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The Last Bookseller: A Life in the Rare Book Trade
A wry, unvarnished chronicle of a career in the rare book trade during its last Golden Age
When Gary Goodman wandered into a run-down, used-book shop that was going out of business in East St. Paul in 1982, he had no idea the visit would change his life. He walked in as a psychiatric counselor and walked out as the store’s new owner. In The Last Bookseller Goodman describes his sometimes desperate, sometimes hilarious career as a used and rare book dealer in Minnesota—the early struggles, the travels to estate sales and book fairs, the remarkable finds, and the bibliophiles, forgers, book thieves, and book hoarders he met along the way.
Here we meet the infamous St. Paul Book Bandit, Stephen Blumberg, who stole 24,000 rare books worth more than fifty million dollars; John Jenkins, the Texas rare book dealer who (probably) was murdered while standing in the middle of the Colorado River; and the eccentric Melvin McCosh, who filled his dilapidated Lake Minnetonka mansion with half a million books. In 1990, with a couple of partners, Goodman opened St. Croix Antiquarian Books in Stillwater, one of the Twin Cities region’s most venerable bookshops until it closed in 2017. This store became so successful and inspired so many other booksellers to move to town that Richard Booth, founder of the “book town” movement in Hay-on-Wye in Wales, declared Stillwater the First Book Town in North America.
The internet changed the book business forever, and Goodman details how, after 2000, the internet made stores like his obsolete. In the 1990s, the Twin Cities had nearly fifty secondhand bookshops; today, there are fewer than ten. As both a memoir and a history of booksellers and book scouts, criminals and collectors, The Last Bookseller offers an ultimately poignant account of the used and rare book business during its final Golden Age.
When Gary Goodman wandered into a run-down, used-book shop that was going out of business in East St. Paul in 1982, he had no idea the visit would change his life. He walked in as a psychiatric counselor and walked out as the store’s new owner. In The Last Bookseller Goodman describes his sometimes desperate, sometimes hilarious career as a used and rare book dealer in Minnesota—the early struggles, the travels to estate sales and book fairs, the remarkable finds, and the bibliophiles, forgers, book thieves, and book hoarders he met along the way.
Here we meet the infamous St. Paul Book Bandit, Stephen Blumberg, who stole 24,000 rare books worth more than fifty million dollars; John Jenkins, the Texas rare book dealer who (probably) was murdered while standing in the middle of the Colorado River; and the eccentric Melvin McCosh, who filled his dilapidated Lake Minnetonka mansion with half a million books. In 1990, with a couple of partners, Goodman opened St. Croix Antiquarian Books in Stillwater, one of the Twin Cities region’s most venerable bookshops until it closed in 2017. This store became so successful and inspired so many other booksellers to move to town that Richard Booth, founder of the “book town” movement in Hay-on-Wye in Wales, declared Stillwater the First Book Town in North America.
The internet changed the book business forever, and Goodman details how, after 2000, the internet made stores like his obsolete. In the 1990s, the Twin Cities had nearly fifty secondhand bookshops; today, there are fewer than ten. As both a memoir and a history of booksellers and book scouts, criminals and collectors, The Last Bookseller offers an ultimately poignant account of the used and rare book business during its final Golden Age.
200 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2021
28 people are currently reading
2608 people want to read
About the author
Gary Goodman
1 book14 followersGary Goodman has been a used and rare book dealer in Minnesota for nearly forty years. He co-founded St. Croix Antiquarian Booksellers and the Stillwater Book Center in Stillwater, Minnesota--a town that became known as the First Booktown in North America in the mid-1990s. He put six kids through college selling secondhand books, a feat that makes him a Genuine American Hero. He is the co-author of The Stillwater Booktown Times and The Secret History of Golf in Scotland.
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October 27, 2021
Secondhand book selling was a "business that had functioned almost unchanged for 600 years...the saturation and instant gratification [of] online selling platforms began to exert a profound influence...dampening the enthusiasm of 'hunter-gatherers' on a quest to save books that otherwise might be lost." Gary Goodman was an antiquarian book seller, an occupation he embraced purely by accident.
A going out of business sign in a run-down, used bookshop in East-St. Paul, Minnesota caught his eye. The year was 1982. It was a closet-sized bookstore, housing unlikely to be sold books, and was in a bad location. Too late, Gary had signed on as the new owner. Placing a box of one dollar books in front of the store, a passing dog peed on the books in the carton! Gary needed to fast track his knowledge of running a bookstore. A trade publication called Antiquarian Bookman's Weekly provided insight into a "high adventure, the excitement and anxiety of the chase, and the opportunity to unearth unpublished documents and original manuscripts.
As a journeyman bookseller, Gary could acquire books from library sales, thrift shops, estate sales, and abandoned storage lockers. "A successful book scout knew a good book...that the book had a market...Larry McMurtry, author of "Lonesome Dove", started as a book scout."
The market value of a rare book was based upon supply and demand. A first printing of Action Comics #1 with a first appearance by Superman was a most valuable acquisition. "Some of the most notorious criminals in history happened to be book sellers or book collectors. Stephen Blumberg aka the Book Bandit, was arrested in St. Paul Minnesota in 1990 for "liberating books from libraries, museums, and bookstores, stolen to 'protect' them."
In 1990, Gary and partners opened St. Croix Books in Stillwater, Minnesota. Although a venerable secondhand bookshop, its doors closed in 2017. Second hand bookselling was now a vanishing breed. "The Last Bookseller" by Gary Goodman is both a memoir describing a 35 year career as an antiquarian book seller as well as a history of thieves, forgers and book hoarders. In "The Private Papers of a Bankrupt Bookseller" published in 1930, a book hoarder writes, "I don't think I ever parted with any book from all my stock but with a feeling of regret...even though I must sell to live-to lose possession [of a book] wrenches me." A highly recommended read!
