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In Praise of Good Bookstores
From a devoted reader and lifelong bookseller, an eloquent and charming reflection on the singular importance of bookstores
Do we need bookstores in the twenty-first century? If so, what makes a good one? In this beautifully written book, Jeff Deutsch--the director of Chicago's Seminary Co-op Bookstores, one of the finest bookstores in the world--pays loving tribute to one of our most important and endangered civic institutions. He considers how qualities like space, time, abundance, and community find expression in a good bookstore. Along the way, he also predicts--perhaps audaciously--a future in which the bookstore not only endures, but realizes its highest aspirations.
In exploring why good bookstores matter, Deutsch draws on his lifelong experience as a bookseller, but also his upbringing as an Orthodox Jew. This spiritual and cultural heritage instilled in him a reverence for reading, not as a means to a living, but as an essential part of a meaningful life. Central among Deutsch's arguments for the necessity of bookstores is the incalculable value of browsing--since, when we are deep in the act of looking at the shelves, we move through space as though we are inside the mind itself, immersed in self-reflection.
In the age of one-click shopping, this is no ordinary defense of bookstores, but rather an urgent account of why they are essential places of discovery, refuge, and fulfillment that enrich the communities that are lucky enough to have them.
Do we need bookstores in the twenty-first century? If so, what makes a good one? In this beautifully written book, Jeff Deutsch--the director of Chicago's Seminary Co-op Bookstores, one of the finest bookstores in the world--pays loving tribute to one of our most important and endangered civic institutions. He considers how qualities like space, time, abundance, and community find expression in a good bookstore. Along the way, he also predicts--perhaps audaciously--a future in which the bookstore not only endures, but realizes its highest aspirations.
In exploring why good bookstores matter, Deutsch draws on his lifelong experience as a bookseller, but also his upbringing as an Orthodox Jew. This spiritual and cultural heritage instilled in him a reverence for reading, not as a means to a living, but as an essential part of a meaningful life. Central among Deutsch's arguments for the necessity of bookstores is the incalculable value of browsing--since, when we are deep in the act of looking at the shelves, we move through space as though we are inside the mind itself, immersed in self-reflection.
In the age of one-click shopping, this is no ordinary defense of bookstores, but rather an urgent account of why they are essential places of discovery, refuge, and fulfillment that enrich the communities that are lucky enough to have them.
6 pages, Audiobook
First published April 5, 2022
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April 8, 2023Video review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRfHx...
This book is so many things: a bibliophile’s commonplace book, a treasury of bookish quotes and anecdotes, a nostalgic romance of a life spent in pages, a philosophical treatise on bookstore browsing, a warning cry of and a sobering look at the future of bookstores if we don’t agree that there needs to be a new business model to support a business that currently has no proper model. Jeff Bezos is devaluing books by selling them at a loss (Amazon’s loss leader, in fact) in order to attract customers to the more expensive and profitable items. We either feed the machine, trust algorithms to tell us what to read, and make bookstores obsolete (at least those that specialize in books and not tchotchkes), or we agree that the serendipity and community of bookstores and the expertise of booksellers is worth the extra money in our purchases to sustain the human community. It’s a knee-jerk reaction to spring for the cheaper offering, but when it comes to books we are making intellectual and emotional investments. Of course, if you’re just a consumer of books to simply fill time, this is probably totally irrelevant, and, really, cheap and popular is a more sound investment. But for the rest of us, perhaps going for the more expensive options will actually help us make a more informed and discerning pick since we have more financial restriction. If you really value something, the extra cost is worth it. Overall, this is a very important book that won this book lover and close reader over on so many counts.
This book is so many things: a bibliophile’s commonplace book, a treasury of bookish quotes and anecdotes, a nostalgic romance of a life spent in pages, a philosophical treatise on bookstore browsing, a warning cry of and a sobering look at the future of bookstores if we don’t agree that there needs to be a new business model to support a business that currently has no proper model. Jeff Bezos is devaluing books by selling them at a loss (Amazon’s loss leader, in fact) in order to attract customers to the more expensive and profitable items. We either feed the machine, trust algorithms to tell us what to read, and make bookstores obsolete (at least those that specialize in books and not tchotchkes), or we agree that the serendipity and community of bookstores and the expertise of booksellers is worth the extra money in our purchases to sustain the human community. It’s a knee-jerk reaction to spring for the cheaper offering, but when it comes to books we are making intellectual and emotional investments. Of course, if you’re just a consumer of books to simply fill time, this is probably totally irrelevant, and, really, cheap and popular is a more sound investment. But for the rest of us, perhaps going for the more expensive options will actually help us make a more informed and discerning pick since we have more financial restriction. If you really value something, the extra cost is worth it. Overall, this is a very important book that won this book lover and close reader over on so many counts.
May 22, 2023
In terms of the sources Deutsch cites, this is appropriately erudite and wide-ranging - you can barely go half a page without running into a quote from a 15th-century Arab scholar or a Robert Musil reference, etc etc etc - but in terms of offering non-ethereal ideas about how brick-and-mortar bookstores ought to proceed in the Amazon age, it's disappointingly myopic. A less catchy but more accurate title would have been In Praise of Browsing the Shelves in the Good Bookstore Where I Work.
This very affable book gestures towards ideas on how good bookstores should interact with their communities, ideas informed by classical notions of the liberal arts and (most intriguingly) the author's orthodox Jewish upbringing. But Deutsch repeatedly retreats from real engagement with these ideas, ultimately to a near-maddening degree, in favor of a heavily annotated meditation on how nice it is to browse the shelves in a good bookstore. Well, yeah, no argument here, I mean I pre-ordered a book called In Praise of Good Bookstores, I clearly love browsing in a damn bookstore, especially when the bookstore's interior layout was designed by a world-famous architect with an incredibly cool name , as is the case for the Seminary Co-Op, the truly wonderful bookstore Deutsch runs.
This brings me to my major gripe with the book: there is no meaningful acknowledgment of the fact that the Seminary Co-Op exists in a highly rarefied space - Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood, which is basically an Ivy League college town inside a major US city - and so benefits from the buy-in of the very moneyed and very educated community in that physical and intellectual real estate. Nice work if you can get it, and few other bookstores can.
Perhaps most egregiously, Deutsch rails against bookstores that sell socks and other non-book trinkets while fully neglecting to acknowledge the existence of the Seminary Co-Op's sister store, 57th Street Books - a bookstore, which, wouldn't you know it, sells t-shirts, candy, greeting cards, and plenty of other things that aren't books. Are the profits from those lowly items kept separate from the Seminary Co-Op's unsullied stream of books-only revenue? I don't know, because Deutsch decided that In Praise of Good Bookstores wasn't the place for such intrusions of grubby reality.
