Once Upon a Tome

 

 I received a copy of this release from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Once Upon a Tome: The Misadventures of a Rare Bookseller  

Author: Oliver Darkshire

Publisher: W.W. Norton 

Release Date: 3.14.23

Publisher’s Summary 

Some years ago, Oliver Darkshire stepped into the hushed interior of Henry Sotheran Ltd on Sackville Street (est. 1761) to interview for their bookselling apprenticeship, a decision which has bedevilled him ever since.

He'd intended to stay for a year before launching into some less dusty, better remunerated career. Unfortunately for him, the alluring smell of old books and the temptation of a management-approved afternoon nap proved irresistible. Soon he was balancing teetering stacks of first editions, fending off nonagenarian widows with a ten-foot pole and trying not to upset the store's resident ghost (the late Mr Sotheran had unfinished business when he was hit by that tram).

For while Sotheran's might be a treasure trove of literary delights, it sings a siren song to eccentrics. There are not only colleagues whose tastes in rare items range from the inspired to the mildly dangerous, but also zealous collectors seeking knowledge, curios, or simply someone with whom to hold a four hour conversation about books bound in human skin.

By turns unhinged and earnestly dog-eared, Once Upon a Tome is the rather colourful story of life in one of the country's most ancient bookshops and a love letter to the benign, unruly world of antiquarian bookselling, where to be uncommon or strange is the best possible compliment.

My Review

I think every dedicated reader has had a daydream or two about working in a bookshop, especially a bookshop with forgotten rooms and lots of hidden artifacts. Oliver Darkshire thought he was going to be an apprentice antiquarian bookseller for a year, but he ended up staying on and the stories he shares about his daily experiences are so quirky and funny. Filled with lots of short chapters, I would recommend this to anyone who loves the "idea" of a bookshop or is needing some giggles between heavier reads.