The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell - 4 stars

[Joy D]

The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell - 4 stars - My Review

Bookseller Shaun Bythell, owner of The Bookshop in Wigtown, Scotland, kept a diary over the course of a year from February 2014 to early 2015. It gives the reader a good idea of what it is like to run an independent second-hand bookstore. The reader accompanies Bythell as he travels to various locations to sort through a collection of books, which are usually remnants of the former owner’s lifetime interests. We view the employees, customers, friends, the occasional writer, townsfolk, and even the resident cat through his eyes. Many of these are eccentric characters, and Bythell sketches them with wry humor.

He describes his rocky relationship with online e-commerce giants, who almost arbitrarily change the company’s status and demand corrective action. One of the highlights is the local festival of books in all its chaotic glory, providing a boost to the local economy. It is surprising to learn what types of books generally sell well and was not at all what I would have expected. I found it entertaining and enjoyed this peek inside the book trade. It will appeal to secondhand bookshop enthusiasts.