Seven Kinds of People You Find in Bookshops

by Shaun Bythell

Ο βιβλιοπώλης μας είναι ο άνθρωπος που, με τη θέλησή μας ή όχι, γνωρίζει σε βάθος τις ανησυχίες, τα όνειρα, ακόμα και την αισθητική μας, με βάση τους τίτλους που πηγαίνουμε στον πάγκο του. Πρόκειται για μια ξεχωριστή περίπτωση ειδικού, που σε πολλές περιπτώσεις μάς ξέρει καλύτερα ακόμα και από τους πιο κοντινούς μας.

Ο Shaun Bythell, ιδιοκτήτης παλαιοβιβλιοπωλείου σε μια κωμόπολη της Σκωτίας, είναι μια τέτοια περίπτωση ανθρώπου. Πίσω από το ταμείο παρατηρεί τους πελάτες του, και είναι τόσο διαφορετικοί μεταξύ τους, αλλά και τόσο όμοιοι σε πολλά, που καταλήγει να τους κατατάξει σε κατηγορίες. To Όσα σκέφτεται ο βιβλιοπώλης σου για σένα αποτελεί μια λεπτομερή αλλά ταυτόχρονα ξεκαρδιστική καταγραφή των ανθρώπων που συχνάζουν σε βιβλιοπωλεία - από τους φανατικούς βιβλιόφιλους μέχρι τους περαστικούς ποδηλάτες που αναζητούν καταφύγιο από τη βροχή.

Το Όσα σκέφτεται ο βιβλιοπώλης σου για σένα μοιάζει με το κλειδί για τα άδυτα ενός βιβλιοπωλείου, αλλά και μια κρυφή ματιά στο μυαλό του ιδιοκτήτη του, που ρίχνει μια κρυφή ματιά στο μυαλό των πελατών του. Ανάμεσα στις περιγραφές βιβλίων, αναγνωστών και συγγραφέων, είναι σίγουρο ότι ο βιβλιόφιλος θα αναγνωρίσει οικείες φιγούρες -και γιατί όχι;- και τον ίδιο τον εαυτό του.

Εισαγωγή
Γένος: Peritus (Ειδήμων)
Γένος: Familia Juvenis (Νέα Οικογένεια)
Γένος: Homo qui maleficas amat (Μυστικιστής)
Γένος: Homo qui desidet (Αργόσχολος)
Γένος: Senex Cum Barba (Μουσάτοι Συνταξιούχοι)
Γένος: Viator Non Tacitus
(Ο -Όχι Και Τόσο- Σιωπηλός Ταξιδιώτης)
Γένος: Parentum Historiae Studiosus
(Ερευνητής Οικογενειακού Δέντρου)
Επίμετρο
Γένος: Operarii (Προσωπικό)
Επίλογος

"Ο Bythell αντιμετωπίζει με σοβαρή κωμικότητα το επάγγελμά του... και δεν χαρίζεται σε κανέναν".
(The Washington Post)

"Ο Bythell είναι ένας δεξιοτέχνης μισάνθρωπος με εκρήξεις γλυκύτητας".
(Guardian)

"Σε αυτό το βιβλίο θα συναντήσετε όλα τα συστατικά της ανθρώπινης κωμωδίας".
(Literary Review)

"Ο Bythell διασκεδάζει με την πελατεία του και αυτό είναι μεταδοτικό".
(Scotsman)

Genres: Nonfiction, Books About Books, Humor, Memoir, Audiobook, Scotland, Contemporary

144 pages, Paperback

First published November 24, 2020

About the author

Shaun Bythell is the owner of The Bookshop in Wigtown, Scotland's National Book Town, and also one of the organisers of the Wigtown Festival.

When not working amongst The Bookshop’s mile of shelving, Shaun’s hobbies include eavesdropping on customers, uploading book-themed re-workings of Sugarhill Gang songs to YouTube and shooting Amazon Kindles in the wild.

https://www.facebook.com/thebookshopw...