Not that I need him to get all prescriptive or start doling out business tips to bookstore owners, but to ignore the material realities of a store like the Co-Op - the rare example of a not-for-profit bookstore dedicated solely to bookselling - is to do readers a disservice. I've been Co-Op member since 2015 and even I don't fully understand how their business plan works - but I want to! I would have been happy to lose a few of the quotes from dead authors about how they organized their libraries if it would have given Deutsch the space to provide some concrete information on just how his store does it, and how other stores might, too, particularly ones without the benefit of an elite university community at their doorstep
[A note on me shelving this "books by people I know:" I can't really say I know Jeff Deutsch, but we did once have a very nice conversation with him about Howard Norman, one of my absolute favorite writers, when I bought a copy of Norman's gorgeous memoir I Hate To Leave this Beautiful Place at the Seminary Co-Op. Looking at the date on the book's price tag, Jeff Deutsch noted that this particular copy had sat on the Co-Op's shelves for almost exactly five years before I came in and bought it, a testament to the store's singularly generous inventory policies. He also made this bold statement: "Nobody reads Howard Norman." Deutsch is a bookseller, so if anyone would know, it's him.]
This very affable book gestures towards ideas on how good bookstores should interact with their communities, ideas informed by classical notions of the liberal arts and (most intriguingly) the author's orthodox Jewish upbringing. But Deutsch repeatedly retreats from real engagement with these ideas, ultimately to a near-maddening degree, in favor of a heavily annotated meditation on how nice it is to browse the shelves in a good bookstore. Well, yeah, no argument here, I mean I pre-ordered a book called In Praise of Good Bookstores, I clearly love browsing in a damn bookstore, especially when the bookstore's interior layout was designed by a world-famous architect with an incredibly cool name , as is the case for the Seminary Co-Op, the truly wonderful bookstore Deutsch runs.
This brings me to my major gripe with the book: there is no meaningful acknowledgment of the fact that the Seminary Co-Op exists in a highly rarefied space - Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood, which is basically an Ivy League college town inside a major US city - and so benefits from the buy-in of the very moneyed and very educated community in that physical and intellectual real estate. Nice work if you can get it, and few other bookstores can.
Perhaps most egregiously, Deutsch rails against bookstores that sell socks and other non-book trinkets while fully neglecting to acknowledge the existence of the Seminary Co-Op's sister store, 57th Street Books - a bookstore, which, wouldn't you know it, sells t-shirts, candy, greeting cards, and plenty of other things that aren't books. Are the profits from those lowly items kept separate from the Seminary Co-Op's unsullied stream of books-only revenue? I don't know, because Deutsch decided that In Praise of Good Bookstores wasn't the place for such intrusions of grubby reality.
Not that I need him to get all prescriptive or start doling out business tips to bookstore owners, but to ignore the material realities of a store like the Co-Op - the rare example of a not-for-profit bookstore dedicated solely to bookselling - is to do readers a disservice. I've been Co-Op member since 2015 and even I don't fully understand how their business plan works - but I want to! I would have been happy to lose a few of the quotes from dead authors about how they organized their libraries if it would have given Deutsch the space to provide some concrete information on just how his store does it, and how other stores might, too, particularly ones without the benefit of an elite university community at their doorstep
[A note on me shelving this "books by people I know:" I can't really say I know Jeff Deutsch, but we did once have a very nice conversation with him about Howard Norman, one of my absolute favorite writers, when I bought a copy of Norman's gorgeous memoir I Hate To Leave this Beautiful Place at the Seminary Co-Op. Looking at the date on the book's price tag, Jeff Deutsch noted that this particular copy had sat on the Co-Op's shelves for almost exactly five years before I came in and bought it, a testament to the store's singularly generous inventory policies. He also made this bold statement: "Nobody reads Howard Norman." Deutsch is a bookseller, so if anyone would know, it's him.]
May 2, 2025
A Love Letter To Books And Bookstores
Jeff Deutsch's "In Praise of Good Bookstores" (2022) is a meditation on bookstores, books, the life of the mind, and biography. It is eloquently, if repetitively, written and attempts a great deal in a short space. Still, I was moved by reading this book.
The book has a strong autobiographical component. Deutsch was raised in an Orthodox Jewish family in Brooklyn where books were everywhere. When he was old enough to make his own decisions, Deutsch immediately moved away from the Judaism of his birth, feeling that he needed to understand other approaches to life. He retained from his upbringing the love of books and of reading and entered the bookselling business in 1994. He has worked for many years for the large Seminary Co-op Bookstore in Chicago and has overseen its transition to a non-profit. Deutsch is concerned with the demise of small, independent bookstores which he attributes largely to the rise of Amazon. He has little good to say about Amazon and its impact on books and reading. In his book, Deutsch argues for the importance of small, brick and mortar bookstores where readers of all persuasions can come and browse and learn, more than purchase a commodity. He looks from varying perspectives of how bookstores enhance a community and readers and he urges that bookstores need to have a separate business model from that common in the culture and used, say, in the selling of tools or of socks.
The book explores the layout and design of Deutsch's beloved bookstore in Chicago and of the ways it encourages browsing and, in his word, "rumination". He explains why he finds this important. Deutsch throughout distinguishes between education and learning. He finds that many people in the United States have been blessed with the opportunity of higher education and are educated in a skill or profession but he finds fewer people, regardless of educational attainments or their lack, are learned. The love of learning, for Deutsch, is undertaken for its own sake while most education is undertaken for the sake of something else, usually a good job and a paycheck. In some ways, this is a distinctly unpragmatic approach but undoubtedly valuable. Deutsch's distinction parallels the more classical distinction between knowledge and wisdom. He finds it is the role of a good bookstore to promote the love of learning for its own sake and that a bookstore is better equipped to meet this goal than is a university or even a library. He draws heavily, not exclusively, in his discussion on Talmudic sources and means of learning from his childhood. Some of this is fascinating and valuable, but I find it overdone, for an approach that Deutsch abandoned as soon as he was able and never looked back. There are many paths, as he recognizes, to reading and the love of learning.
Deutsch is himself a reader as well as a bookseller and his erudition shows. Virtually every page of this book includes allusions to and insightful discussions of many writers which show the love of learning more, perhaps than does the discussion of the economics of bookselling. Every person, Deutsch rightly says, must find the books that mean the most to him or her, and the path to these books is not always obvious. He discusses many authors I know and many with whom I am unfamiliar. Let me mention two examples.