Thank you University of Minnesota and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A going out of business sign in a run-down, used bookshop in East-St. Paul, Minnesota caught his eye. The year was 1982. It was a closet-sized bookstore, housing unlikely to be sold books, and was in a bad location. Too late, Gary had signed on as the new owner. Placing a box of one dollar books in front of the store, a passing dog peed on the books in the carton! Gary needed to fast track his knowledge of running a bookstore. A trade publication called Antiquarian Bookman's Weekly provided insight into a "high adventure, the excitement and anxiety of the chase, and the opportunity to unearth unpublished documents and original manuscripts.
As a journeyman bookseller, Gary could acquire books from library sales, thrift shops, estate sales, and abandoned storage lockers. "A successful book scout knew a good book...that the book had a market...Larry McMurtry, author of "Lonesome Dove", started as a book scout."
The market value of a rare book was based upon supply and demand. A first printing of Action Comics #1 with a first appearance by Superman was a most valuable acquisition. "Some of the most notorious criminals in history happened to be book sellers or book collectors. Stephen Blumberg aka the Book Bandit, was arrested in St. Paul Minnesota in 1990 for "liberating books from libraries, museums, and bookstores, stolen to 'protect' them."
In 1990, Gary and partners opened St. Croix Books in Stillwater, Minnesota. Although a venerable secondhand bookshop, its doors closed in 2017. Second hand bookselling was now a vanishing breed. "The Last Bookseller" by Gary Goodman is both a memoir describing a 35 year career as an antiquarian book seller as well as a history of thieves, forgers and book hoarders. In "The Private Papers of a Bankrupt Bookseller" published in 1930, a book hoarder writes, "I don't think I ever parted with any book from all my stock but with a feeling of regret...even though I must sell to live-to lose possession [of a book] wrenches me." A highly recommended read!
Thank you University of Minnesota and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
February 7, 2022
According to this bookselling memoir, the 1990s were a golden age for used bookstores. It's funny that I didn't realize it at the time, but looking back, I guess it's true. That decade, I was in my twenties, and for most of it worked in an office in Manhattan with at least six used bookstores in easy walking distance (including four in a one block stretch on W. 18th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues). I even seem to recall a small antiquarian books section tucked away in a corner of Macy's (?!). By the time I left that job in 2003, all but one (The Strand) had closed. At the time, I just assumed that it was because of skyrocketing rents in Manhattan, but according to Gary Goodman the big culprit was the internet. That was true in his own case anyway, although his store in Stillwater, MN hung on until 2017.
Goodman's memoir entertainingly chronicles the rise and fall of his bookselling career, with interludes about notorious personalities in the book world during that span of time, including book thieves and dealers who created forgeries. During his own personal golden age (which started to wane as early as 1996), he was instrumental in getting Richard Booth (the "king" of Hay on Wye) to visit Stillwater and officially recognize it as North America's first book town. I wish I could've visited Stillwater during it's heyday.
Apparently, the main problem with online used bookselling, from Goodman's point of view, is that anyone with a "box of books and a cable connection" could set up shop, and all these amateur dealers would undercut each other's prices in a "race to the bottom." This meant that the value of a store's existing stock plummeted dramatically, and rendered pointless the scouting road trips (to places far afield, including England) to acquire fresh (and presumably undervalued) stock from other bookstores to bring them home and sell at a mark-up. I have some mixed feelings about all this. I love used bookstores, and want the ones I particularly love to survive, but as someone who buys used books a lot (both in person and online), I can't really agree that $25 should be the average price of a book in a store. I also fondly remember the heady days of early online used bookselling, when I would log on to "interloc" and suddenly it was possible to buy some of the rare English school stories I was passionate about collecting at the time, books I never, ever, would have seen if I scoured my six local shops every day for twenty years. It was particularly thrilling, because relatively few people were online at that time, and some dealers didn't know the rarity of what they had, so there were some glorious finds. Some twenty five years later, I find myself thinking, if used books are so cheap nowadays (with places like Thriftbooks selling some for pennies), why are the ones I want to buy still so pricey?
Of course, used bookstores do still exist, and Goodman admits towards the end of his book that he's not actually the "last" bookseller, but the "last of a certain kind." My current favorite used bookstore, the Niantic Book Barn, in Niantic, CT seems to be doing well (sure hope that's in fact the case). A book friend tells me that their strategy is to not overprice the books, so there's always lots of turnover, and reason for people to keep visiting. Works for me. I still frequent the Strand, and anytime I need to buy a book that's readily available, I'll always check their website to see if they have it before ordering it online, and also will check out the two recently opened stores in my immediate neighborhood before going on the dreaded Amazon. Goodman writes that by the time a store resorts to online crowdfunding to support their business, they're in their death throes, and such efforts will only prolong the business for a few months. He implies that because the Strand put out an online plea to their customers to place orders in the Fall of 2020, the store is in an evitable downward spiral. He doesn't mention the pandemic as an extenuating circumstance.
So, basically, I enjoyed this book, which gave me lots to think about. It didn't feel quite so much like eating candy as The Bookshop Book does, which I've been reading for months and even though it's about one my favorite things in this world, am struggling to finish, because it's so relentlessly cheerful about the book selling business, it sometimes feels like advertising copy. The biggest puzzle for me is: why do books about how difficult and chancy it is for a bookstore to survive still leave me feeling that running one is the best possible work there is?