Reviews

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am starting to lose track of the stories I tell on here, but I am pretty sure this one is still new. When I first went down to my favourite second-hand bookstore years and years ago, I was looking for Stevenson’s Treasure Island. I had just gone to a similar store in the vicinity and had been treated quite poorly. Terrible service, too large a store for its own good, impossible staff, etc. This store, on the other hand, was a welcome bit of respite from the disappointment. A little nook in the wall, incense burning, bearded bookseller, yellowed pages, 2 small sections in the store but packed from the ceiling to the floor. I was overwhelmed and overjoyed. As I searched for “S”, another customer came in. He greeted the owner by name, and the owner returned the favour. “Oh, a regular” I thought, and kept on looking. Several minutes later, I tuned in to what I can only describe as conversational detritus. The owner was engaged in a heated debate about the moon landing. And we all know how he was coming at the topic! The conversation seemed to have been started by the customer, who was returning each point with an agreement and a further step into the land of conspiracy theory. “Wow. This is the place to be, eh?” I remember thinking. If you have ever been to a second-hand store, you know that the rarest editions of treasures are found in these stores. I was not wrong. I kept going back. It has been many years since that rainy day – there are now two lovely owners in the place of that burly, bearded owner. I know them both by name and vice-versa (though I don’t love discussing the moon landing or contactless payment, only literature). They will discuss Heidegger and Russian literature with me, and I will nod, pretending as if I am in that ballpark. But all these years later, Bythell has given me a typology for that customer – Genus: Homo qui maleficas amat (Occultist); Type Two, Species: Homo qui coniurationes fervet (Conspiracy Theorist).

Though many might take this book to be a joke, those of us who have spent the equivalent of weeks in such stores know 2 or 3 examples for each specification. A few of my favourites?

- Genus: Peritus (Expert); Type One, Species: Doctus (Specialist). “This is the kind of person who comes into the shop for no other reason than to lecture you about whatever their field of specialist interest is, and derives a singular pleasure when you know absolutely nothing about it, as you almost certainly won’t.”

- Genus: Homo qui desidet (Loiterer); Type Three, Species: Coniunx Vexata (Bored Spouse). “The bored spouse can be recognised immediately because the first thing they’ll do is find the most comfortable seat in the shop and remain there until their partner has finished browsing, or becomes acutely aware that their waiting spouse’s patience is a finite commodity, and one that is being rapidly exhausted. The mobile phone is a mixed blessing, but since its advent at least bored spouse can play Candy Crush Saga to distract themselves until their partner has satisfied their craving for literature.”

- Genus: Senex cum barba (Bearded Pensioner); Type Three, Species: Qui in parvam domum moverunt (Downsizers). “This is not a species you’ll find in shops that sell new books, but they appear on a daily basis in second-hand bookshops, trying to convince you that their tatty old Reader’s Digest Book of the Car is worth a fortune, or that their Miller’s Antiques Prices Guide for 1978 is a really significant milestone in English literature.”

Yes, I also found myself somewhere in there, but I won’t come out with it – some cards are best kept close to the chest. This is a charming and hilarious book, and if you are into hunting for your books as much as I am, you will love it.

[teleri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh. The author came off as a little self-centered, especially towards the end when he compared himself to hipsters. Just let people enjoy whatever they want as long as it’s not hurting anybody, and last time I checked wearing tweed and having a beard doesn’t.

The book also felt like it went on forever despite being under one hundred and fifty pages. I kept expecting the chapters to end and nope, here’s another entry, whoops, and another, oh! and another. Finally, I finished it and it wasn’t that great.

>I received an ebook of this from NetGalley, in return for an honest review.

[Ingrid · Rating 4 out of 5]

As this was only a novella I finished it much quicker than I hoped I would. It was tongue in cheek with a sharp edge.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

A short introduction to the seven(ish) kinds of people you often meet in bookshops. From the bearded pensioner to the insistent whistler, Shaun Bythell covers them all.