Just before reading this book, I had reread a long difficult novel "Auto-da-Fe" by the 1981 Nobel Prize winner Elias Canetti. I had read the book, which focuses upon books, bookstores, and a reader, shortly after Canetti received his award and went back to it when it was selected by our book group. Deutsch says that Canetti "brings up the rear" of his own canon the authors "whose oeuvres I long to read entire and then reread." He aptly quotes Canetti who said "true spiritual life consists in rereading", a sentiment I came to share from my rereading of "Auto-da-Fe".
The second author is Walt Whitman. I have been rereading a great deal of Whitman of late, including his essay on the nature and promise of American democracy, "Democratic Vistas". Deutsch discusses and quotes Whitman's poetry several times in his book but he gives his most sustained attention to a passage from "Democratic Vistas" in which Whitman says that it is the reader, more than the author, who must "himself or herself construct indeed the poem, argument, history, metaphysical essay -- the text furnishing the hints, the clue, the start of framework". Deutsch comments on this passage and concludes that Whitman is referring to the "construction of the poetic and principled narrative one tells about oneself to oneself, the narrative one tells about the world to oneself and one's community in an attempt to live a meaningful life." I have recently studied "Democratic Vistas" intensely and written about it. Deutsch brought Whitman's essay home to me again.
I have lived in Washington, D.C. for many years and the Capital City is still blessed with several good bookstores. I remember my younger days when there were many more and when I browsed in them. The life of reading and of learning continues. Something has, indeed, been lost with the loss of so many bookstores. The more important part of what Deutsch has to say, however, is not about bookstores or ways of operating bookstores. It is about books themselves, learning, and the life of the mind.
Robin Friedman
Jeff Deutsch's "In Praise of Good Bookstores" (2022) is a meditation on bookstores, books, the life of the mind, and biography. It is eloquently, if repetitively, written and attempts a great deal in a short space. Still, I was moved by reading this book.
The book has a strong autobiographical component. Deutsch was raised in an Orthodox Jewish family in Brooklyn where books were everywhere. When he was old enough to make his own decisions, Deutsch immediately moved away from the Judaism of his birth, feeling that he needed to understand other approaches to life. He retained from his upbringing the love of books and of reading and entered the bookselling business in 1994. He has worked for many years for the large Seminary Co-op Bookstore in Chicago and has overseen its transition to a non-profit. Deutsch is concerned with the demise of small, independent bookstores which he attributes largely to the rise of Amazon. He has little good to say about Amazon and its impact on books and reading. In his book, Deutsch argues for the importance of small, brick and mortar bookstores where readers of all persuasions can come and browse and learn, more than purchase a commodity. He looks from varying perspectives of how bookstores enhance a community and readers and he urges that bookstores need to have a separate business model from that common in the culture and used, say, in the selling of tools or of socks.
The book explores the layout and design of Deutsch's beloved bookstore in Chicago and of the ways it encourages browsing and, in his word, "rumination". He explains why he finds this important. Deutsch throughout distinguishes between education and learning. He finds that many people in the United States have been blessed with the opportunity of higher education and are educated in a skill or profession but he finds fewer people, regardless of educational attainments or their lack, are learned. The love of learning, for Deutsch, is undertaken for its own sake while most education is undertaken for the sake of something else, usually a good job and a paycheck. In some ways, this is a distinctly unpragmatic approach but undoubtedly valuable. Deutsch's distinction parallels the more classical distinction between knowledge and wisdom. He finds it is the role of a good bookstore to promote the love of learning for its own sake and that a bookstore is better equipped to meet this goal than is a university or even a library. He draws heavily, not exclusively, in his discussion on Talmudic sources and means of learning from his childhood. Some of this is fascinating and valuable, but I find it overdone, for an approach that Deutsch abandoned as soon as he was able and never looked back. There are many paths, as he recognizes, to reading and the love of learning.
Deutsch is himself a reader as well as a bookseller and his erudition shows. Virtually every page of this book includes allusions to and insightful discussions of many writers which show the love of learning more, perhaps than does the discussion of the economics of bookselling. Every person, Deutsch rightly says, must find the books that mean the most to him or her, and the path to these books is not always obvious. He discusses many authors I know and many with whom I am unfamiliar. Let me mention two examples.
Just before reading this book, I had reread a long difficult novel "Auto-da-Fe" by the 1981 Nobel Prize winner Elias Canetti. I had read the book, which focuses upon books, bookstores, and a reader, shortly after Canetti received his award and went back to it when it was selected by our book group. Deutsch says that Canetti "brings up the rear" of his own canon the authors "whose oeuvres I long to read entire and then reread." He aptly quotes Canetti who said "true spiritual life consists in rereading", a sentiment I came to share from my rereading of "Auto-da-Fe".
The second author is Walt Whitman. I have been rereading a great deal of Whitman of late, including his essay on the nature and promise of American democracy, "Democratic Vistas". Deutsch discusses and quotes Whitman's poetry several times in his book but he gives his most sustained attention to a passage from "Democratic Vistas" in which Whitman says that it is the reader, more than the author, who must "himself or herself construct indeed the poem, argument, history, metaphysical essay -- the text furnishing the hints, the clue, the start of framework". Deutsch comments on this passage and concludes that Whitman is referring to the "construction of the poetic and principled narrative one tells about oneself to oneself, the narrative one tells about the world to oneself and one's community in an attempt to live a meaningful life." I have recently studied "Democratic Vistas" intensely and written about it. Deutsch brought Whitman's essay home to me again.
I have lived in Washington, D.C. for many years and the Capital City is still blessed with several good bookstores. I remember my younger days when there were many more and when I browsed in them. The life of reading and of learning continues. Something has, indeed, been lost with the loss of so many bookstores. The more important part of what Deutsch has to say, however, is not about bookstores or ways of operating bookstores. It is about books themselves, learning, and the life of the mind.
Robin Friedman
May 29, 2022
A very philosophical take on the purpose, direction, and lineage of bookstores, bookselling, and the act of owning and/or reading books. No answers or simple arguments here, everything is presented with a historical context (SO MANY quotations) and an eye toward the ideal.
There are a handful of passages that are strikingly clear articulations of my thoughts on owning a bookstore, to the point where I may ask staff to read and ruminate on them when hired.
There are a handful of passages that are strikingly clear articulations of my thoughts on owning a bookstore, to the point where I may ask staff to read and ruminate on them when hired.