Goodman's memoir entertainingly chronicles the rise and fall of his bookselling career, with interludes about notorious personalities in the book world during that span of time, including book thieves and dealers who created forgeries. During his own personal golden age (which started to wane as early as 1996), he was instrumental in getting Richard Booth (the "king" of Hay on Wye) to visit Stillwater and officially recognize it as North America's first book town. I wish I could've visited Stillwater during it's heyday.
Apparently, the main problem with online used bookselling, from Goodman's point of view, is that anyone with a "box of books and a cable connection" could set up shop, and all these amateur dealers would undercut each other's prices in a "race to the bottom." This meant that the value of a store's existing stock plummeted dramatically, and rendered pointless the scouting road trips (to places far afield, including England) to acquire fresh (and presumably undervalued) stock from other bookstores to bring them home and sell at a mark-up. I have some mixed feelings about all this. I love used bookstores, and want the ones I particularly love to survive, but as someone who buys used books a lot (both in person and online), I can't really agree that $25 should be the average price of a book in a store. I also fondly remember the heady days of early online used bookselling, when I would log on to "interloc" and suddenly it was possible to buy some of the rare English school stories I was passionate about collecting at the time, books I never, ever, would have seen if I scoured my six local shops every day for twenty years. It was particularly thrilling, because relatively few people were online at that time, and some dealers didn't know the rarity of what they had, so there were some glorious finds. Some twenty five years later, I find myself thinking, if used books are so cheap nowadays (with places like Thriftbooks selling some for pennies), why are the ones I want to buy still so pricey?
Of course, used bookstores do still exist, and Goodman admits towards the end of his book that he's not actually the "last" bookseller, but the "last of a certain kind." My current favorite used bookstore, the Niantic Book Barn, in Niantic, CT seems to be doing well (sure hope that's in fact the case). A book friend tells me that their strategy is to not overprice the books, so there's always lots of turnover, and reason for people to keep visiting. Works for me. I still frequent the Strand, and anytime I need to buy a book that's readily available, I'll always check their website to see if they have it before ordering it online, and also will check out the two recently opened stores in my immediate neighborhood before going on the dreaded Amazon. Goodman writes that by the time a store resorts to online crowdfunding to support their business, they're in their death throes, and such efforts will only prolong the business for a few months. He implies that because the Strand put out an online plea to their customers to place orders in the Fall of 2020, the store is in an evitable downward spiral. He doesn't mention the pandemic as an extenuating circumstance.
So, basically, I enjoyed this book, which gave me lots to think about. It didn't feel quite so much like eating candy as The Bookshop Book does, which I've been reading for months and even though it's about one my favorite things in this world, am struggling to finish, because it's so relentlessly cheerful about the book selling business, it sometimes feels like advertising copy. The biggest puzzle for me is: why do books about how difficult and chancy it is for a bookstore to survive still leave me feeling that running one is the best possible work there is?
October 25, 2021
I absolutely loved this book! Devoured it in a matter of two sittings.
It was always my dream to own a small bookstore. The author proved to me that there's truth to the old saying, "Sometimes God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers"!
The author was a guy, much like me, who wandered into a used bookstore in St Paul, MN, and left being the owner. No idea of how to run it, or what he got himself into.
What follow is a great tale of traveling across the country (and England), chasing after used books to fill his store. Eventually, he figures it all out (???) and ends up with a very large bookstore in Stillwater, MN. And develops the area into a mecca for other book lovers, as other people also open bookstores there. I'm extremely lucky to have lived in the Twin Cities during that time, and would often venture up to Stillwater to spend hours and hours (and way too much money) in his store.
There's tales of famous book thieves, of a "King" of his own book town in England, of a famous Western writer who tried to do the same in Texas, and of books found, lost, and sold.
In the end, the author fell victim to the great bookstore killer, the internet. Today it's just way too easy to go on Ebay, or Amazon, to find the book you have been searching for. The thrill of the chase is gone. It's a pity.
If you like books, this is a fantastic read. I cannot recommend it highly enough!
It was always my dream to own a small bookstore. The author proved to me that there's truth to the old saying, "Sometimes God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers"!
The author was a guy, much like me, who wandered into a used bookstore in St Paul, MN, and left being the owner. No idea of how to run it, or what he got himself into.
What follow is a great tale of traveling across the country (and England), chasing after used books to fill his store. Eventually, he figures it all out (???) and ends up with a very large bookstore in Stillwater, MN. And develops the area into a mecca for other book lovers, as other people also open bookstores there. I'm extremely lucky to have lived in the Twin Cities during that time, and would often venture up to Stillwater to spend hours and hours (and way too much money) in his store.
There's tales of famous book thieves, of a "King" of his own book town in England, of a famous Western writer who tried to do the same in Texas, and of books found, lost, and sold.
In the end, the author fell victim to the great bookstore killer, the internet. Today it's just way too easy to go on Ebay, or Amazon, to find the book you have been searching for. The thrill of the chase is gone. It's a pity.
If you like books, this is a fantastic read. I cannot recommend it highly enough!
October 12, 2021
I’m the first person to review this book on GR. What does it say about a memoir on bookselling if that’s the case?
Bookselling is a dying art. In fact, bookselling as Gary Goodman came to know it over the decades of being in business, is already dead. Internet murdered it. It became another casualty of the technological progress.
I’m not complaining, for me personally the invention of digital reading has been one of the best things about this rampant advance of technology. I read exclusively digitally and love it. But for purely somatic, nostalgia driven reasons I understand the tragedy of the demise of bookstores. It’s like an end of an era. Bookstores and booksellers had a certain classic appeal, the inimitable atmosphere. And booksellers of Goodman’s kind were a very specific breed, they hunted down books, think a pedestrian version of Dean Corso. Think someone like Apollo Kagwa, the protagonist of LaValle’s The Changeling. Even reading that fairly recent book I remember thinking…do those still exist? People who can make a living out of selling and reselling books?
