When i first saw the book shop in wigtown i was 18 years old, back in my home town and about to leave for university. The diary of a bookseller hardcover greenlight bookstore. Click and collect from your local waterstones or get free uk delivery on orders over. George orwell, bookshop memories, london, november 1936. Confessions of a bookseller, by shaun bythell this sequel to the diary of a bookseller reinforces shaun bythell s. The condition of renting the holiday flat above the open book in wigtown in dumfries and galloway is to manage the bookshop for a week or two, but. The bookshop scotlands largest secondhand bookshop with over a mile of shelving supporting over 65000 books. Its a diary that covers 1 year in the life of shaun bythell, written by shaun bythell, owner of a second hand book shop.
I decide to take georges advice and head over to the bookshop to say hello. As part of the 2012 wigtown book festival, stuart frenchbloke pillar of the wigtown underworld set up a fm radio station which could only be heard in the galloway forest, and which broadcast. The book shop wigtown 2020 all you need to know before. The shop the oldest bookshop in wigtown, scotlands national booktown and our range of stock includes all subjects. We are taken on a journey of smalltown life, and introduced to a world populated by eccentric characters much like the church. Scotlands largest secondhand bookshop, a mile of shelving full of all sorts of. The diary of a bookseller hardcover bank square books. This october 2017 release introduces us into the life of shaun bythell whoe owns the bookshop, wigtown scotlands largest secondhand bookshop. The bookshop, wigtown scotlands largest secondhand book shop. Lots of ash is created and you have to rip out handfuls of pages to tempt the flames. The diary of a bookseller is the first person account of shaun bythell, owner of the bookshop, a large second hand bookstore in scotland. Shaun bythell is the owner of the bookshop in wigtown, and also one of the organisers of the wigtown festival. As summer gets going in earnest, were taking a look at some of the books we have forthcoming in the next few months.
His girlfriend appears only intermittently and we learn in an afterword that they have since broken up, amicably. The diary of a bookseller by shaun bythell, paperback. Here he gives a oneyear snapshot of life at the shop, from february 2014 to february 2015. Im lucy, an awardwinning book blogger and writer with a passion for brilliant books, independent bookstores and literary festivals. Bookshop at the heart of best selling book by the owner shaun bythell. The diary of a bookseller is shaun bythells funny and fascinating memoir of a year in the life at the helm of the bookshop, in the small village of wigtown, scotlandand of the delightfully odd locals, unusual staff, eccentric customers, and surreal buying trips that make up his life there as he struggles to build his business. In 2017, a 30ish young man named shaun bythell published a chronicle of his daytoday life running a secondhand book shop in wigtown, scotland, his countrys national book town. When not working amongst the bookshops mile of shelving, shauns hobbies include eavesdropping on customers, uploading book themed reworkings of sugarhill gang songs to youtube and shooting amazon kindles in the wild.
It is full of interesting information about books and acerbic comments abouts about his customers. The bookworm and his cat taking on amazon daily mail. Shaun bythell runs the bookshop, wigtown, scotlands largest secondhand bookshop. Shaun bythell owns the bookshop, wigtown scotlands largest secondhand bookshop.
Shaun bythell is the owner of the bookshop in wigtown, scotlands national book town, and also one of the organisers of the wigtown festival. Shaun bythell shares his experience running a bookshop in wigtown. In shaun bythell s secondhand bookshop in wigtown, scotland, there is a mounted trophy. Join and you could receive the best surprise of your life. Charlotte heathcote sunday express shaun bythell owns the bookshop, wigtown scotlands largest secondhand bookshop. On bookshop day, the owner of scotlands largest secondhand bookshop on dealing with tricky customers and how deaths are his biggest. It sounds as if it could be bookish or boring, but it is neither. It contains over 100,000 books, spread over a mile of shelving along twisting corridors and roaring fires, set in a beautiful rural town by the edge of the sea.
