Docs, so probably the way you are used to disappeared or got moved. ☠ 13h

Bklover What a wonderful idea!! 13h

PuddleJumper Added some for the UK. What a great idea! Thanks for doing this 11h

59 likes26 comments

Mattsbookaday

Once Upon a Tome: The Misadventures of a Rare Bookseller | Oliver Darkshire

pick

Once Upon a Tome, by Oliver Darkshire (2022)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Premise: A memoir about a young man‘s apprenticeship at an esteemed London antiquarian book dealer.

Review: I discovered the author through his recent novel and was intrigued to learn that he first became known for his unique and humorous takes on a notoriously staid trade. ⬇️

Mattsbookaday This book is comprised of short vignettes, and while they are as charming and fun as expected, they also felt a bit rushed in places. But overall this was super fun.

Bookish Pair: Darkshire‘s recent novel Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil (2025). 1w

Aims42 This was such a fun palate cleanser between heavier reads 👍 1w

Mattsbookaday @Aims42 that‘s exactly how I used it too! 1w

15 likes3 comments

Robotswithpersonality

The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore | Evan Friss

so-so

Meh, this one is mostly my fault, but it did help me figure out the kind of bookstore book I would be more interested in reading in the future.
Understandably, the early chapters of the book, talking about the early history of American bookstores are also tied in with early American history, and maybe it's that next-door-neighbour Canadian thing, but I've kind of had my fill of American history. 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? I did love when the book started focusing in on later bookshops and the personalities and movements involved such as:
Gotham Book Mart - freedom of expression, contesting censors, supporting writers
Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop - gay pride, community support
Drum & Spear - activism and education against racism, segregation 1w

Robotswithpersonality 3/? Didn't feel much like reading about Nazis, but the chapter titled The Aryan Bookstore did also discuss co-evolving socialist and communist, radical bookstores, supporting movements for various people's rights.
Unavoidably, the book covers the role in American bookstore history played by Barnes and Noble and Amazon Books, but not being American, not loving chain or mall or supersized bookstores or what Amazon has done, I was less interested 1w

Robotswithpersonality 4/4 in these chapters.

Going forward, I think I need to look for individual independent book shop histories, those with character, and/or focused on quirky niche topics, or a history of revolution and activism or social/community support.
Happy to receive recommendations! 😁

⚠️Suicide attempt, homophobia, antisemitism, racism 1w

12 likes3 comments

Amiable

The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore | Evan Friss

Shoutout to my local indie: RJ Julia in Madison, CT!
And The Book Barn in Niantic.
And Bank Square Books in Mystic.
And Northshire Books in Manchester, VT.
And The Strand in NYC. …

Ah, Hell, who am I kidding? Gimme ALL the bookstores… 😍 this is why I shop at Bookshop.org. So I can spread the love…

#serenesaturdays

TheBookHippie

kspenmoll I love this shout out! In CT let me add Riverbend bookstore- their main store is in Glastonbury, their smaller store in West Hartford. And yes to every Indio bookstore everywhere! 2w

Amiable @kspenmoll I‘ll have to stop at Riverbend the next time I take my car up to Liberty Mazda in Hartford for service! I usually come home along Route 2 and could stop in Glastonbury. 2w

kspenmoll @Amiable Great idea! Next time! We do go to RJ Julia‘s in Madison every summer. It‘s a family tradition! 2w

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TheBookHippie Making LOOOOONG list of bookstores to visit ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️ 2w

Amiable @TheBookHippie Someone on here was going to compile a list of “favorite Litsy bookstores” at one point —I don‘t think they ever did and I forget who it was. But I‘d love to see a list like that! 2w

TheBookHippie @Amiable YESSSSS!!!!!! 2w

dabbe 🧡🩶💛 2w

44 likes7 comments

Robotswithpersonality

The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore | Evan Friss

Yummy! 😋

12 likes

Robotswithpersonality

The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore | Evan Friss

How have I never seen this word before?!