Well, they do apparently, but far and few inbetween, a sliver of what the business used to be. Goodman did it as long as it was possible and got out just in time. Interestingly enough, he got into the business completely randomly. This wasn’t a man who dreamed the romantic dream of owning a bookstore. This was a man with an already established if unsatisfactory career, who bought one on a whim, knowing nothing about the business and learning on the go.
Learn he did and prospered and managed to raise a ridiculous number of children doing it, so major kudos there. And now, in his retirement, he gets to regale us with his tales of the business’ last decades, his time. You get to meet quirky characters and learn behind the scenes secrets and goings on. It’s a lot of fun, especially for the bookishly inclined.
The thing is, though, through it all there’s a strong undercurrent of this is business, books are business. What drives a lot of these people, including Goodman, is profit, and books are seen as just another commodity. And for the bookishly inclined this may not be the most…romantic approach. In other words, this all seems to be done less out of the love of books and more out of just…here’s a quirky oddball way to make a living. But you get the idea that instead of books it might have been collectible figures or something and it would still be the same, just a commodifiable object. That’s kind of disappointing, to be honest. Books seem to be more than that, at least to those who love them.
At any rate and whatever his motivations, Goodman produced a great story here, it’s engaging, humorous, entertaining. It’s considerably more pessimistic than the recent documentary movie The Booksellers on the similar subject, but it’s also a more realistic one.
In the increasingly dumbed down and digitally attached society, the books might stand a chance, but bookselling doesn’t really. And if bookselling (the art and the business) were to have a literary tombstone, this book might just be the right fit.
Lovely quick engaging read. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.
This and more at https://advancetheplot.weebly.com/
Bookselling is a dying art. In fact, bookselling as Gary Goodman came to know it over the decades of being in business, is already dead. Internet murdered it. It became another casualty of the technological progress.
I’m not complaining, for me personally the invention of digital reading has been one of the best things about this rampant advance of technology. I read exclusively digitally and love it. But for purely somatic, nostalgia driven reasons I understand the tragedy of the demise of bookstores. It’s like an end of an era. Bookstores and booksellers had a certain classic appeal, the inimitable atmosphere. And booksellers of Goodman’s kind were a very specific breed, they hunted down books, think a pedestrian version of Dean Corso. Think someone like Apollo Kagwa, the protagonist of LaValle’s The Changeling. Even reading that fairly recent book I remember thinking…do those still exist? People who can make a living out of selling and reselling books?
Well, they do apparently, but far and few inbetween, a sliver of what the business used to be. Goodman did it as long as it was possible and got out just in time. Interestingly enough, he got into the business completely randomly. This wasn’t a man who dreamed the romantic dream of owning a bookstore. This was a man with an already established if unsatisfactory career, who bought one on a whim, knowing nothing about the business and learning on the go.
Learn he did and prospered and managed to raise a ridiculous number of children doing it, so major kudos there. And now, in his retirement, he gets to regale us with his tales of the business’ last decades, his time. You get to meet quirky characters and learn behind the scenes secrets and goings on. It’s a lot of fun, especially for the bookishly inclined.
The thing is, though, through it all there’s a strong undercurrent of this is business, books are business. What drives a lot of these people, including Goodman, is profit, and books are seen as just another commodity. And for the bookishly inclined this may not be the most…romantic approach. In other words, this all seems to be done less out of the love of books and more out of just…here’s a quirky oddball way to make a living. But you get the idea that instead of books it might have been collectible figures or something and it would still be the same, just a commodifiable object. That’s kind of disappointing, to be honest. Books seem to be more than that, at least to those who love them.
At any rate and whatever his motivations, Goodman produced a great story here, it’s engaging, humorous, entertaining. It’s considerably more pessimistic than the recent documentary movie The Booksellers on the similar subject, but it’s also a more realistic one.
In the increasingly dumbed down and digitally attached society, the books might stand a chance, but bookselling doesn’t really. And if bookselling (the art and the business) were to have a literary tombstone, this book might just be the right fit.
Lovely quick engaging read. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.
This and more at https://advancetheplot.weebly.com/
November 14, 2021
2 stars
The Last Bookseller
This book starts out good enough as a memoir type book about how he ended up as a used book store owner; however, it quickly goes down hill from there.
I do not know exactly what I expected, but this book is just a weird ramble of trashing the used book buyers and sellers of the pre- and post-internet age. This info was interspersed with whole chapters of random info for no real reason.
I am guessing there is a market for this book which should have been people like me, obsessed with books, but I just got turned off completely by his superiority and whining. He comes across exceedingly cocky.
This book was just a huge disappointment.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley.
The Last Bookseller
This book starts out good enough as a memoir type book about how he ended up as a used book store owner; however, it quickly goes down hill from there.
I do not know exactly what I expected, but this book is just a weird ramble of trashing the used book buyers and sellers of the pre- and post-internet age. This info was interspersed with whole chapters of random info for no real reason.
I am guessing there is a market for this book which should have been people like me, obsessed with books, but I just got turned off completely by his superiority and whining. He comes across exceedingly cocky.
This book was just a huge disappointment.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley.
January 22, 2023
The Last Bookseller is exactly what it purports to be . . . the story of a life in the rare book trade. I jumped at the opportunity to read this book hoping to grow my TBR list and delve into rare books that my library book taste, combined with commercial purchase opportunities may have denied me in my reading choices. And, this was not a hit for that goal.
