Un bestiaire de bouquinistes

by Aaron Cometbus, Chat Chuffit (Translator)

Aaron Cometbus, auteur et éditeur incontournable de fanzines punks américains, a longtemps été bouquiniste à New York. Dans cette série de portraits tendres et mordants, il nous plonge dans le milieu des "libraires grincheux" et des collectionneurs acharnés de livres improbables. Toute une galerie de personnages hauts en couleurs et hors du temps s'anime sous nos yeux : pilleurs de vide-greniers, clochards célestes, lecteurs compulsifs...

Mais au-delà d’une profession avec ses codes et ses pratiques, Cometbus décrit une ville, New York, avec ses cicatrices, traces d’époques révolues. Un carnet de voyage urbain et underground; un manifeste célébrant la rêverie et le décalage comme armes de combat.

Genres: Nonfiction

164 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

Aaron Elliott, better known as Aaron Cometbus, is a drummer, lyricist, self-described "punk anthropologist" and author of Cometbus, a seminal punk rock zine.

Reviews

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cometbus #56: A Bestiary of Booksellers.

An A to Z trip through the world of the New York bookseller scene, as reported by Aaron Cometbus in this 2015 edition of the long running punk zine.

What can I say about this? I have been a fan of Aaron and the Cometbus ‘zine since I was a teenager, though I’ve fallen off reading his work, while he has been working nonstop for over 35 years now. When I read Cometbus, I am reading from someone who has always inspired me as a writer. He has always epitomized the spirit of punk in his writing, in the undertaking of a ‘zine that is seen and loved by a large number of people but never truly gone mainstream. He can be positive, but not in a “blow sunshine up your ass” kind of way…and yet he can also be scathing when he needs to be, pointing out hypocrisy or making observations that I find myself emphatically agreeing with—like on the “Namaste for me, fuck you to you” attitude of the Whole Foods crowd…I’m paraphrasing here because I can’t find the quote.

Admittedly, I will always be a bigger fan of his earlier travel stories, but no one can do that forever. It is just good to see where his travels have finally led him: to a place where he can be ensconced and report on the world he inhabits with other New York City booksellers. Aaron goes through an almost anthropological study of the bookselling world, a world that is so varied and unexpected that it is downright fascinating. Along the way is a mini-thread of his quest to locate a woman that he has become smitten with, whom he dubs “The Raccoon” (his writing has always been full of colorful pseudonyms and aliases.)

Ok, picky criticisms, the kind that you reserve only for the things you truly love: yes, I miss the Aaron Cometbus handwritten “font,” one of the trademarks of this ‘zine. I totally get what a painstaking labor that must have been, and I certainly cannot fault him for moving into the last century by finally switching over to a 19th Century Schoolbook font. I’m sure it was time. (Again: this is not a serious criticism, and I am mostly kidding anyway.) He speaks of scams, rip-offs, old men, hoarders, collectors, community, library sales, and all manner of resale. The underlying truth of the bookseller is that no one does it for the money….at least no one gets rich selling used books. And at one point when Aaron nearly fantasizes about the benefits of simply having a job where you hate your boss, waste time, screw around and punch out, rather than trying to fend for yourself by being in business for yourself…well, it just turns everything you hate about your job on its head, doesn’t it?

A Bestiary of Booksellers reaffirmed everything I’ve always loved about Cometbus. I have a modest collection of Cometbus at home that has been diminished by loaning out the issues I liked the best. I regret that maybe slightly, as I also regret not keeping up with this ‘zine.

But anyway, life is not about regret. Life is about simple pleasures. Like drinking coffee and reading Cometbus.

[Ryan Mishap · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believed that I loved books, but I really love stories. Aaron truly loves books and became a used book seller in New York. That's an understated phrase, book seller, because it is a life--and this volume is about those that life attracts. Cleverly framed by the A is For, B is For chapter titles, this is well-written, smart, engaging, and wide-ranging. Recommended.

Some years back Aaron put out a call for those invested in DIY publishing to stay true, essentially. That too many of the most talented writers in the DIY scene too quickly sought or got book deals instead of helping to build up the alternatives. There was much more to his elegant and fiery argument, but he certainly walks the talk. This is a perfect example of what we can produce without publishers and the gatekeepers of literature.

[CJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really 4.5 stars.

I was hooked from the moment I read about the booksellers invading a CT library sale. As a veteran of such sales, I recognized the type immediately. Loved the rest. A fantastic survey of bookseller types in NYC. Much enjoyed. A top pick of this year and highly recommended to those who love used books.

[Smiley III · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great! Typical, atypical Cometbus: the more he flees his Berkeley upbringing, the more he keeps them safe, not unreal, and within his grasp. A great lesson to all of us about how to "keep it real" not by stasis, but by active questioning, and growth. Oh, and by the way: this zine's an important document of NYC booksellers, going back a generation-or-two, that you'd never have heard of barring some New Yorker or Atlantic Monthly article, which'd never happen, or some long-form 200+ pages work, which is at least unlikely. And, on top of that: it reads like a breeze, self-effacing and contra-pretentious. If you don't know Aaron Cometbus's writing — or you think you do — here's at least a chance to catch up and/or check in. The man's the Ian MacKaye of zines! (No offense to Pagan Kennedy. Or Liz Clayton. Or Lara Cohen. Or ... )

[Charles Brownstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterpiece. Cometbus' vivid prose captures the eternally fading dynamics of New York, bookselling, and romantic pursuit with a keenly observant eye and a great deal of sweetness. A wonderful counter to The Loneliness of the Electric Menorah, which explored Telegraph Avenue bookselling against the author processing his parents' deaths, Bestiary shows him settled into a self made maturity in the milieu of his choosing. Yet this is all under the surface, for Cometbus is nothing if not curious about the people of the world around him, and in this edition he does them proud. This may be his best book yet.

[Chris]

A workmate passed on this copy (and a couple others) of Cometbus’s work. It is an enjoyable introduction to the world of booksellers. Cometbus has a good ear for the dialogue that propels a story and weaving in his own romance with another collector, who he spies around the dollar racks and the “pop-ups” on the street, adds a trajectory to this alphabetical collection of personalities one finds in the world of book collecting and selling.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Possibly my favorite Cometbus to date of the many I’ve read. As always a loving portrait of a subculture, this time focused on booksellers and thus able to serve as a love letter to books and book lovers. It’s structured around introducing a cast of characters, but the overarching story of Aaron’s pursuit of a particular book person works really well as a through line and is balanced so well with the other elements - he’s really a great writer masquerading as a DIY scribbler.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun, well-told, and fascinating inside look at the lives of over-the-top, obsessed booksellers in New York. The characters were quirky and fun to follow. As always, Combetbus's turns of phrase, descriptions, and insight were incredible.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating look into the characters and m.o.'s of New York used book dealers. I learned so much! The weird thing is that I don't know any of my friends who would enjoy it as much as I did.

[Brendan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This makes me miss the Gotham Book Mart. Cometbus’ writing gets better and better with age.

[EC · Rating 5 out of 5]

B-E-A-S-T-I-E GO! -Be.ast.ia.ality- of booksellers. He's trying to send us a message in his words...

[Polynyas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic trip amongst the many books and characters of New York.

[Jak Krumholtz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man I forgot how much I love Cometbus. (I've read over forty of them) This one stands out and makes a great place for someone to be introduced to him. (Even if it's typed and not meticulously handwritten like he used to do.) Such an enjoyable read about booksellers.

[Jeff Buddle · Rating 5 out of 5]

For every letter of the alphabet, Aaron Cometbus introduces something new about NYC booksellers. And not just your run-of-the-mill bookseller --no not Mr. Cometbus-- he introduces us to the world of street booksellers, those bearded grumps selling treasure troves of tomes on fold-up tables. Aaron was once one of these itinerant sellers, so he knows well the scoop.

But dig, lest ye miss it. This is really a love story. A thread runneth through it. Aaron may be introducing us to the venerable Adam, or Lennie The Linebacker, but an elusive woman is lurking in these pages and the story is truly the tale of Aaron's pursuit of said woman.

