Diane Barnes's Reviews > The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore

This was full of things I didn't know about bookstores, from the very beginning in Colonial America (think Benjamin Franklin) to the days of the big box stores (think B&N and Borders) to Amazon and e-readers, finishing up with Parnassus Books in Nashville and the re-emergence of local Indies. I was once a bookseller (never an owner) and I know that whether it was a small local store, a used book store or Barnes & Noble, the love of books was what drove me. Putting a book into the hands of a reader was a joy. This book is well written and personal, not a dry history. At times I felt a lump in my throat. A good read for anyone who loves books.