However, as with many choices, often there are other gains when the original goal is not met. This is the case here - here is a person who took a risk that some may have called crazy, but he ends out with decades in an unexpected career, being able to introduce, raise and educate six new humans into the world, buy and sell thousands of books, from penny novels to the rarest of finds, and endcap it all with this memoir of the experience. Surely to be of particular interest to Minnesotans because of all the regional references during the used bookstore era of the 1990's in his particular career, there is a certain amount of wistfulness, too, for the loss of an industry changed forever by the internet.
A Sincere Thank You to Gary Goodman, University of Minnesota Press, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review. #TheLastBookseller #NetGalley
However, as with many choices, often there are other gains when the original goal is not met. This is the case here - here is a person who took a risk that some may have called crazy, but he ends out with decades in an unexpected career, being able to introduce, raise and educate six new humans into the world, buy and sell thousands of books, from penny novels to the rarest of finds, and endcap it all with this memoir of the experience. Surely to be of particular interest to Minnesotans because of all the regional references during the used bookstore era of the 1990's in his particular career, there is a certain amount of wistfulness, too, for the loss of an industry changed forever by the internet.
A Sincere Thank You to Gary Goodman, University of Minnesota Press, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review. #TheLastBookseller #NetGalley
September 14, 2022
Started out interesting but just wasn’t holding my interest and have a stack of books I’d rather read.
October 16, 2021
I am an avid reader of non-fiction, and I believe The Last Bookseller stacks up against the best. Gary doesn’t specifically state it throughout the story, but I believe his love of books comes through in the prose, showcasing his knowledge and respect of the craft on every page. Only a true lover of books could transition from a bookseller to a world class author. For those like me always looking for a non-fiction book that reads like a novel, you have found it.
May 20, 2023
short and sweet. I think everyone who loves books should read this
December 5, 2021
This is a cautionary tale as much as it is an autobiography. I'm sure that most of us who love books have, at some point, at least fantasized about working in the business - perhaps selling books.
Gary Goodman walked into a used-book shop in 1982 and bought it on a whim, then spent many years trying to make it into a real business. Traveling around the US and sometimes even across the Atlantic in search of used books, he eventually became a great name in the business, only to have to invent new gimmicks and to need to branch out as time went by, retiring a couple of years ago to no great fortune. Knowing all the tricks of the trade and coming up with a couple of his own wasn't enough to survive indefinitely in a domain slowly swallowed by the internet; it's not for no reason that he calls himself "The Last Bookseller".
Aside from crushing the dreams of anybody who's wanted to sell used books for a living, however, Gary Goodman tells a compelling story of the used-book world, starting with his own struggles and leading up to his eventual success, then decline, in the business, but also offering a larger picture of the trade, complete with collectors of oddities, unusual (and occasionally unsavory) people, and thieves and forgers. Sometimes it feels a bit dense, name-wise, but then again, that works for anyone who would like references.
It's a lovely, albeit short, volume offering a wonderful insight into what it means to sell used and rare books: from getting stuck with volumes nobody wants, to unexpected treasure troves (one over a barn), to individuals making a fortune by cutting maps out of old books to sell later, to jobs and practices one might never think existed.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the University of Minnesota Press for providing a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Gary Goodman walked into a used-book shop in 1982 and bought it on a whim, then spent many years trying to make it into a real business. Traveling around the US and sometimes even across the Atlantic in search of used books, he eventually became a great name in the business, only to have to invent new gimmicks and to need to branch out as time went by, retiring a couple of years ago to no great fortune. Knowing all the tricks of the trade and coming up with a couple of his own wasn't enough to survive indefinitely in a domain slowly swallowed by the internet; it's not for no reason that he calls himself "The Last Bookseller".
Aside from crushing the dreams of anybody who's wanted to sell used books for a living, however, Gary Goodman tells a compelling story of the used-book world, starting with his own struggles and leading up to his eventual success, then decline, in the business, but also offering a larger picture of the trade, complete with collectors of oddities, unusual (and occasionally unsavory) people, and thieves and forgers. Sometimes it feels a bit dense, name-wise, but then again, that works for anyone who would like references.
It's a lovely, albeit short, volume offering a wonderful insight into what it means to sell used and rare books: from getting stuck with volumes nobody wants, to unexpected treasure troves (one over a barn), to individuals making a fortune by cutting maps out of old books to sell later, to jobs and practices one might never think existed.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the University of Minnesota Press for providing a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 20, 2021
This proved to be a fascinating read! I've been doing a bit of book scouting myself lately (albeit not knowing the term for most of the period); Thomas Nelson started publishing limited runs of classic books based on the seasons they take place in, with beautiful laser-cut covers, and I only decided to start collecting a couple years in--not bad, I would have thought, except apparently I'm not alone in wanting their production of "Little Women," "Wuthering Heights," or "Pride and Prejudice," and many a copy is running in the hundreds of dollars on Ebay. #sigh
The discussion on garage and estate sales quickly brought to mind the Hallmark Movies and Mysteries series "Garage Sale Mysteries," featuring pre-fall from grace Lori Loughlin (), and a couple episodes of "White Collar."
The author has a truly engaging writing style, and while some of the book is a bit niched even for this avid reader and wannabe bookseller (I’ve watched “You’ve Got Mail” a million times over and wished I could be Kathleen Kelly), I’m so glad I persisted. Insightful, nostalgic, accurately portraying the struggles he and many other booksellers went to—this book is a testament to the genre and to booksellers everywhere.
I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
The discussion on garage and estate sales quickly brought to mind the Hallmark Movies and Mysteries series "Garage Sale Mysteries," featuring pre-fall from grace Lori Loughlin (), and a couple episodes of "White Collar."
The author has a truly engaging writing style, and while some of the book is a bit niched even for this avid reader and wannabe bookseller (I’ve watched “You’ve Got Mail” a million times over and wished I could be Kathleen Kelly), I’m so glad I persisted. Insightful, nostalgic, accurately portraying the struggles he and many other booksellers went to—this book is a testament to the genre and to booksellers everywhere.