Does he get her? Does boy-meet-girl and settle down happily ever after? Ah, Aaron's world is not so simple. And that's what makes it so great. I've been reading Cometbus for close to 25 yrs now and it's a work of punk rock genius if you ask me. A lasting legacy rooted firmly in the underground.

This is a charming book. Aaron's voice is unique, colloquial and thoughtful and entirely devoid of the MFA crap that destroys most of contemporary writing. If I were to compose a list of top ten favorite writers (living) Aaron Cometbus would be on that list. Keep living Aaron! We're the same age after all.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been too long since I jumped into the world of Cometbus. This edition dedicated to NYC booksellers could not have come at a better time for me, having just gone through a bought of spring book selling myself. I'm a book lover and book geek and so this story about the unique, passionate, "bearded" curmudgeons who are the legendary booksellers of the streets of NY was a great read. Makes you look at the profession of bookselling a little bit differently and it also makes you realize that everyone has different motivations for what they do. Aaron is a gifted writer and story teller and there is nothing lacking in this collection, not even the quest for the girl! Loved, loved, loved this!

But now I'm trying to remember which issue of Cometbus I first read about Aaron selling books on the street in Brooklyn... seems like yesterday and forever ago and it seems that Aaron has really joined the ranks and established himself in NYC within the professional booksellers. I'm so sad that I missed checking out his shop on my last visit.

I also am inspired to go and re-read every Cometbus I have!

[David Macpherson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A look at booksellers in New York. Not the tweedy kinds, but those who sell on the street on card tables and root through old houses and waiting in line for Church and Library Book Sales to open. It is a great introduction to the world and Cometbus writes well as always. But this is a lost world, and he doesn't address that too much. A lot of the story takes place around the dollar book racks outside Gotham Book Mart, which has been closed for nearly a decade. Kindle and ebooks are not mentioned at all. The story is a piece of nostalgia and with that it becomes all the sadder. There is a love story inside this and that works very well, the structure is very good. This is one of my favorite Cometbus books.

[10thumbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I continue to be in awe of Aaron Cometbus' command of language and ability to tell stories (or anthropological/sociological reports if you prefer) in short, seemingly unrelated bursts that build up to more than sum of their parts. A Bestiary of Booksellers is his poignant introduction (to us) of the people — men, women, friends, lovers, adversaries — alongside whom he loves, searches for, gathers, reads and sells books in New York City. Human and lovely.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've ever worked in a bookstore, known someone who has, or just love bookstores and hunting for books, read this. It's an insider's look into a world I didn't know existed--NYC street book vending--told by a legendary zine writer who is also a street book vendor. He has a passion for what he does, and an inspiring open-mindedness about his fellow vendors and the world in general. Even if he does occasionally pee on the shoes of customers.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Classic Cometbus. Cheesy, but irresistible. Comfort reading for aging punk intellectuals.

Before reading this, I had no idea that Aaron had sold books on the streets of NYC, nor had he opened a brick-and-mortar bookstore there. Though I did enjoy his writing about bookstores in previous issues.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like Cometbus stuff, you'll like this. I liked it quite a bit more than the issue before. Colorful characters against an interesting setting with just a bit of cliche and tired punk references. Solid.

[James Payne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oof, the sentimental treacle in this one. Last lines:

"I asked 'Have you found the meaning of life out here on the dollar racks?'
It was a joke, one that should have fallen flat. Instead Franny surprised me.
'Yes,' she said, with a knowing smile. 'As a matter of fact, I have.'"

[Hokomoko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great Cometbus. Here we enter his milieu and discover a strange cast of characters and the conditions in which our beloved used books emerge, trade and finally disappear - along with those who (in so many ways) trade in them.

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mean, not his best but Cometbus can even make his obsessions an interesting read.

[Xander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fans of Aaron Cometbus won't be disappointed with this circuitous, cantankerous, and unavoidably lovable anthropology of the used book trade in NYC.

[Donald · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Cometbus.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had spent years not bothering to ever pick an issue of Cometbus. I guess now I know what I was missing.

[Alissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the title suggests, this is really just a compendium of characters, almost entirely male, set against a backdrop of a gentrifying New York. No real plot to speak of, fairly standard Cometbus fare.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everything you wanted to know about the booksellers trade.