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    Adventures of a rare book dealer (and former small bookshop owner).

Archive for 'The Book Biz'

Chirp…chirp…chirp…

Those crickets you’ve been hearing around here are due to the fact that I’ve been busy finishing up my first catalog (just back from the printers). Tonight the wife and I (with our daughter putting on the stamps) will be busy sealing them up and putting on address labels. Should all be in [...]


“Um…Are all these books for sale??”

I’m consistently amazed at the number of people who walk into the shop and ask this question. I honestly don’t know what to make of it.


SLO FLO

Well, back from the San Luis Obispo FOL. For the most part, a very pleasant event. Weather was beautiful and the drive was nice and relaxing. Got there about 45 minutes ahead of time and was about 30th in line or so. A good crowd: about 125 people deep by the [...]


Swan Song for Sarah

A sad day. One of the best-written and most enjoyable of the biblio-blogs, Sarah’s Books, Used and Rare, has “wrapped up” her posting. As she explains, it’s for good reasons; nonetheless, she’ll be missed.
Quiet in the shop today, which is fine. Catching up on my shelf of “to-be-entered-into-the-database” and taking the time [...]


Bookstore Etiquette: A 10-Step Guide for Dealers

My previous post has gotten me thinking about the rules and mores which traditionally have guided booksellers visiting other bookseller’s shops. I’m often shocked at how few online-only dealers have relationships with their local and semi-local brick-and-mortars. This is a HUGE mistake. Other dealers are not just a great source of stock, [...]


Dear Big-Time Rich Influencial Successful Bookseller Who Was (Almost) in My Shop Yesterday,

I know I’m a relatively small fish in a rather big pond and that compared to yours, mine is a puny, unsubstantial operation. And you were almost certainly on vacation and perhaps didn’t want to think about books on your time off. Okay, fine. But if you’re going to stand outside my [...]


Meet my husband…

Ever since I bought the bookshop, both my wife and I have noticed a strange reaction when we tell people what I do. Though I’ve been a book dealer for the better part of four years, it’s only since I’ve had the store that people have begun to react oddly…It’s a hard response to [...]


On A Book Buy Last Week

SCENE: After buying thirteen boxes of general bread-and-butter-stock books at someone’s home.
SHE: We’re not interested in selling these, but we were hoping we could get your opinion about [this] set.
ME: Well, that’s a very nice set; not one I’m familiar with, but I’d imagine it’s held its value rather well.
[My eye catches something...]
ME: [...]


Belatedly, the ABAA Book Fair Report

[Sorry for the delay in posting. Between the 25 boxes of books I bought last week and various family illnesses, been falling behind. Look for more frequent postings in the future.]
I spent the whole of the recent weekend of Feb. 16th-18th in San Francisco at the ABAA Book Fair. As an as-yet [...]


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