October 3, 2023
Открих In Praise of Good Bookstories на Jaff Deutch миналата година, но я запазих за подходящо настроение. Мисля, че сега е точното време за тази книжка, която разкрива мислите на един книжар за света на книгите, за мястото на библиотеката и книжарницата в общността и в живота на страстните читатели. Започнах я в първия ден на октомври и се потопих във великолепието от философски разсъждения , история на книжната търговия и страстта към томчетата, случайно открити по рафтовете. И едновременно с това си спомних усещането за пълно щастие, когато влязох в една от книжарниците на Будапеща миналото лято. И съпоставих описанията на Jeff Deutch на търсещите своята идеална книга със собствения си захлас от томчетата по рафтовете :
" Добрите книжарници са хранилище за страхотни книги и изпитателна площадка за наскоро публикувани кандидати за величие. "
Идеално е, когато преживяванията на читателите съвпаднат с написаното в книгата!
* " За тези, които знаят как да ги използват, пространствата за книги са модел на щедростта, която една общност може да предложи на своите граждани. "
" Мъдрите читатели имат талант да намерят точната книга в точния момент — те са майсторски златотърсачи и знаят, че мъдростта рядко дарява незаслужени награди."
" Добра книжарница , подобно на добър университет, не е задължително да принадлежи към конкретно място. Ако привлича литератори и познавачи, любознателни и ерудирани, ще се превърне в пространство на съзерцание и откри��ателство, убежище за преживящите [ читатели ]. "
" Добрата книжарница продава книги, но основният й продукт, ако желаете, е изживяването докато разглеждате "
" Добрите книжарници са хранилище за страхотни книги и изпитателна площадка за наскоро публикувани кандидати за величие. "
Идеално е, когато преживяванията на читателите съвпаднат с написаното в книгата!
* " За тези, които знаят как да ги използват, пространствата за книги са модел на щедростта, която една общност може да предложи на своите граждани. "
" Мъдрите читатели имат талант да намерят точната книга в точния момент — те са майсторски златотърсачи и знаят, че мъдростта рядко дарява незаслужени награди."
" Добра книжарница , подобно на добър университет, не е задължително да принадлежи към конкретно място. Ако привлича литератори и познавачи, любознателни и ерудирани, ще се превърне в пространство на съзерцание и откри��ателство, убежище за преживящите [ читатели ]. "
" Добрата книжарница продава книги, но основният й продукт, ако желаете, е изживяването докато разглеждате "
May 23, 2022
**Disclaimer** The author is my girlfriend's friend and former bookstore co-worker. Although I have never met the author, my review is informed by things outside of the book. That being said ...
I was on board with the idea of this book and very excited to read it. But I had trouble getting into it because HOLY QUOTES, Batman. There was nearly a quote per paragraph and frequently multiple quotes in one paragraph. There were too many block quotes, quotes quoting other quotes, partial quotes, edited quotes (to more closely connect to bookstores), and quotes from people whose last name (not their full name) appeared in the text. I was grateful for the endnotes to learn who he was talking about or where all these quotes came from.
I think the idea of the book is excellent, and there were a few bright spots that I highlighted within the text, but I wish there were more of the author's words and fewer of the dozens of name-checked references. On too many occasions, I struggled to understand the author's point because the quotes got in the way. This read like a college essay with a minimum word requirement rather than a treatise on "the good bookstore." I genuinely wonder how many quotes were removed from the book by the editor before this was published. I wish I could have gotten to know the author better--perhaps I did, just not in his words. He is undoubtedly extremely well-read (as any bookstore director should be), and there is no doubt that I would have a very engaging and vibrant conversation with him should we sit down for a talk after a few hours of browsing. Hell, I know that this is someone that I can learn from. But, hopefully, in future publications, he understands the value of less is more.
I was on board with the idea of this book and very excited to read it. But I had trouble getting into it because HOLY QUOTES, Batman. There was nearly a quote per paragraph and frequently multiple quotes in one paragraph. There were too many block quotes, quotes quoting other quotes, partial quotes, edited quotes (to more closely connect to bookstores), and quotes from people whose last name (not their full name) appeared in the text. I was grateful for the endnotes to learn who he was talking about or where all these quotes came from.
I think the idea of the book is excellent, and there were a few bright spots that I highlighted within the text, but I wish there were more of the author's words and fewer of the dozens of name-checked references. On too many occasions, I struggled to understand the author's point because the quotes got in the way. This read like a college essay with a minimum word requirement rather than a treatise on "the good bookstore." I genuinely wonder how many quotes were removed from the book by the editor before this was published. I wish I could have gotten to know the author better--perhaps I did, just not in his words. He is undoubtedly extremely well-read (as any bookstore director should be), and there is no doubt that I would have a very engaging and vibrant conversation with him should we sit down for a talk after a few hours of browsing. Hell, I know that this is someone that I can learn from. But, hopefully, in future publications, he understands the value of less is more.
August 15, 2022
Yes, this book starts off on a very boring note, and yes it also tests your patience, but I request you to also endure while reading the first couple of pages, because after that it gets better, and to the extent that you find yourself nodding your head to every observation or thought made or had by Deutsch.
I do not know for how long the bookstore will last. The physical, brick and mortar bookstore - the one that isn't Amazon or the likes of it. Maybe it will for a very long time, but that also depends on us - the readers. To make them last, for them to not only survive but also thrive. Deutsch has always been a bookseller and he draws from this rich experience of his and gives us a book that makes so many points in praise of good bookstores, and how they are places of discovery and communities should only be thankful to have them around.
At the same time, I wish Deutsch would also speak of people who work for bookstores with limited knowledge of books, and how to work around that, or for that matter the stocking issues as well when it comes to bookstores - the book you want is almost never available. Having said that, Deutsch also looks at the practical aspects of a bookstore - of it as a space - of how qualities like time, abundance, light, and the presence of community make or break a bookstore.
In Praise of Good Bookstores also gets pedantic at times, and the author does quote a lot of literary greats, but it also quickly manages to get the book back on track about the elements most need for a bookstore to be good, great, and the best. It does tend to get caught up in the nostalgia and the old-world charm of a bookstore but also balances it with the real-time situation of the day. I would most certainly recommend this read for a balanced perspective on why physical bookstores are needed and praising the good ones that are around.
I do not know for how long the bookstore will last. The physical, brick and mortar bookstore - the one that isn't Amazon or the likes of it. Maybe it will for a very long time, but that also depends on us - the readers. To make them last, for them to not only survive but also thrive. Deutsch has always been a bookseller and he draws from this rich experience of his and gives us a book that makes so many points in praise of good bookstores, and how they are places of discovery and communities should only be thankful to have them around.
At the same time, I wish Deutsch would also speak of people who work for bookstores with limited knowledge of books, and how to work around that, or for that matter the stocking issues as well when it comes to bookstores - the book you want is almost never available. Having said that, Deutsch also looks at the practical aspects of a bookstore - of it as a space - of how qualities like time, abundance, light, and the presence of community make or break a bookstore.