12 likes

MaleficentBookDragon

Memoirs Of A Book Snake | David Meyer

Rebecca is finally all caught up.
#booksnale

TheBookHippie Oh lovely. 1mo

julesG She's cute! 1mo

kspenmoll What a charmer! 1mo

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PuddleJumper Looks great! 1mo

Amiable I‘d love to do something like this but my phobia of snakes recoils from the idea. 😬😀 1mo

MaleficentBookDragon @Amiable 😹 I actually could never make a bookWORM because they gross me out so much. I‘d rather a snake any day. Crazy 🤪 right? 1mo

Amiable @MaleficentBookDragon We all have our own phobias! 😄 1mo

HeyT I'm also making a book snake this year. Unfortunately, I'm like twenty books behind. I think I'm going to go to my local library's knitting circle to try and catch up. 1mo

56 likes8 comments

ImperfectCJ

How to Resist Amazon and Why: The Fight for Local Economics, Data Privacy, Fair Labor, Independent Bookstores, and a People-Powered Future! | Danny Caine

This is from an email from author and biomechanist Katy Bowman, and I've verified the print and e-book numbers (https://thetechylife.com/how-much-money-does-amazon-take-from-book-sales/). Still looking for audiobook numbers as the linked article is less detailed on those. I also learned that Amazon controls 80% of book distribution in the US.

If you, like me, are alarmed by this, check out bookshop.org, libro.fm, and kobo.com for alternatives.

Tamra I love to support local shops & the library! 💕 1mo

Amiable I‘m very proud to say that I‘ve never bought a book from Amazon. I distrusted Bezos from day one and refused to purchase books from there. 1mo

lil1inblue I heard a rumor that kobo is working on compatibility with bookshop.org ebooks, so soon our kobo reads may benefit local bookshops! *crosses fingers* 1mo

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ImperfectCJ I long ago quit buying books from Amazon, but it was in 2020 after getting one too many counterfeit/knock-off items after I'd done hours of research to order a specific brand that I cancelled my Prime membership. The only time my family orders anything through Amazon is when my kids get an Amazon gift card. I figure Amazon already has the money, no use in letting them keep it without sending something. 1mo

ImperfectCJ I should probably get rid of my Goodreads account, but I've had it since well before Amazon bought them, and I feel so nostalgic. And I only use my Ring cameras as wildlife cams in my backyard, but I should probably get rid of those, too. 1mo

ImperfectCJ @lil1inblue What lovely news! 🤞 1mo

ImperfectCJ @lil1inblue confirmation that it's in the works is here: https://support.bookshop.org/en/support/solutions/articles/65000189169-can-i-rea... 1mo

lil1inblue @ImperfectCJ This makes me so happy! 🥰 1mo

Clare-Dragonfly @lil1inblue Ooh, that‘s so exciting! Thank you! 1mo

Faranae I don't buy anything from Amazon if I can help it. I live in a kind of far-flung place, so this sometimes means Amazon is the only way a company serves my region, and then I mostly do without.

Incidentally, kobo e-readers can read regular epubs - kepubs work slightly better (and are easily converted to in calibre), and you can side-load any epub of pdf you want.

For GR: it's very easy to import your GR to StoryGraph or OpenLibrary! 1mo

ImperfectCJ @Faranae I love StoryGraph! I actually don't use my GR anymore (haven't for several years), I just haven't deleted it yet. My fave thing about Kobo is how it's attached to Overdrive (and how it's more responsive than my old Paperwhite) 1mo

GingerAntics This is precisely why I get all my audiobooks and ebooks from Apple Books or the library. I get physical copies from anyone but Amazon whenever possible. 1mo

Suet624 It's important to keep pointing this out to folks who don't know this. Thank you. 1mo

Tamra @ImperfectCJ I dumped GR for Storygraph and have no regrets. 1mo

Ruthiella Yeah. I‘ve long stopped buying books from Amazon. Thriftbooks, Better World Books, Blackwell‘s for UK titles, Bookshop.org. There are so many other options. 1mo

BarbaraBB I finally deleted my GR now. Storygraph is so much better but I still had that account 1mo

AnnCrystal Wow 🥺📚💝. 1mo

PuddleJumper That's terrible and yet unsurprising. I don't buy physical books from Amazon, I still use Kindle Unlimited. I'll need to research whether I can read other ebooks on my Kindle 1mo

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