This had the potential to be a little mean spirited, however Bythell has a certain type of humour that lends itself well to self depicting as well as generally just making fun of human behaviour and it's various quirks. He exudes a fondness for his customers while in the same breathe lamenting their existence. I also love that Shaun drops in little gems of information on literature and the book buying world. It's such an interesting, highly niche market with such an eclectic set of clientele. I just wanted more, and this is why I can't rate this any higher. His previous books have delved a lot deeper into Shaun's life, his friendships and colleagues on top of these customers and I guess I wanted more of that.

Short and sweet, this would be a good introduction to Bythell's writing, but do check out The Diary of a Bookseller too for more of an in-depth look into this utterly fascinating line of work.

[Alicea · Rating 1 out of 5]

So patronizing and borderline offensive. I thought this would be funny little anecdotes like Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops. I was disappointed to discover it was more like judgmental labeling.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cheerfully colored and sized to fit into a Christmas stocking, this is a fun follow-up to Bythell’s accounts of life at The Bookshop in Wigtown, The Diary of a Bookseller and Confessions of a Bookseller. Within his seven categories are multiple subcategories, all given tongue-in-cheek Latin names as if naming species. When I saw him chat with Lee Randall at the opening event of the Wigtown Book Festival, he introduced a few, such as the autodidact who knows more than you and will tell you all about their pet subject (the Homo odiosus, or bore). This is not the same, though, as the expert who shares genuinely useful knowledge – of a rare cover version on a crime paperback, for instance (Homo utilis, a helpful person).

There’s also the occultists, the erotica browsers, the local historians, the self-published authors, the bearded pensioners (Senex cum barba) holidaying in their caravans, and the young families – now that he has one of his own, he’s become a bit more tolerant. Setting aside the good-natured complaints, who are his favorite customers? Those who revel in the love of books and don’t quibble about the cost. Generally, these are not antiquarian book experts looking for a bargain, but everyday shoppers who keep a low-key collection of fiction or maybe specifically sci-fi and graphic novels, which fly off the shelves for good prices.

So which type am I? Well, occasionally I’m a farter (Crepans), but you won’t hold that against me, will you? I’d like to think I fit squarely into the normal people category (Homines normales) when I visited Wigtown in April 2018: we went in not knowing what we wanted but ended up purchasing a decent stack and even had a pleasant conversation with the man himself at the till – he’s much less of a curmudgeon in person than in his books. I do recommend this to those who have read and loved his other work.

Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.

[Jenna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I typically don’t write reviews on non fiction, but I felt I have no choice with this one, because I don’t want someone to see it on my Goodreads shelf as “Read” and then falsely assume that I recommend it. I don’t.

90% of this book is Blythell complaining about the kinds of customers that he doesn’t like, but also seemingly are the people who keep his bookshop open because they do indeed spend money. I understand that this is supposed to be satirical, and some sections were (e.g. the whistling customer, the farting customer). But many of them were broad generalizations of people who read a certain genre of book that Blythell apparently deems unworthy, or boring, or dumb (if you’re an American, don’t go into this guys store and ask for books about genealogy, because he will 100% judge you for it). This guy has to be a “glass half empty” dude, and reading ~100 pages of his opinions on people really left a bad taste in my mouth. I did not find most of it funny, I found it distasteful.

He does spend about 10% of the book talking about the good customers that come in, but they apparently are few and far in between. These sections are the ones I liked most, but again, they took up a small percentage of the book.

I bought this one as a kindle deal one day and saved it for when I needed something quick, and now I’m mildly upset that I purchased it and supported someone who appears to be quite unfriendly and only wants to help you purchase books if you are a certain type of person.

It’s a no from me, y’all.

