I Finally Got The Plumley Inheritance!

If you’re thinking a relative of mine died and left me a fortune, sadly, no. But almost as valuable, an edition of a book I’ve been searching for over 15 years is now in my excited hands. The Plumley Inheritance is incredibly scarce. The author, Christopher Bush is not a favorite of mine–not at all. … Read more

The Mysterious Workings of an Independent Bookshop

I’ve been pondering and concentrating upon what I used to do all day as a bookseller. That aside, there was the slight difficulty of deciding which place of employment to remember–there were a few over the years, and each individual shop had its quirks and perks. Foul Play, a small well established mystery bookstore in … Read more

A Scary Encounter With Stephen King

I don’t read Stephen King. Not because I don’t think he’s an excellent writer. He is. Too too good of a writer. I am one of those people who loves fictional murder because there is a structure, foul play occurs; clues abound; are investigated; characters throw around red herrings; the detective investigates and the murderer … Read more

Censorship-Here, There, and Everywhere

I’ve never heard of someone demanding a bookseller remove an “offensive” book from their store before. I don’t think as a bookseller, I’ve ever encountered it. But some others have, and it begs the question, where does it end? The bookseller in the article questions his ordering practices–wondering if what he decides to purchase and … Read more

Question for–Booksellers, Librarians, Teachers: What are 'Age Appropriate' Books?

In my discussion about the banning of Water for Elephants for high school age kids  by a school district in NH, the question of  age appropriateness came up, and I started wondering what that really means, and to what age does what book belong? Can one really take an age appropriate brush and color all kids … Read more

Why Collect? Or What The Heck is Hypermodern?

Why collect books? Why indeed. I asked myself the same question in the bathtub, snapping the binding of the latest Sue Grafton. I love to read but why bother to keep the book (just more clutter) let alone get a signature, put mylar on the dust jacket and place it it on a book shelf? The … Read more