In this episode, we continue our day-in-the-life series with the story of another relatively normal but less-than-perfect book buy. It’s a stumbling block that we run into fairly often: folks trying to sell books that they’re not emotionally prepared to part with. In this case we looked at the collection, made an offer, and waited about five years until its owner was ready to let go. In a classic case of indecision being worse than wrong decision, the books waited in a storage unit for all those years, absorbing rent money and developing unfortunate condition issues. Listen to learn more about the pitfalls of sentimental storage—and tune in next time for a look at an average work week at the shop.
Brattlecast #212 - The Paris Bookseller
In today’s episode, we’re discussing The Paris Bookseller, Kerri Maher’s captivating historical novel about Sylvia Beach, Shakespeare and Company, and literary life in 1920s Paris. Beach’s English-language bookshop became a gathering place for expat writers like Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Ezra Pound—and published one of the most important (and most banned) books of the 20th century: James Joyce’s Ulysses. We’ll talk about what the novel gets right, where literary fiction meets bookshop reality, and how day-to-day shop life—then and now—is often less glamorously wine-soaked and more physically exhausting than one might wish.
Brattlecast #208 - A Midwest Opportunity
Would you travel to the Midwest to buy twenty thousand books that you’ve never laid eyes on? It’s a question that doesn’t come up too often—unless you’re the Brattle. In today’s episode we’re talking about the unique logistical challenges presented by long-distance book buys. Collections that we’d happily pop over and assess in New Hampshire or Rhode Island become a tantalizing gamble when a cross-country trip is involved. Even if the books are great, are they worth the cost and effort of getting them back to the shop? We’ll dive into the details of library relocation, from phone calls and photos to rental trucks and storage units, on this moving new #brattlecast.
Brattlecast #197 - Handling the Big Ones
Ever wonder how to move 20,000 books? In this episode, we lay out the logistics of our largest book buys, from the initial phone call to the transportation, storage, and sweat-soaked tee shirts. Despite all the hard work, it’s always an exciting treasure hunt—and, as the number of general secondhand book stores dwindles, the Brattle is one of the few shops that’s able to tackle tens of thousands of volumes at a time. Join us for a look behind the scenes in this heavy-duty #brattlecast.
Brattlecast #182 - Travel Souvenirs
Today in the studio we have some unusual pre-postcard souvenirs: panoramic photographs of various cities and tourist sites, each folded into a booklike decorative binding. Published in the late 1800s—and in exceptionally good condition—these albums offer detailed bird’s-eye views of Denver, San Francisco, Chicago, and Salt Lake City, among other destinations. They’d make a great starting point for a larger collection, or a thoughtful gift for someone interested in one of these places, or in early photography. We’ll also reveal the one type of collection that Ken absolutely will not buy for the shop, plus the somewhat kitschy souvenir that he can’t seem to stop collecting.