[Vesna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't understand how anyone can rate this book with less than 5 stars unless s/he recognized him/her-self in one of the species categories of Bythell's hilarious Linnaeus classification of bookshop visitors (not all of whom necessarily buy or even read books :-)) and has a very thin skin. What a great way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon. We laughed and laughed, and by the time we reached the last Genus/type, it was like "Oh, no, this is going to end!" One of the funniest books, hands down.

[Diane Barnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have worked in used book stores and in a big box store, and he is right about these types of people. However, I suspect they are also pretty common in any type of retail or business where one works with the public.

[Emma Hardy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sadly this didn't work for me at all. Came across obnoxious and mean spirited, maybe just not my sense of humour.
Tried to keep going, but even this short book couldn't keep me interested.

[Lea · Rating 1 out of 5]

Definitely a cash grab. It's very short and incredibly meandering, all filler. Unlike the other books by Bythell (his diaries) I struggled to find humour and wit here.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 4 out of 5]

When visiting his Wigtown bookshop, which is a must see if you are in the area and it's open again, I bought Sean Bythell's first book, The Diary of Bookseller. I found it to be a very entertaining read so bought and enjoyed his second book, Confessions of a Bookseller too. When I spotted he had a third book out, The Seven Kinds of People You Find in Bookshops, I had to get myself a copy of that too. The author is well known for his grumpy attitude to customers in his books and his Facebook page (although I found him very pleasant when I visited the shop), so I was interested to see just how he was going to label all those who come through his doors.

This is a short enjoyable read in which Bythell categorises all his customers into seven broad classifications (well, 8 or maybe 9 actually), much as if this was a science textbook. Within the classifications are further sub-categories. For example, under the Familia Juvenis (young family) section, you will find exhausted parents, abandoned child, aspirational parents and (thankfully) book-loving children. The senex cum barba (bearded pensioners) category made me laugh out loud, particularly reading about the author's dad's first ever innocent Google search! I am hoping that I would fit into the Cliens Perfectus category, hopefully into the homines normales sub-group. Certainly I'd never behave in the way some customers do! However, these less than perfect customers do make for some funny moments. Funny as a reader anyway, probably not as a bookshop owner.

I think that Shaun Bythell secretly likes most of his customers, but if they were all homines normales, then what would he have to write about? So thank goodness for the less than perfect customers who make this book so entertaining! The Seven Kinds of People You Find in Bookshops is written with warmth and affection for bookshops and book-buyers and would be an ideal little gift for any book lover.

[8stitches 9lives · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shaun Bythell returns with another charming and amusing third book in the Bookshop series and is an exploration of those who frequent his bookshop. From behind the counter, Shaun Bythell catalogs the customers who roam his shop in Wigtown, Scotland. There’s the Expert (divided into subspecies from the Bore to the Helpful Person), the Young Family (ranging from the Exhausted to the Aspirational), Occultists (from Conspiracy Theorist to Craft Woman). Then there's the Loiterer (including the Erotica Browser and the Self-Published Author), the Bearded Pensioner (including the Lyrca Clad), and the The Not-So-Silent Traveller (the Whistler, Sniffer, Hummer, Farter, and Tutter). Two bonus sections include Staff and, finally, Perfect Customer―all add up to one of the funniest book about books you’ll ever find.

Shaun Bythell’s unique observational eye and dry wit make this perfect for anyone who loves bookshops―including all the kinds of the people you meet inside. It is a delightful, engaging and fascinating book, which all bibliophiles should thoroughly enjoy. The anecdotes kept me entertained throughout and it's written in such a way that you fly through the pages. Wigtown isn't too far from me and this has prompted me to want to visit the shop. A safe space for book lovers from all walks of life, Bythell is a sharp observer of those he meets. It's an interesting look at the life and trials and tribulations of a second hand bookshop proprietor, and I loved that his passion for what he does shines through in his writing. Many thanks to Profile Books for an ARC.