In Praise of Good Bookstores also gets pedantic at times, and the author does quote a lot of literary greats, but it also quickly manages to get the book back on track about the elements most need for a bookstore to be good, great, and the best. It does tend to get caught up in the nostalgia and the old-world charm of a bookstore but also balances it with the real-time situation of the day. I would most certainly recommend this read for a balanced perspective on why physical bookstores are needed and praising the good ones that are around.
June 15, 2022
How To Succeed In Quoting Influential Authors Without Really Saying Anything
May 11, 2022
I love a good book about books, or in the this case bookstores, but this wasn't that.
In Praise of Good Bookstores promises to be a beautifully written treatsie (edit: love letter) to the bookstore. Who here doesn't feel that odd mixture of peace and excitement when entering through the doors of a bookstore? The bibliophile's senses go in overdrive: from the smell of books and newsprint, most likely also brewing coffee and freshly baked cookies, to the visual feast of seemingly limitless literary opportunity. It's undoubted my happy place (much like the library), where just the act of browsing the aisles is enough to lift my mood.
The good bookstore fosters the expenditure of a certain kind of time: the slow time of the browse.. the unhurried, serendipitous literary discoveries. Such discoveries take time. They happen by being in that space where we let ourselves submit to aimlessness.
Yes, this book IS eloquent, but only because 95% of it flowery words that lead into a quote from someone else. I'd honestly be interested in the ratio of what the author wrote to what he provided as quotes. And also yes, this book IS a love letter to all things book and bookstore, but a lot of it is about HIS bookstore, a seminary co-op and let's be real, I don't really need to read 200ish pages of why browsing is nice and books are the best, I already (and you already) know it is. This book reminds me of a person babbling on, repeating themselves because I don't know, they like the sound of their voice?
Hard pass on this one. Just go to the bookstore. Take a deep breath. Be at peace.
📚 For more bookish things and my IRL librarian life, check the bookstagram 📚
We readers have felt the companionship of books, and many of us have found ourselves at a loss to explain to the underliterate among us the power and nourishment we receive from out books.
In Praise of Good Bookstores promises to be a beautifully written treatsie (edit: love letter) to the bookstore. Who here doesn't feel that odd mixture of peace and excitement when entering through the doors of a bookstore? The bibliophile's senses go in overdrive: from the smell of books and newsprint, most likely also brewing coffee and freshly baked cookies, to the visual feast of seemingly limitless literary opportunity. It's undoubted my happy place (much like the library), where just the act of browsing the aisles is enough to lift my mood.
The good bookstore fosters the expenditure of a certain kind of time: the slow time of the browse.. the unhurried, serendipitous literary discoveries. Such discoveries take time. They happen by being in that space where we let ourselves submit to aimlessness.
Yes, this book IS eloquent, but only because 95% of it flowery words that lead into a quote from someone else. I'd honestly be interested in the ratio of what the author wrote to what he provided as quotes. And also yes, this book IS a love letter to all things book and bookstore, but a lot of it is about HIS bookstore, a seminary co-op and let's be real, I don't really need to read 200ish pages of why browsing is nice and books are the best, I already (and you already) know it is. This book reminds me of a person babbling on, repeating themselves because I don't know, they like the sound of their voice?
Hard pass on this one. Just go to the bookstore. Take a deep breath. Be at peace.
📚 For more bookish things and my IRL librarian life, check the bookstagram 📚
We readers have felt the companionship of books, and many of us have found ourselves at a loss to explain to the underliterate among us the power and nourishment we receive from out books.
September 1, 2022
I have worked in bookstores and several libraries, so a book like this one would catch my eye. It is not, however, the book for me. Mr. Deutsch very obviously loves the bookstores he has worked in, fine ones, but I could not stand his constant flights of fancy over the simplest aspect of bookstore management or even theory, the giant heap of erudite quotes to make his sometimes elusive points, or the ride on a comet that he seemed to want to take us on to convince us that bookstores are still needed, for the enrichment of the individual and the community, and needed not just for selling books. I agree, but I was a practical book manager who tried to make things look good, feel good, and inspire the imagination. I dont think I would be hired in Mr. Deutsch's store since his contribution almost put me to sleep.
July 15, 2022
A much needed ode to bookselling and bookstores, this slender volume was a delight to read and very entertaining. The author makes the argument that good bookstores are a necessary part of any thriving community. The thing I liked most about the book was how breezy the narrative was and how informative the text turned out being. A delightful summer read that was well worth the effort.
May 23, 2023
This book was a very encouraging read during a rather rough week at my own bookstore. I enjoyed the authors musings on the joys of browsing and serendipitously finding just the right book at just the right time. A lot of his thought stems from his Jewish upbringing, and while I am not Jewish, a lot of the imagery and ideas were familiar to me from Chaim Potok’s “The Chosen.” As a bookstore owner, there is a lot to love about this book; it seeks to dignify the work of bookselling as more than just retail work and bookstores as more than just retail spaces. However, it does little to concretely answer questions it raises about how we can move forward and develop better models of supporting good bookstores. Also, the author clearly frowns upon the practice of bookstores selling “sidelines” (i.e. tote bags, book marks, merchandise, etc. anything that isn’t actually *books*), while at the same time acknowledging that this is often economically necessary in order to keep stores afloat, and in the end offers no real alternative to the sidelines model. He mentioned how his own bookstore, the Seminary Co-op, became “the first not-for-profit bookstore whose mission is bookselling” but doesn’t go into detail about what that means or how it works. I suppose that is not the point of this book, but it also seems like this book is marketed towards other booksellers, so some more insight on these practical issues of keeping the doors open would not go unappreciated. Despite these flaws, I found this book very encouraging, and it definitely makes me want to become a better bookseller and operate a truly good bookstore!
August 12, 2022
Rarely do I offer a written review but this book got under my skin for many reasons. I was so looking forward to this book but it really fell short for me. The author could’ve made his point much clearer if he hadn’t been so deep with the hoity-toity verbiage that dominated every paragraph. Good gawd, make your point so we can all understand what you’re saying. And as mentioned by others, way too many quotes from dead authors and philosophers.
The author’s background growing up in Brooklyn and owning a store in Chicago do not give him the experience of the many wonderful bookstores in smaller communities across the country. It’s a lot easier to be successful in a city like Chicago or San Francisco than it is in those smaller communities. Density of population makes a BIG difference. With all due respect to the Seminary Co-op and City Lights, the author should consider other bookstores. After all, the title is IN PRAISE OF GOOD BOOKSTORES. Places like Burlington, VT, Salida, CO, Ames, IA, Bayfield, WI (they have TWO super bookstores), Cambridge, MN, Montague, MA, Festus, MO, Sylva, NC, and Bloomington IN, to name a very few all have outstanding bookstores worthy of attention. How do I know? I’ve been to all of them. Facebook.com/theindiebobspot.