When i return to wigtown in the spring i shall seek him out. Shaun bythell bought the bookshop in wigtown on 1 november 2001, and has been running it ever since with an increasing passion for the business, matched only by a sense of despair for its future, and an illhumour inspired by a decadeandahalf of dealing with confused customers and surly staff. The diary of a bookseller by shaun bythell youtube. Makes for entertaining reading he has a keen waggishness which makes his reflections funny and memorable and this book a hoot. People had often said, you should write a book when he told stories of odd customers. Over a year shaun charts the day to day events,number of customers and revenue. Lead by shaun and his unusual staff we follow the trials and tribulations of an, against all odds amazon, surviving independent book store in the book town of wigtown. Unfortunately, shaun also has to contend with bizarre requests from people who dont understand what a shop.
Try burning an old telephone directory its much harder than it sounds. The online orders received and found and the often alarmingly small in store customer sales are listed with each diary entry. The diary of a bookseller is shaun bythell s funny and fascinating memoir of a year in the life at the helm of the bookshop, in the small village of wigtown, scotlandand of the delightfully odd locals, unusual staff, eccentric customers, and surreal buying trips that make up his life there as he struggles to build his business. My daughter gave me the diary of a bookseller by shawn bythell for my birthday.
Sep, 2017 shaun bythell lives in wigtown, scotland, where he runs the bookshop the largest secondhand bookshop in scotland. His first book, the diary of a bookseller, has been translated into twenty languages. Oct 23, 2017 shaun bythells diary does indeed detail the more humorous and exasperating episodes of his days spent inside the book shop in scotlands wigtown, but it is also a portrait of his small town and its quirky community, both sharptongued and loving. Shaun bythell lives in wigtown, scotland, where he runs the bookshop the largest secondhand bookshop in scotland. Shaun bythell the diary of a bookseller slightly foxed shop.
The community of wigtown welcomed her as one of their own. Unfortunately, shaun also has to contend with bizarre requests from people who dont understand what a shop is, home. In 2017, a 30ish young man named shaun bythell published a chronicle of his daytoday life running a secondhand book shop in wigtown, scotland, his countrys national book. In these wry diaries, he provides an inside look at the trials and tribulations of life in the book trade and evokes the rhythms and charms of smalltown life. Oct 11, 2017 the diary of a bookseller by shaun bythell book. Buy the diary of a bookseller 01 by bythell, shaun isbn. Fox fell in love with wigtown and its plethora of book shops. Heres a book to tempt and deter you in equal measure. Shaun bythell is the owner of the bookshop in wigtown, scotland. See the complete profile on linkedin and discover shauns connections and jobs at similar companies. Over the course of the year 2014, bythell keeps a diary of daily encounters from the shop. The diary of a bookseller by shaun bythell readings. The diary of a bookseller by shaun bythell waterstones.
Buy the diary of a bookseller from the book depository. With more than a mile of shelving, real log fires in the shop and the sea lapping nearby, the shop should be an idyll for bookworms. The author, shaun bythell, cantankerously comments on the lunacy of the questions people ask when they come into the bookstore and sometimes seem surprised by a store that has books in it. The diary of a bookseller by shaun bythell bookconscious. Why i went on holiday to work in the open book, a bookshop. Dec 24, 2017 the diary of a bookseller is a very readable account of owning scotlands largest secondhand bookstore, the bookshop, at a time when huge online businesses are taking over the trade.
There are very few confessions in confessions of a bookseller, shaun bythell s second memoir. Shaun bythell discusses diary of a bookseller youtube. Sep 20, 2017 shaun bythell runs the bookshop, wigtown, scotlands largest secondhand bookshop. I urge you to buy this book and please, even at the risk of being insulted or moaned at, buy it from a real live bookseller. From the tortured imaginations of the book shops staff is born the genius idea of the random book club. Shaun bythell shaun bythell is the owner of the bookshop in wigtown, scotland. View shaun bythells profile on linkedin, the worlds largest professional community. And then there are the thoughtless people who take books off shelves and leave them in piles around the store. It contains 100,000 books, spread over a mile of shelving, with twisting corridors and roaring fires, and all set in a beautiful, rural town by the edge of the sea.
Jul 08, 2019 the best bookshops in london beat a retreat from the digital world and discover the joy of the best bookshops in london by things to do editors and ellie walkerarnott posted. Sep 04, 2019 shaun bythell is the owner of the bookshop in wigtown, and also one of the organisers of the wigtown festival. When bythell first thought of taking over the store, it seemed like a great idea. Id first heard about it in some sort of media report about wigtown, scotland and its annual book festival. It contains 100,000 books, spread over a mile of shelving, with twisting. I clearly remember walking past it with a friend and commenting that i was quite certain that it would be closed within the year.