I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
August 7, 2022
This book was just....okay. It checks all the boxes of being an acceptable memoir, but doesn't really rise to be anything I'd recommend to someone. The author buys a used bookstore for a song and gets swept up into an industry he knows basically nothing about. Against odds he makes it work, both from the friends he made along the way and his ability to try new things to see what sticks. He remains a bookseller through the advent of the internet, and manages to make it work for a full 30 years before finally calling it quits. Admirable, when many bookstores went belly up just months after Amazon took over.
We get a lot of anecdotes and funny stories about how he began, what he did for new merchandise, and how he made it work later on, and then interspersed between these we get book history, backstories of prominent figures in the used book world, and a glimpse into how things work behind the counter. While the author does a good job of telling things in an amusing, lighthearted way, things also felt really disjointed.
I guess I basically enjoyed the read, but I'm not sure if I'd recommend it to friends.
We get a lot of anecdotes and funny stories about how he began, what he did for new merchandise, and how he made it work later on, and then interspersed between these we get book history, backstories of prominent figures in the used book world, and a glimpse into how things work behind the counter. While the author does a good job of telling things in an amusing, lighthearted way, things also felt really disjointed.
I guess I basically enjoyed the read, but I'm not sure if I'd recommend it to friends.
October 24, 2021
A book for fans of books about books.
Tells the details of one of the last booksellers in America.
Full of history of other people who have made their careers around selling used and valuable books across the world.
Full of humour and tales of the best and the worse characters in the book business.
This book is well researched and easy to read.
Recommended to fans of books.
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley in allowing me to read in return for a review.
Tells the details of one of the last booksellers in America.
Full of history of other people who have made their careers around selling used and valuable books across the world.
Full of humour and tales of the best and the worse characters in the book business.
This book is well researched and easy to read.
Recommended to fans of books.
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley in allowing me to read in return for a review.
November 1, 2021
The Last Bookseller is a biographical account of one man's experience as a book dealer/seller before the age of the Internet (the last Golden Age). But that brief sentence makes it almost sound dry. FAR from it. There is so much more to this from the humblest of beginnings of a young husband and dad working long hours as a psychiatric counselor to putting Stillwater, Minnesota on the international book map. And the intriguing betweens including learning about scouting, nefarious characters, forgers, Danish dinners, swindlers, celebrities and a self proclaimed king. Who would have thought the author stumbling into a small used bookstore in East St. Paul Minnesota with its handmade labels and buying it on a whim would have his life altered so dramatically and those of so many others, too? I wonder what the course of his life would have been had he not?
Gary Goodman traveled through America, Canada and the UK to learn more about rare books and buy them, often dozens of boxes at once, and with cash only in the UK. His perspectives are riveting and make so much sense, many details I had not previously thought of. As his experience and knowledge grew, he offered his expertise to Goodwill in exchange for an offer he couldn't refuse. He teamed up with wonderfully expert partners to open up in Stillwater,
Goodman writes with such frankness and wit it's like listening to a conversation amongst friends. His details such as dollar amounts for books and collections are very interesting and his car ascent reminds me of mine. I can also relate to fierce winters (Saskatchewan) and nonexistent tourist season for most of the year. So many anecdotes which stick out in my mind such as the guy who wanted to sleep in the back room and the seller who had a thing about electricity. And then there is the mystery which plagues me...was Jenkins murdered or not?! The fact that there were 500,000 books available to buy within a four-block radius in Stillwater blows my mind. I like that Goodman includes the strangest place he's ever bought books. But one of the most comical stories is in the form of a familial note.
Enter the Internet Era. Amazon, E-bay, Advanced Book Exchange and so on. Goodman discusses the effects they have had on book selling. Finally, what happened to Stillwater's book scene? Though Goodman may not be the last bookseller ever, he is one of the last of a special breed, that's for certain. We do have such a man in the community in which I live and I often wonder how much longer he will be in business. While he is here, I will continue to buy treasures from him.
Those fascinated with books and/or their acquisition ought to be drawn to this wonder like a magnet. Though it is difficult to tell whether Goodman is a voracious reader (time?) it is clear he cares deeply about books. He also includes photographs which always adds a personal touch.
My sincere thank you to the University of Minnesota Press and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this book for book people!
Gary Goodman traveled through America, Canada and the UK to learn more about rare books and buy them, often dozens of boxes at once, and with cash only in the UK. His perspectives are riveting and make so much sense, many details I had not previously thought of. As his experience and knowledge grew, he offered his expertise to Goodwill in exchange for an offer he couldn't refuse. He teamed up with wonderfully expert partners to open up in Stillwater,
Goodman writes with such frankness and wit it's like listening to a conversation amongst friends. His details such as dollar amounts for books and collections are very interesting and his car ascent reminds me of mine. I can also relate to fierce winters (Saskatchewan) and nonexistent tourist season for most of the year. So many anecdotes which stick out in my mind such as the guy who wanted to sleep in the back room and the seller who had a thing about electricity. And then there is the mystery which plagues me...was Jenkins murdered or not?! The fact that there were 500,000 books available to buy within a four-block radius in Stillwater blows my mind. I like that Goodman includes the strangest place he's ever bought books. But one of the most comical stories is in the form of a familial note.
Enter the Internet Era. Amazon, E-bay, Advanced Book Exchange and so on. Goodman discusses the effects they have had on book selling. Finally, what happened to Stillwater's book scene? Though Goodman may not be the last bookseller ever, he is one of the last of a special breed, that's for certain. We do have such a man in the community in which I live and I often wonder how much longer he will be in business. While he is here, I will continue to buy treasures from him.