[Auntie Terror · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I need bingo cards to accompany this book. x-D [rtc]

[♥ Sandi ❣ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

This book is tongue in cheek - nothing to take seriously, but very funny if you read it correctly. This book gives you the 7 different kinds of people you find in a bookshop, then a follow chapter up for the "Operarii" or the staff. Each kind of person of course has various 'types' that Bythell also breaks down to describe. I am sure you can change the word 'bookshop' to any other establishment and still be safe in his definitions.

I believe I fit in in Chapter 5 ~~ Genus: Senex cum barba or the Bearded Pensioner. I would be type 3 - the Downsizer, of course minus the beard.

The Wall Street Journal says "Bythell's wicked pen and keen eye for the absurd recalls what comic Ricky Gervais might say if he ran a bookshop". I think that says it best.

My only negative comment would be in reference to the audio book - which I also had access to. Peter Kenny was the narrator. What made him hard to understand is he talked at 900 miles per hour! Often way to fast to even begin to understand him. I had no way to show down the speech on the discs so was very happy I also had the hardback book to follow along. If not for the book I would have missed a lot of the dialog. With a bit further exploration I found that maybe Kenny was instructed to jabber on at 900 miles per hour in this narration, because in listening to his narration of other books he was quite understandable. It is too bad he ruined this audio book with his incessant jabbering.

[♡ Martina ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una lettura veramente piacevole anche se molto breve. Ritengo che manchino alcune tipologie di "tipi" da libreria ma pensa che l'intento dell'autore fosse quello di raccogliere ed elencare i tipi più strani e stravaganti che spesso pullulano nelle librerie.
Io ritengo di appartenere alla classe di "clienti normali" anche se ha detta dell'autore per essere normali siamo piuttosto rari.
Lo consiglio per chi ha voglia di una lettura leggera, ironica e senza troppe pretese.

[Christy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Short as this book is, I still found myself skimming. Bookseller Shaun Bythell has nothing good to say about any of his customers. So why does a guy who dislikes people so much run a people-oriented business? I never found the answer to that one. I’m sure, however, that if I’m ever in Wigtown, Scotland, I absolutely won’t visit his bookshop.

[Julie Durnell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable and amusing, not too snarky, but I did like the first two bookshop books better. Several laugh out loud situations!

[Viola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tāds mazmazītiņš grāmatu veikalu apmeklētāju klasifikātors. Domāju, katrs, kurš strādā klientu apkalpošanas sfērā, varētu tādu izveidot. Jā, vietām smieklīgi, bet vairāk tomēr laužas ārā autora augstprātība.

[David Cerruti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brief descriptions of (usually annoying) bookshop customers.
Descriptions by goodreader Petra X are more entertaining.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shaun Bythell, owner of The Bookshop in Wigtown, puts together some wry observations about the strange people he has encountered in his daily work.
Bythell made me laugh throughout this book & as I've worked in retail for a long time I've seen many of the people he mentions. A lot of them (especially The Whistler) may be very irritating at the time, but it's funny looking back at them later on.
It's a pleasure to see an author keen to criticise himself & his staff as well as the customers. A light & delightful book to read.

[Shkurenko Sanya · Rating 1 out of 5]

Так. Кому ещё не стало понятно, что Шон Байтелл редкостный тошнила? Вот, возьмите эту брошюру. Не стоит благодарности.

[Kristīne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Veselai grāmatai materiāla te ir par maz, autoram haltūra, lai uzturētu savu biznesu virs ūdens. Kas nav slikts mērķis, bet ir pretrunā ar paša autora vārdiem - viņš vairākkārt uzsver, ka nekad negrib apkrāpt tos, no kuriem pērk grāmatas tālākpārdošanai, bet sanāk - lasītājus var?

BTW, I said it first.

https://kikalasa.tumblr.com/post/1711...

[Samuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

How many books do you have? Do I get a bulk discount if I buy two books? Those are some of the customer questions that Shaun Bythell has to deal with on a daily basis, running the largest secondhand bookshop in Scotland. Can you blame Bythell for being a bit grumpy? Listening to this book actually reminded me of a BBC TV series that I used to love watching: Grumpy Old Men (in which middle-aged men talk about issues of modern life that irritate them).

