An affectionate and engaging history of the American bookstore and its central place in American cultural life, from department stores to indies, from highbrow dealers trading in first editions to sidewalk vendors, and from chains to special-interest community destinations Evan Friss’s history of the bookshop draws on oral histories, archival collections, municipal records, diaries, letters, and interviews with leading booksellers to offer a fascinating look at this institution beloved by so many. The story begins with Benjamin Franklin’s first bookstore in Philadelphia and takes us to a range of booksellers including the Strand, Chicago’s Marshall Field & Company, the Gotham Book Mart, specialty stores like Oscar Wilde and Drum and Spear, sidewalk sellers of used books, Barnes & Noble, Amazon Books, and Parnassus. The Bookshop is also a history of the leading figures in American bookselling, often impassioned eccentrics, and a history of how books have been marketed and sold over the course of more than two centuries—including, for example, a 3,000-pound elephant who signed books at Marshall Field’s in 1944.

The Bookshop is a chronicle for anyone who these sanctuaries of literature, and essential reading to understand how these vital institutions have shaped American life—and why we still need them. I am a greater lover and user of bookstores so this was very interesting. It was obvious that the author had gone to great lengths in his research to tell the full story of bookshops and how they affected literary history. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for offering this non-fiction history that is not dry as some non-fiction but full of colorful characters and their bookshops.

This book manages to be sweeping in its observations and deeply personal in its presentation. Combines thorough research and fascinating insight with beautiful prose. This former Borders employee and indie bookstore assistant manager appreciated both the rich array of anecdotes and the historical analysis of change over time.

reviewed after assignment for the web newsletter Shelf Awareness. review can be found in full at https://www.shelf-awareness.com/

This was fantastic! Ranging from Franklin to printers row to Amazon’s chokehold on indies, this was full of reasons why bookshops matter and the sociological impact of them in society.

The Bookshop; A History of the American Bookstore by Evan Friss is a very thorough history of many specific bookstores over the last many years. If you enjoy visiting bookstores around the country like I do, you'll find this book fascinating. I thought this quote was fun: "by 1965, there was at least one TV in 94 percent of American homes. Critics blamed televisions, like radios before and many things after, for sapping attention spans. In 1969, Fred Bass anticipated that books would one day become electronic: 'You'll have a telephone with a screen and you'll be able to dial a book.'" The author truly did an amazing job researching and telling the background of all these well-known bookstores, and I highly recommend this read. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

A well researched look at the history of bookstores in the United States and the current trajectory of what a bookstore may look like, with the increasing presence of Amazon. Overall, readers interested in how bookstores developed and the many forms they take will like this one. Much of the book is spent on the histories of very specific bookstores and how they came about, rather than general bookstore trends.

Evan Friss’s “The Bookshop” explores the history of the American book store through stories ranging from humble beginnings with Benjamin Franklin and printing production to Amazon’s foray into brick and mortar. Friss identifies key players and shops and devotes a chapter to each. He’s done extensive research, and it shows. Perhaps my only criticism is that sometimes it can feel like almost too much information to digest at once, so it was a bit of a slower read for me as a result.

As someone who loves bookstores, I enjoyed the structure focusing on individual shops. It’s fascinating to see all of the factors that threatened bookshops throughout history and to see how they persevered. Also interesting to see the relationships between prominent authors and business people and how they impacted one another.

Anyone who loves books and American history will likely enjoy this book as well. It really was a fascinating read, and I learned so much about the key players and champions of the industry in every chapter.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the advanced read.

Evan Friss' well researched, extensive look at the American Bookshop is enjoyable and chock a block with interesting real-life characters, in an even handed history. There are the earliest book seller/publishers, the corporate book stores, and everything in between. Anyone that has an interest in literature, bookselling, urban history, critique and the role of book sellers in the history of this country will find a place in this book.

I've been a bibliophile as long as I can remember. There were portions of The Bookshop that were a delight to read, from department stores that began to sell books to the more recent rise and fall of Waldenbooks, B. Dalton, and Borders. But in between were several chapters about Nazi, Communist, LGBTQ, and African American bookstores that I found much less engrossing. I was looking for more general trends and history, rather than the stories of specific bookstores. But I did learn quite a bit about an industry I enjoy supporting.

A fantastic history of bookstores. Definitely a "love letter" to bookstores and their impact on American history. A must-read for any booklover. Nonfiction can be a little difficult to engage me but Friss' writing is wonderful.

A very readable, well-paced basic history of bookstores in the US, and probably a great pick if you don’t know a lot about the topic.

Personally I was hoping for something a bit more esoteric, or at least broader in scope. I would have preferred a lot more early history and less common information than things like another re-explanation of the trajectory of Barnes and Noble, which has been repeatedly summarized in basic news articles for years.