Great premise for a book, but meh for me. My journey continues.
The author’s background growing up in Brooklyn and owning a store in Chicago do not give him the experience of the many wonderful bookstores in smaller communities across the country. It’s a lot easier to be successful in a city like Chicago or San Francisco than it is in those smaller communities. Density of population makes a BIG difference. With all due respect to the Seminary Co-op and City Lights, the author should consider other bookstores. After all, the title is IN PRAISE OF GOOD BOOKSTORES. Places like Burlington, VT, Salida, CO, Ames, IA, Bayfield, WI (they have TWO super bookstores), Cambridge, MN, Montague, MA, Festus, MO, Sylva, NC, and Bloomington IN, to name a very few all have outstanding bookstores worthy of attention. How do I know? I’ve been to all of them. Facebook.com/theindiebobspot.
Great premise for a book, but meh for me. My journey continues.
February 4, 2023
This book is the fruit of a life spent loving, serving, and enthusing over books and bookstores. Jeff Deutsch is the director of the Seminary Co-Op bookstore in Hyde Park, Chicago, which is a world renowned bookstore with an unparalleled collection, browsing experience, and tranquil beauty. I have been coming to this bookstore for years and lately try to visit at least once a week, and each time, without fail, the experience is entrancing and sublime. In this book Jeff meditates on the function, value, and potential of bookstores in their platonic ideal. Each page is filled with reflections from Jeff and quotations from philosophers, novelists, and other writers—many who are/were members of the Co Op— on reading, books, and the marvels of a life of reading. It was really a joy to read and felt like having a conversation with a friend about what makes bookstores and reading so wonderful, and few other people could have written a book like this.
September 4, 2022
So like many genres, this is certainly a well-trodden path, and to be fair it could be seen as a bit of a lazy/easy one too, as you are basically writing a book about other people’s books, (a bit like this review!). So the real hard yards have been done for you.
I usually thoroughly enjoy these kinds of books and get all sorts of ideas and inspirations from them, but this was just one rambling and dull spiel, and we seemed to get more insight into obscure Jewish practices than we did about bookstores.
And no matter how many quotes he throws in from how many philosophers, scholars and authors it doesn’t detract from the dullness and aimlessness of this book. There were times when I thought this was eventually taking us somewhere vital or lively, but it never happened. This has very little to offer. And how many times did he have to tell us that Amazon operates by selling cheaper books as loss leaders?...
I usually thoroughly enjoy these kinds of books and get all sorts of ideas and inspirations from them, but this was just one rambling and dull spiel, and we seemed to get more insight into obscure Jewish practices than we did about bookstores.
And no matter how many quotes he throws in from how many philosophers, scholars and authors it doesn’t detract from the dullness and aimlessness of this book. There were times when I thought this was eventually taking us somewhere vital or lively, but it never happened. This has very little to offer. And how many times did he have to tell us that Amazon operates by selling cheaper books as loss leaders?...
December 1, 2025
A conversation about the beauty of bookstores and how they bring out our humanity. A light hearted but deep muse. As a book lover I simply enjoyed this one.
September 21, 2025
I was primed to enjoy this book about the many ways that bookstores are places of community, anonymous browsing, and self discovery. Unfortunately I’m not well read enough to keep up with this authors name drops of classic authors, philosophers, and Judaism scholars. A book hasn’t made me feel this dumb since grad school.
July 19, 2023
Readers of books and bookshop connoisseurs will be delighted with this short read about the value of a good bookstore to society. I absolutely agree with Deutsch on his arguments in favor of a well-curated, thoughtful bookstore. I'd give him 5 stars except for the fact that he really does come off as enormously condescending. One can overlook a great deal, considering that we share a love of the written word. However, he is a bit much.
Stretching. Good. Thoughtfully argued. But not humble.
Stretching. Good. Thoughtfully argued. But not humble.
October 17, 2022
Good, but a bit long and pretentious - bookstores are cool and important and their value to a community is often underappreciated. That said, the author is pretty over-zealous about them (including his own bookstore), especially when so many of his main points can also apply to public libraries. Perhaps I'll appreciate them more when I have more budget to start forming my own mini-library.
May 11, 2022
Pretty intellectual
October 28, 2024
3/5. Prej meditacija kot hvalnica, pa naj ne zveni naduto, knjige "hvalnice" ne sestaviš tako, da "le"pocitiraš nekaj všečnih (in zlajnanih) intelektualističnih besedilc Borgesa, Musila o posedovanju knjig in vseh možnih s knjigami podobnimi fetišističnimi vzgibi. Med vrsticami se lahko bežno vidi, da se pričakuje čas knjigarn t.i. svaštarnic, kjer bo knjiga, kako ironično, le še priložnostni okrasni artefakt. Deutschu entuziazma ne gre očitati, a na neki drugi celini, v neki drugi skupnosti, državi, tako romantiziranje podpirajo le še (ne-znatne) subvencije...
October 4, 2025
2 Stars / 5 Stars
This guy never had anything of his own to say, every other line in this book was him quoting someone else or using someone else’s philosophies or theories or words. Where are your OWN words?? Also, we get it, you founded a bookstore in New York. Congrats ! Enough ! Lastly, and this book’s most major crime, it was simply boring. So boring. Boring as hell. Glad I didn’t buy it at politics and prose last trip, save yourselves!
This guy never had anything of his own to say, every other line in this book was him quoting someone else or using someone else’s philosophies or theories or words. Where are your OWN words?? Also, we get it, you founded a bookstore in New York. Congrats ! Enough ! Lastly, and this book’s most major crime, it was simply boring. So boring. Boring as hell. Glad I didn’t buy it at politics and prose last trip, save yourselves!
August 18, 2025
My husband and I are developing an online bookstore (early days) and he gave me this books to motivate me. The author Jeff Deutsch ran a successful independent bookstore called Seminary Co-op Bookstore. Why this is more than a magazine article, I can’t really say. The author is a decent writer who includes great quotes and ideas that support the civilizing aspect of a great bookstore. He articulates the glory of browsing in an independent bookstore but there is very little about running a bookstore or the role of the independent bookstore in the community. I closed the book feeling shortchanged.
February 18, 2023
A beautifully written salute to the importance of the bookstore to anchoring our neighborhoods and providing places outside of time. The final chapter on time gets extremely philosophical and is unlike the rest of the book and may be challenging reading for many readers.