Shaun bythell is the owner of the bookshop in wigtown, and also one. Fox fell head over heels for local bookstore owner shaun bythell. Sep 29, 2017 in 2001 shaun bythell acquired the book shop. If a book sells in a charity shop or my shop the author in this case me. Oct 22, 2017 the diary of a bookseller by shaun bythell is published by profile books. A charming and quirky bookshop which extends into every conceivable book and cranny of the ground floor and staircase of its wigtown home.
Shaun bythell, who runs the bookshop in wigtown, scotland, knows exactly what its like. Explore books by shaun bythell with our selection at. When not working amongst the bookshops mile of shelving, shauns hobbies include eavesdropping on customers, uploading book. Sep 28, 2017 shaun bythell owns the bookshop, wigtown scotlands largest secondhand bookshop. He entertains, but he keeps things close to the vest. The diary of a bookseller audiobook by shaun bythell. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The diary of a bookseller by shaun bythell bookish beck.
Simon is editor at large for shiny new books, and once spent a happy summer working in a secondhand bookshop, where all his wages went on books. The diary of a bookseller by shaun bythell shiny new books. With more than a mile of shelving, real log fires and the sea lapping nearby, the shop should be an idyll for bookworms. Railway books on bookshop day, the owner of scotlands largest secondhand bookshop on dealing with tricky customers and how deaths are his. How to open a bookstore in rural scotland literary hub. Oct 08, 2017 as shaun bythell reveals in his diary of a year in the trade, booksellers spend most of their time humping crates of books around, dealing with the arcane business of online sales or trying not to. It contains books, spread over a mile of shelving, with. The book is a daybyday account of one year in the life of book shop owner shaun bythell, who lives and works in the scottish book town of wigtown. The bookshop is scotlands largest secondhand store, with over one hundred thousand books in a glorious old house with twisting corridors and roaring fireplaces, set in a tiny, beautiful town by the sea. Confessions of a bookseller book greenwich library.
Bythell s misanthropic memoir, the diary of a bookseller, covers one year in the life of the bookshop, his usedbookstore in a drafty, leaky stone house in wigtown, scotland. There are many chuckles and a few laugh out loud passages. There is a wide range of topics and some real gems in terms of rarity and quality. The bookshop, wigtown scotlands largest secondhand. There is nothing twee or cosy about this book but, despite that, it is a total joy. The bookshop is the largest secondhand bookshop in scotland, with over a mile of shelving supporting roughly 100,000 books. Shaun bythell discusses the success of his book the diary of a bookseller, his opinions on the megabusiness amazon and his love of dumfries and galloway. Diary of a bookseller by shaun bythell by melville house.
In 2001 shaun bythell acquired the book shop, the flagship bookstore in wigtown, the book town in galloway in the southwest of scotland. Sep 28, 2017 the diary of a bookseller is the first person account of shaun bythell, owner of the bookshop, a large second hand bookstore in scotland. It contains over 100,000 books, spread over a mile of shelving along twisting corridors and roaring fires, set. The diary of a bookseller by shaun bythell is published by profile books. The diary of a bookseller is the funny and fascinating memoir of shaun bythell s experiences at the helm of the bookshop, scotlands largest second hand bookstore and the delightfully unusual staff members, eccentric customers, and surreal buying trips to crumbling estates and auction houses that make up his life there. Secondhand bookshop owner diaries his 12month battle against the internet giant. Its a yearlong diary bythell kept to share his life as owner of a large used bookstore in a small rural town. Memphis flyer i generally dislike books about bookselling because theyre treacly and selfsatisfied, but shaun bythell s subversive the diary of a bookseller is an antidote. The literary edit was named the london book fairs inaugural book blog of the year, and is a stylish online space for readers, writers and literary travellers. Bythell s misanthropic memoir, the diary of a bookseller, covers one year in the life of the bookshop, his usedbookstore in a drafty, leaky stone house in. Confessions of a bookseller, by shaun bythell this sequel to the diary of a bookseller reinforces shaun bythells persona as the archetypally grumpy owner of.
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