The Diary of a Bookseller, Shaun Bythell
The Diary of a Bookseller, Shaun Bythell
2 Rating(s)
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The Diary of a Bookseller

Author: Shaun Bythell

Narrator: Robin Laing

Unabridged: 9 hr 42 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/04/2018

Synopsis

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.

About Shaun Bythell

Shaun Bythell is the owner of The Bookshop in Wigtown, Scotland, and also one of the organizers of the Wigtown Festival.

About Robin Laing

Robin Laing is a professional Scottish actor, with experience in stage, radio, television, film, and voice-over. His credits include Band of Brothers, River City, Filth, and Outlaw King.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Vanessa on August 16, 2017

Call me crazy but I've always wondered when I die what will happen to all my books. My house is overflowing with them. Nobody else reads them but me. The Diary of a bookseller made me think I'm not so crazy after all. It appears there are way more crazier people in the world. It also appears most of......more

Goodreads review by Helene Jeppesen on August 24, 2022

One of the best books I’ve read so far this year! This is a book for all book lovers or people who secretly wish to work in a bookstore. Shaun Bythell owns The Bookshop in Wigtown, Scotland, and with this book he shares his diary from 2014 in which he writes about everything going on in the store as......more

Goodreads review by Valeriu on March 01, 2024

Shaun Bythell e un tînăr domn din orășelul scoțian Wigtown. A cumpărat o clădire friguroasă și ține un anticariat cu cîteva mii de volume. Bythell cumpără și vinde cărți de tot felul. Cele mai căutate sînt cărțile despre căile ferate britanice. Meseria de librar-anticar nu-l îmbogățește, n-a îmbogăț......more

Quotes

“Among the most irascible and amusing bookseller memoirs I’ve read.” New York Times

“Robin Laing strikes a matter-of-fact tone with his narration—a choice that is both smart and on point…Laing’s narration style makes it seem as if you are meeting up with a companionable, if a bit irascible, old friend.” AudioFile

“Bythell writes with biting humor…Bythell is a man on a mission, and a year seen through his eyes convinces the reader that it is a mission worthy of undertaking.” Chicago Tribune

“For anyone who has ever dreamed of owning a bookstore. Bythell’s hilarious account will have those in the industry crying and those otherwise employed dropping their resume off at their local indie.” San Francisco Chronicle

“Sure to bring book lovers chuckles, nods of recognition, and a surge of hope for bookshops everywhere.” Shelf Awareness

“Utterly compelling, and Bythell has a Bennett-like eye for the amusing eccentricities of ordinary people.” Sunday Express (London)

“Wonderfully entertaining.” Observer (London)

“Bythell’s diary is one of the funniest and most honest books you’ll read this year. It’s a real treat for book nerds.” Irish Times (Dublin)

“Lively and intelligent.” Publishers Weekly

Awards

  • Washington Post Pick
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