Those fascinated with books and/or their acquisition ought to be drawn to this wonder like a magnet. Though it is difficult to tell whether Goodman is a voracious reader (time?) it is clear he cares deeply about books. He also includes photographs which always adds a personal touch.
My sincere thank you to the University of Minnesota Press and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this book for book people!
January 2, 2022
I was charmed by The Last Bookseller. Reading it was like attending a convention of the Society of American Eccentrics. Gary Goodman was an excellent guide. If he didn't know a bookseller, he knew of them. And he's done plenty of research, at least enough to decant their myriad personal stories into their essential elements. Gary has a knack for conveying the good, the bad, and the ugly of many of his professional (probably too generous an adjective) colleagues ... in just a few paragraphs, or many pages; it's all pretty interesting and entertaining. The book is steeped in more wit and one-liners than an erudite talk show. And Gary is a capable host.
I am an occasional Amazon shopper. As my wife says, "they make it too convenient, easy and affordable." But I do not buy my books online. We Minnesotans have plenty of independent booksellers and bookstores from which to choose. I shop at all of them. And unless you want Gary Goodman to literally be The Last Bookseller, you will, too. Read this book and you'll understand why the loss of this peculiar niche in the bookselling market is a loss for humankind, and why we should fight to make sure it doesn't happen to his more mainstream colleagues.
There is a lot to say about this book. But if you love books and reading perhaps the simplest summation is to buy it and read it.
P.S. A note to Mary Pat, Gary's wife, and his five children, who are occasionally glimpsed in this book. You, Mary Pat, must be a saint. And you've apparently raised five saint children (some of who have inherited your husband's wit). Congratulations.
I am an occasional Amazon shopper. As my wife says, "they make it too convenient, easy and affordable." But I do not buy my books online. We Minnesotans have plenty of independent booksellers and bookstores from which to choose. I shop at all of them. And unless you want Gary Goodman to literally be The Last Bookseller, you will, too. Read this book and you'll understand why the loss of this peculiar niche in the bookselling market is a loss for humankind, and why we should fight to make sure it doesn't happen to his more mainstream colleagues.
There is a lot to say about this book. But if you love books and reading perhaps the simplest summation is to buy it and read it.
P.S. A note to Mary Pat, Gary's wife, and his five children, who are occasionally glimpsed in this book. You, Mary Pat, must be a saint. And you've apparently raised five saint children (some of who have inherited your husband's wit). Congratulations.
January 30, 2022
An entertaining, engaging and illuminating account of a life in the book trade before the internet changed everything for good. Gary Goodman was a rare and used bookseller and dealer and knows the business inside out. He was acquainted with many of his fellow booksellers, from the eccentric to the frankly criminal to guys just like him who chose to try and make a sometimes precarious living selling books. I found the book well-written and a fascinating and honest glimpse into the world of used and rare books and I enjoyed it very much.
April 12, 2024
Props to my source Phil in NY for sending me this book as a YouTube giveaway. I really enjoyed the book. The author reminisces about the ups and downs of the used book industry and books in general. We meet several interesting characters over the course of the book, including some sketchy ones. Overall, a very enjoyable read, although I found the author to be harshly critical of the internet's role in the demise of the brick-and-mortar bookstore.
November 15, 2021
The Last Bookseller is a great read about the unique life of a used, rare and out of print book dealer. Mr. Goodman writes this memoir about his experience as the last bookseller of a certain kind, prior to the age of the Internet. This book is interesting, funny, entertaining and feels like a peek into a hidden real-life world of fascinating characters.
November 5, 2021
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this new book.
I absolutely loved this one. I was not expecting to.
The author was new to me and I enjoy books about the book world. This is a a gem! It's highly engaging. I will be recommending this to my "reader"friends.
I absolutely loved this one. I was not expecting to.
The author was new to me and I enjoy books about the book world. This is a a gem! It's highly engaging. I will be recommending this to my "reader"friends.
Read
January 4, 2022Loved reading about the good old days.
We knew Melvin McCosh as he would stop in our store occasionally and of course went to his annual sale when I could. He came in during "Crazy Days" once and said our store was an "oasis of sanity".
We used that phrase on our sandwich sign ever after.
Thanks Gary Goodman for a fine read.
We knew Melvin McCosh as he would stop in our store occasionally and of course went to his annual sale when I could. He came in during "Crazy Days" once and said our store was an "oasis of sanity".
We used that phrase on our sandwich sign ever after.
Thanks Gary Goodman for a fine read.
January 2, 2022
Fascinating peek inside the world of rare and secondhand bookselling. Nostalgic and wistful, interspersed with comical anecdotes. Appropriate condemnation of the Evil A (Amazon) for its murder of so many independent and secondhand bookstores. Highly recommend.
October 26, 2021
A wonderful book by a wonderful writer. Gary Goodman has the experience to back up every word of the book. He traveled England, Canada and the US in search of rare books he could market in his bookstore in Stillwater, Minnesota. In the process he crossed paths with some very interesting characters, including scoundrels and saints. The book is for anyone who has ever walked into a bookstore and walked out with treasured book that kept your attention from beginning to end. The Last Bookseller is one of those books.
October 16, 2021
In The Last Bookseller, Gary Goodman takes the reader through the highest highs and lowest lows during his career as a used, rare, and out-of-print bookseller. What sets The Last Bookseller apart amongst this genre of Books About Books is Goodman's realistic appraisal towards the changing book trade during his nearly half-century within it. He weaves a rich tapestry of personal anecdotes from these years interspersed with tales of booksellers throughout history. Soon after learning the ropes, however, Goodman would see his trade rocked by the emergence of the internet—and soon after, Amazon. His resulting disillusionment may cause discomfort to some book-lovers who view bookselling in more romantic terms, but it's difficult to blame Goodman for feeling this way as books became a means of survival for him and his six children. The real joy of the book is bearing witness to his resilience in withstanding a turbulent industry.