April 18, 2022
Jeff Deutsch, a veteran bookseller who is a master of putting the right book in the right hand, in his new book, In Praise of Good Bookstores, serves up with equal aplomb the perfect quotation for every moment in his book when a perfect quotation is needed. In Praise of Good Bookstores is more a bricolage memoir pieced together from these quotations, than a useful argument for why bookstores matter (though it is very much that as well). The words in this book are "a presence", as Deutsch puts it, that poignantly memorializes one young man’s life-changing journey down the long dark stairs and into the labyrinthine Seminary Coop bookstore where he discovered that books could be more than commentary on the Torah or texts in the class-room. This book is at times a profound meditation and at others the poetic incantation of a reader who falls in love with books and discovers his true métier which includes not just reading and selling books, but for the benefit of this reader, the artful writing of them as well.
April 21, 2022
A brief disclaimer: I have been a bookseller at the Seminary Co-op Bookstores for nearly 3 years now, and this heavily informs what I got out of this book. Jeff Deutsch is the the Director of Seminary Co-op Bookstores, Inc.
A few years ago, coming out of college and without a means of sustaining myself during the summer before I would start my graduate program, I took the recommendation of a good friend to apply for a job where she worked, the Seminary Co-op. I had long been a patron of the store having gone to college at the University of Chicago, admiring its windowed walls, colorful stacks, and the intention with which its customers browsed and investigated its shelves. As I had just revitalized my love for reading, I thought it was a serendipitous opportunity to further develop my passion for literature amongst coworkers and peers that had a deeper familiarity with my interest than I had at the moment, along with having a way to keep paying rent.
For the sake of brevity, suffice it to say that this was the start of an unexpected spiritual awakening and enlightenment on the world and role of our independent bookstore for our local community and the nationwide community of bookstores and academic literature. Even after graduating from my master's program and starting a full-time job in a completely different field, I hold onto my role as a part-time bookseller because it is unquestionably a part of my identity. It has irrevocably changed the way in which I interact with and understand books, writing, authors, and the consumption of media.
In Praise of Bookstores is the manifesto that my bookstore's director, Jeff Deutsch, has been living and breathing for decades, and it is a remarkably rewarding experience to finally see his philosophy on the field of bookselling and independent bookstores come to fruition with the eloquence, spirituality, and zeal that it deserves. Anyone who has met Deutsch knows how much he loves bookselling -- so much so as to make bookselling the mission of our non-profit store the cultural good of bookselling itself (which he elaborates on with fervor and compassion in this book). Even as someone who has worked for him and what he essentially frames as a prototype for the "Good Bookstore" for years, Deutsch's words on the value of bookselling, what independent books uniquely offer readers, and the distinctive artistic beauty that can be found in the walls of an exceptional bookstore articulated the love for my role as a bookseller and a deeper understanding of just how much I do as a bookseller better than I imagined possible. The description of "souls incarnate in a bookstore" is something I have experienced on a profound emotional level interacting with many of the peers I have met working at the Co-op, and this book is the closest that I can imagine to condensing this platonic form of these "souls" into book form -- a process noted as a crystallization of one's legacy and work that the bookstore acts in service of facilitating. My hope is that this book will make its way into the stacks of other great bookstores and come to be accompanied by other books deserving of their proximity on its shelf.
If there is any flaw of In Praise of Good Bookstores, it is that Deutsch's encyclopedic repertoire of quotations and references to an impressively diverse array of authors, scholars, and booksellers in service of his thesis dilutes his own words, which is a shame considering how often Deutsch's writing fits snugly next to those of writers like Ralph Waldo Emerson, Simone Weil, and Hanif Abdurraqib. As evidence of this, I present the following excerpt:
"Perhaps [reading] is all about encountering uncertainty, confronting the majestic and powerful mysteries, not giving up hope that the concealed will be revealed, that uncertainties will clarify, but knowing that, even if they never do–and they likely never will–we will dwell in these moments all the same, even if for only the instant when one drop of blood on the top of a sword becomes two."
Anyone who has ever felt enchanted by the atmosphere of an independent bookstore, compelled to find their next book to fall into in search of transcendence, or had the pleasure of working in a great bookstore should consider this required reading.
A few years ago, coming out of college and without a means of sustaining myself during the summer before I would start my graduate program, I took the recommendation of a good friend to apply for a job where she worked, the Seminary Co-op. I had long been a patron of the store having gone to college at the University of Chicago, admiring its windowed walls, colorful stacks, and the intention with which its customers browsed and investigated its shelves. As I had just revitalized my love for reading, I thought it was a serendipitous opportunity to further develop my passion for literature amongst coworkers and peers that had a deeper familiarity with my interest than I had at the moment, along with having a way to keep paying rent.
For the sake of brevity, suffice it to say that this was the start of an unexpected spiritual awakening and enlightenment on the world and role of our independent bookstore for our local community and the nationwide community of bookstores and academic literature. Even after graduating from my master's program and starting a full-time job in a completely different field, I hold onto my role as a part-time bookseller because it is unquestionably a part of my identity. It has irrevocably changed the way in which I interact with and understand books, writing, authors, and the consumption of media.
In Praise of Bookstores is the manifesto that my bookstore's director, Jeff Deutsch, has been living and breathing for decades, and it is a remarkably rewarding experience to finally see his philosophy on the field of bookselling and independent bookstores come to fruition with the eloquence, spirituality, and zeal that it deserves. Anyone who has met Deutsch knows how much he loves bookselling -- so much so as to make bookselling the mission of our non-profit store the cultural good of bookselling itself (which he elaborates on with fervor and compassion in this book). Even as someone who has worked for him and what he essentially frames as a prototype for the "Good Bookstore" for years, Deutsch's words on the value of bookselling, what independent books uniquely offer readers, and the distinctive artistic beauty that can be found in the walls of an exceptional bookstore articulated the love for my role as a bookseller and a deeper understanding of just how much I do as a bookseller better than I imagined possible. The description of "souls incarnate in a bookstore" is something I have experienced on a profound emotional level interacting with many of the peers I have met working at the Co-op, and this book is the closest that I can imagine to condensing this platonic form of these "souls" into book form -- a process noted as a crystallization of one's legacy and work that the bookstore acts in service of facilitating. My hope is that this book will make its way into the stacks of other great bookstores and come to be accompanied by other books deserving of their proximity on its shelf.
If there is any flaw of In Praise of Good Bookstores, it is that Deutsch's encyclopedic repertoire of quotations and references to an impressively diverse array of authors, scholars, and booksellers in service of his thesis dilutes his own words, which is a shame considering how often Deutsch's writing fits snugly next to those of writers like Ralph Waldo Emerson, Simone Weil, and Hanif Abdurraqib. As evidence of this, I present the following excerpt:
"Perhaps [reading] is all about encountering uncertainty, confronting the majestic and powerful mysteries, not giving up hope that the concealed will be revealed, that uncertainties will clarify, but knowing that, even if they never do–and they likely never will–we will dwell in these moments all the same, even if for only the instant when one drop of blood on the top of a sword becomes two."