Seven Kinds of People You Find in Bookshops is an amusing, and at times hilarious, listen. I’m a big fan of Shaun Bythell’s personable writing style and dry, biting sense of humour, made even more entertaining by Peter Kenny’s comically upbeat narration. In this book, Bythell categories the seven types of customers who frequent his shop, each divided into some very amusing sub-categories. These include The Erotica Browser, The Ghost Hunter, The Bored Spouse, The Tutter (who is actively seeking disappointment) The Sniffer and, the hard to ignore, The Farter. The bonus chapters discuss an ever-dwindling eighth category The Perfect Customer (which apparently include ‘normal people’) and the various types of staff you find in bookshops. In his description of The Secondhand Bookseller, Bythell shows he has no trouble directing some of that acerbic with at himself:

Ancient, crumbling and often drunk or hungover, the secondhand bookseller is self-employed for no other reason than that they have no choice. Nobody in their right mind would ever give a job to someone so completely devoid of the most rudimentary social skills that even a Neanderthal outcast would look like Jay Gatsby in their company.

In addition to his humorous descriptions of customers, the author includes some amusing stories and anecdotes from his personal life and his staff. On the whole, I very much enjoyed this latest book by Shaun Bythell. My only qualm is that it was way too short: 143 pages / 2-hour listen. More please! Way more!

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to say having helped out at a charity bookshop for several years I do find reading these types of books both entertaining and enlightening - after all as humours as they are there are elements of truth to them.

Now I am sure there are some out there who associate themselves with some of the less favourably presented types (there are always those out there who will) there are many more who fall in to not the cherished but practically revered groups who keep second hand book shops afloat.

And as one who can identify themselves as having been both sides of the counter - both as a sell and as a buyer I have to say that each and everyone of those portrayed in this book brings something new and entertaining - as honestly there is one thing that is worse than anything described in this book - and that is an empty bookshop. So yes read at your leisure and see where you identify yourself as but either way just remember you choose to read (after all what else would you be doing with this book) and that is where the beauty lies.

[Amanda Mae · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s very satisfying to know that even though I worked in a chain bookstore and now a series of public libraries, the same kinds of people walk into my places of business as in a secondhand bookshop in Scotland. This was absolutely spot on and a real treat to read. If you are a fan of the bookstore, and even better a fan of Black Books, make sure you read this one!

[Tania · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not in a diary format like the other two, but this is recognisably written by one of my favourite curmudgeonly booksellers. (Only beaten by Bernard Black).

[Debra K · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am going to start this review off by saying that I wanted to enjoy this book so much. What more could you want, it was a book about books. Unfortunately that was not the case for me.

What I was expecting from the title is a narration by someone who used to own or work in a bookshop going through the seven kinds of people you find in a bookshop with a funny narration and something I might relate to by either being one of those people being described or knowing someone or seeing someone like what is being described. That was not the case.

Now, this is just my interpretation of what I read so it may be that I had misunderstood in some way or took some of the jokes the wrong way but I didn't find a lot of this funny or relateable and not only that but I found some descriptions to be a bit too much judgemental. I get the feeling that a lot of assumptions were taken by the author in describing people in this book and those assumptions (or opinions) I felt were very judgemental and not given in the spirit of being nice. Some comments I felt were not very nice.

This story just wasn't for me. I found the humour to be too mean and judgemental for my tastes.


For more reviews, please check out the link below:
Debra's Book Cafe

Debs :-)

[Colleen Fauchelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I worked in a bookshop for 10 years + and I loved the customers that came in I only struck the odd one that was quite stressful to deal with. This book was an interesting way at looking at customers. I think the one you laugh about is the one that is close to who you are as a customer.

[Katy O. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just loved returning to Wigtown and The Bookshop and Bythell’s cantankerous style ❤️ The cover is adorable and I want this in my “books about books” collection.