The Last Bookseller adds a unique voice to a familiar genre; one that feels especially timely as Amazon continues to amass power and tighten its noose on the small business owner.
The Last Bookseller adds a unique voice to a familiar genre; one that feels especially timely as Amazon continues to amass power and tighten its noose on the small business owner.
January 18, 2022
A personal, fascinating and insightful read that details Mr. Goodman's years in the used book profession. This read will interest the sincere bibliophile and those who still delight in carousing through the shelves of remaining used bookstores as I do.
November 9, 2021
A really interesting read, I was intrigued by the premise and genuinely liked the content of this book.
February 9, 2025
This is the story of how one man became a bookseller in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Written as a chatty conversation, this is a rather interesting memoir of a book seller and the ups and downsides of selling books.
Part of the reason that the 2nd hand book industry has survived for so long (100+ years) is the thrill of the hunt. People have been collecting books going back to the Victorian era. But when the internet came along and shops like Amazon began putting their book databases online, the hunt was gone. Now you could find your book pretty much instantly.
Gary tells the story of struggling to survive as a 2nd hand bookseller in the town of Stillwater, not far from Minneapolis and St Paul in Minnesota for 20+ years. But eventually He was forced to close up shop. For 2 major reasons. Increasing property taxes. And simply the fact that people were no longer buying physical books. They were mostly buying digital books instead.
The Strand Bookshop in NYC is unique in still being able to sell 2nd hand (gently used) books. But it has 18 miles of books so it has a huge selection of books available.
New Books are always in demand. And Prices are rising in accordance with that demand. For both Physical and Digital Books.
The thing about Physical (Hardcopy) books is their durability. As Isaac Asimov once said - Books are portable, require no power source or battery to work, can last for years if cared for, can easily be shared with others, can be mass produced, can never be improved upon and would never be replaced.
I gave this four stars. It did get a little dry and boring toward the end. Especially when Gary was doing info dumps in between talking about his own personal life as a bookseller. But otherwise I enjoyed this very much.
Part of the reason that the 2nd hand book industry has survived for so long (100+ years) is the thrill of the hunt. People have been collecting books going back to the Victorian era. But when the internet came along and shops like Amazon began putting their book databases online, the hunt was gone. Now you could find your book pretty much instantly.
Gary tells the story of struggling to survive as a 2nd hand bookseller in the town of Stillwater, not far from Minneapolis and St Paul in Minnesota for 20+ years. But eventually He was forced to close up shop. For 2 major reasons. Increasing property taxes. And simply the fact that people were no longer buying physical books. They were mostly buying digital books instead.
The Strand Bookshop in NYC is unique in still being able to sell 2nd hand (gently used) books. But it has 18 miles of books so it has a huge selection of books available.
New Books are always in demand. And Prices are rising in accordance with that demand. For both Physical and Digital Books.
The thing about Physical (Hardcopy) books is their durability. As Isaac Asimov once said - Books are portable, require no power source or battery to work, can last for years if cared for, can easily be shared with others, can be mass produced, can never be improved upon and would never be replaced.
I gave this four stars. It did get a little dry and boring toward the end. Especially when Gary was doing info dumps in between talking about his own personal life as a bookseller. But otherwise I enjoyed this very much.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 15, 2023
I found it fascinating that Stillwater, MN was known as a Booktown in the 90s and was even visited by a famous Welsh man Richard Booth whose bookish festival held every year brings in people from all over the world and is also known as a Booktown which many of you may be familiar with- Hay-on-Wye.
I'm saddened that such a place is no longer around in Minnesota as I would love visit the variety of bookstores to be had.
I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend especially if you enjoy memoirs about Booksellers and the business of appealing to people to buy their stock of books that may be a treasure to some, who are trying to provide for their family and the difficulties of keeping a physical store running in the age of the Internet.
I'm saddened that such a place is no longer around in Minnesota as I would love visit the variety of bookstores to be had.
I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend especially if you enjoy memoirs about Booksellers and the business of appealing to people to buy their stock of books that may be a treasure to some, who are trying to provide for their family and the difficulties of keeping a physical store running in the age of the Internet.
December 24, 2023
An interesting book about used and rare booksellers in the era of Amazon and eBay. While the author tells the story of his own businesses selling used books in Minnesota, he also covers other sellers, include book cities, as well as book thieves, specialists, and more. As an eBay and Amazon book seller, I found this story of the other side of the tracks very familiar, and written with good humor.
August 4, 2024
3.5 rounded up to 4.
A very informative account of the second hand book selling business and the inner workings of it in the last few decades in the US (and glimpses of it from the past). The author is a second hand book seller and the narrative weaves through his experience of finding and selling second hand books, along with juicy stories of book thieves, document forgers and remarkable characters in the book selling world.
A very informative account of the second hand book selling business and the inner workings of it in the last few decades in the US (and glimpses of it from the past). The author is a second hand book seller and the narrative weaves through his experience of finding and selling second hand books, along with juicy stories of book thieves, document forgers and remarkable characters in the book selling world.
June 24, 2022
I listened to the audiobook. This was enjoyable to me because it's local to Minnesota, and I've shopped at this author's bookstore in Stillwater, MN. I'm intrigued with his stories about the used book business and the quirky people who dominate it. And I'm also always amazed at the personal cost and financial risk that small business owners take - and yet survive. This author had a family of 6 kids, and still managed to support them in this crazy-wild book business.
Book nerds will love this book!
Book nerds will love this book!
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