Anyone who has ever felt enchanted by the atmosphere of an independent bookstore, compelled to find their next book to fall into in search of transcendence, or had the pleasure of working in a great bookstore should consider this required reading.
August 17, 2022
Since I was a member, and spent loads of time (and money) in the original Seminary Coop back in the '80's (when I was working on an MA in English at blue-collared UI-C) I was really looking forward to reading this. My God the stuff they had for sale there, and on display! Things you could only otherwise find in an academic library.
But then I find out that Deutsch has only headed the Seminary Coop Bookstore (in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood, not affiliated with the U of Chicago - aka "the other U of C") for like 7 years, and is not one of the founding members. He has worked at many other "serious" bookstores (a difference he makes constantly), which he never mentions by name.
Or at least I was looking forward to the read for the 25 pp I did actually read, and the 25 pp I browsed - as one would in a "serious" bookstore, according to him.
Loaded with quotes (he appears to be an autodidact), most of them having to do with reading and books themselves (I do not find them to be "sacred", I find them to be tools), rather than about bookstores. Oh, and I know he knows this, but someone should remind Deutsch that bookstores are not libraries, and libraries are not bookstores.
I wish he had spent some time on the pittance that most bookstores pay their employees. While Amazon may be guilty of this in their warehouses, I also doubt if there are any bookstores that pay their core employees a living wage. Especially in Chicago, or other urban and academic hubs, which would be home to a "serious" bookstore.
He might have also added that the only way the Seminary Coop can continue to exist is by being dependent upon the sales at sister-store 57th Street Books. Where they sell less "serious" titles - and coffee cups and stuffed toys as well.
I read this as an ebook (can we pass that off as ironic?), and the formatting of the Footnotes is horrible. Click on a footnote number in the text, and it takes you to a page of footnotes - but then there is no way to click somewhere on that page and head back to where you were in the text! Also, the footnotes are author, partial title, and page number - period. That's all. If you want to find out the year of publication, or what journal some of the citations are coming from, you have to then go further back into the book to the Bibliography! Clunky, and definitely not user friendly. I am aware this is a legitimate footnote style, but it is not one that is appropriate for a more "popular", less scholarly or STEM, type of book.
A bookstore is not a library, nor is it a place of worship. Nor is it a hobby - it is an economic entity.
Mistitled - it should be called "In Praise of 'Serious' Bookstores".
But then I find out that Deutsch has only headed the Seminary Coop Bookstore (in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood, not affiliated with the U of Chicago - aka "the other U of C") for like 7 years, and is not one of the founding members. He has worked at many other "serious" bookstores (a difference he makes constantly), which he never mentions by name.
Or at least I was looking forward to the read for the 25 pp I did actually read, and the 25 pp I browsed - as one would in a "serious" bookstore, according to him.
Loaded with quotes (he appears to be an autodidact), most of them having to do with reading and books themselves (I do not find them to be "sacred", I find them to be tools), rather than about bookstores. Oh, and I know he knows this, but someone should remind Deutsch that bookstores are not libraries, and libraries are not bookstores.
I wish he had spent some time on the pittance that most bookstores pay their employees. While Amazon may be guilty of this in their warehouses, I also doubt if there are any bookstores that pay their core employees a living wage. Especially in Chicago, or other urban and academic hubs, which would be home to a "serious" bookstore.
He might have also added that the only way the Seminary Coop can continue to exist is by being dependent upon the sales at sister-store 57th Street Books. Where they sell less "serious" titles - and coffee cups and stuffed toys as well.
I read this as an ebook (can we pass that off as ironic?), and the formatting of the Footnotes is horrible. Click on a footnote number in the text, and it takes you to a page of footnotes - but then there is no way to click somewhere on that page and head back to where you were in the text! Also, the footnotes are author, partial title, and page number - period. That's all. If you want to find out the year of publication, or what journal some of the citations are coming from, you have to then go further back into the book to the Bibliography! Clunky, and definitely not user friendly. I am aware this is a legitimate footnote style, but it is not one that is appropriate for a more "popular", less scholarly or STEM, type of book.
A bookstore is not a library, nor is it a place of worship. Nor is it a hobby - it is an economic entity.
Mistitled - it should be called "In Praise of 'Serious' Bookstores".
July 10, 2023
This was a delightful book with wondrous thoughts about bookstores and their patrons. It contained beautiful quotes and abundant food for thought. As the business manager at Landmark Booksellers, I'd like to read this with our staff and discuss. This is a love note to bookstores and describes their utter importance to our communities.
January 10, 2025
4.5 stars
A thoroughly enjoyable, interesting, and thought-provoking read not only for booksellers but for anyone who reads! The writing was easy to follow with references that supported the point but also made me want to read more of the original authors as well. It got just a bit repetitive at times but that did not diminish how much I enjoyed the book and certainly not how many quotes I saved from it!
A thoroughly enjoyable, interesting, and thought-provoking read not only for booksellers but for anyone who reads! The writing was easy to follow with references that supported the point but also made me want to read more of the original authors as well. It got just a bit repetitive at times but that did not diminish how much I enjoyed the book and certainly not how many quotes I saved from it!
June 3, 2022
Jeff Deutsch makes a few true comments (in my opinion) about the struggles bookstores and libraries have in the digital buying age.
Deutsch says bookstores can't simply sell books to be successful. Store owners must also sell pens, pencils, paper, puzzles, cards and other doodahs. I confess I don't mind the pens/pencils/cards. The puzzles and children's toys set my teeth on edge.
Deutsch also says that libraries are now more community centers than book depositories. This is a heavy dose of reality for me since my local library just spent untold dollars remodeling the library and included a kitchen, a recording/video room and numerous "special" areas that are only available to select age groups. Complete nonsense, again, in my opinion.
Unfortunately, Deutsch used quotes from so many people it made the book difficult to read.
Deutsch says bookstores can't simply sell books to be successful. Store owners must also sell pens, pencils, paper, puzzles, cards and other doodahs. I confess I don't mind the pens/pencils/cards. The puzzles and children's toys set my teeth on edge.
Deutsch also says that libraries are now more community centers than book depositories. This is a heavy dose of reality for me since my local library just spent untold dollars remodeling the library and included a kitchen, a recording/video room and numerous "special" areas that are only available to select age groups. Complete nonsense, again, in my opinion.
Unfortunately, Deutsch used quotes from so many people it made the book difficult to read.
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