THE BOOKSHOP

Reviewed by Steven H Silver

As the name implies Evan Friss' study The Bookshop is an exploration of the history of the bookshop in the United States. While the evolution of the bookshop is the main focus on the book, Friss also takes the time to explain how bookshops differ from other stores, which is why this is not a history of clothing stores or jewelry stores or shoe stores. He also discusses the personalities behind the various stores.

Friss argues that bookshops (and he's emphatic that bookshop is a better term than bookstore), more than practically any other type of commercial business, are places that function as a village square where people can engage in an exchange of ideas irrespective of social class. Only restaurants or bars can come close to serving that purpose, however, because restaurants can target different price points and book prices tend to be set by the publisher, bookshops are more egalitarian.

Beginning with Benjamin Franklin, who Friss identifies as the first book seller in what is now the United States, Friss explores how bookshop grew from stores that sold some pamphlets, often self-published, as well as accessories such as pens, paper, and items completely unrelated to books, to stories whose primary stock was books published by professional publishing companies. Over the course of the book, He explores department store bookshops (represented by Marshall Field's), LGBTQ+ bookshops (represented by the Oscar Wilde), African-American bookshops (Drum & Spear), the street sellers of New York, and independents (Parnassus). He also discusses the role of stores like Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Each bookshop Friss discusses represents a type of bookshop and he does extrapolate, while using the individual stores and the people who work there to personalize the stores. Friss also allows his own opinions influence his writing, occasionally shifting to the first person. When Barnes and Noble introduces the superstore concept, it begins as a negative development, but by the time Amazon makes its appearance, Barnes and Noble has become a positive force for bookselling as it has proven itself.

There are some constants in the bookshops Friss discusses and finds successful. Not only do they sell books, but they serve as a focal point for the local community. Nearly all of the workers are knowledgeable and can (if asked, or sometimes even if not asked) recommend books and discuss all aspects of literature. Another key feature of these bookshops is that the people who run them are generally passionate about books and reading. He discusses the stores that make the staff take exams before hiring (which I had to do before working for the independent Morgenstern's years ago). A related theme is the number of stores that are opened where the goal of making a profit almost seems secondary.

At its best, The Bookshop is a personal and quirky exploration of the growth and importance of books and literacy in American society, along with the individuals who have, and continue, to champion the bookshop. At times, Friss allows too much of his own opinion to show through, but overall, the study provides a thorough exploration, including trends that developed both among the merchandise sold (or not sold) by bookstores and their purpose, which was as often social and political as it was commercial.

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