There’s more here about “outsider” bookstores than I would have preferred, not because these aren’t extremely important to the history of bookshops, but because the author is saying largely the same things about each one, so this section (which accounts for maybe a third of the book) could have been cut down into a chapter or two and left more space for more interesting and less commonly discussed bookish history.

I’m also not certain focusing purely on American stores was a good decision. There’s brief mention of basics like Daunt Books and the bouquinistes on the Seine, but it’s just rudimentary background information.

In all, I loved the spirit of this book and I think it’s a good place to start if you don’t know much about bookstores, but for great enthusiasts of the topic or those who have some background knowledge, you’re unlikely to get much out of this.

Maybe I am unusual, but reading about bookstore/bookshops makes me happy. Loving books and buying books makes me a good audience for a book like The Bookshop, by Evan Friss. The Bookshop is a long book. There is a lot of information, which means this book is not a fast read, but it is a good read. Bookshops do not exist in a vacuum. They align with political and social forces. They reflect the country and the interests. This book is not simply a history of bookshops. It is a history of the US and the people who read and write and value books. Bookshops are for people who love books. People don’t get wealthy opening a bookshop, but they do get educated. Friss makes clear that those who open bookshops do not necessarily have time to read books, but the smell of books and possession of books make bookshop owners very happy.

Friss includes every kind of bookshop, from mom & pop shops, to sidewalk tables, to corporate gigantic bookstores, like B & N and Amazon, where the selling of books is only one tiny aspect of selling goods. Friss argues in The Bookshop that people who buy books also like to discuss books, which is something they can do in a bookshop, but not at Amazon, where there is no one with whom to discuss books and no-one who knows books.

I enjoyed Friss' The Bookshop. It is as was described in the title: A History of the American Bookstore. Thank you to publisher, Viking, and NetGalley for providing this ARC. I do recommend this book.

If you are reading this review on goodreads or netgalley, there's a pretty good chance that like me and author Evan Friss, you love bookstores. If so, this love letter to bookshops, the people who run them, and the people who shop (or just browse) at them is the right book for you. For me, this was the perfect antidote to some of the more disturbing nonfiction (not to mention the news) that I've been reading.

Starting with Ben Franklin, booksellers have been a rather eccentric lot, which is what makes Friss's account so enjoyable. And for the most part - with some notable exceptions (including Franklin) - booksellers have not been in it for the money. The book is episodic, with each of the thirteen chapters focusing on either a single bookseller or a bookselling category. I particularly enjoyed the section on the department store (focusing on Marshall Field's), the accounts of the Gotham and Strand bookstores, and learning about Ann Patchett's triumph in independent bookselling. I also took some joy in learning why Amazon's soulless brick-and-mortar stores were such a failure.

Expect this to get prominent display at your favorite independent bookshop. It will make a good gift for a book lover in your life.

What an engaging book that pairs well with THE BOOK-MAKERS by Adam Smyth. I was particularly inspired by the chapters on Gotham Book Mart, Oscar Wilde and Drum & Spear, so much so that while visiting the UK I had to go to and buy something from The People's Bookshop Durham (a collection of poetry by a local poet). The chapter on Parnassus made me wish I'd schlepped all the way out there when I was in Nashville. And the chapter on sidewalk sellers is a nice compliment to the documentary "BookWars."

The chapter on The Strand cleared up a mystery for me: when did it stop looking like a giant, book-filled Red Apple grocery store and more like McNally Jackson? Not that I'm complaining; I found a copy of Ira Levin's SLIVER there recently. And I'm glad the author delves into the (imho criminal) sale of galleys.

The chapter in the Aryan Bookstore was good, but shouldn't have compared it to people's bookstores. The author might have also compared its products to those of today's rightwing imprints, which B&N mainstreamed (to its shame) as much as it mainstreamed (to its credit) gay and Black books.

Indeed, I wanted more from the chapter on B&N--a store I owe my publishing career to (specifically the one at 82nd and Bway) because its selection taught me the industry--on how the beancounters killed their customer promise, especially after the 2008 financial crisis; on how their still crummy website hamstrung their ability to compete with Amazon; and more on why the Nook failed (yet the guy who ran the program got an $8M buyout; I should fail so well at something!) And while Daunt seems to be doing a good job reviving B&N (by turning it into a clone of Waterstones), questions remain. I did appreciate the deep history, though.

Similarly I liked the Amazon chapter, but it could have also been more critical, given how awful the shopping experience has become, but the author does point out that books don't really matter to Amazon anymore.

The only missing chapter is on Borders, whose death demonstrated so many bookshop challenges of our time.

Now to read PARNASSUS ON WHEELS by Christopher Morley and maybe set up a stand outside my own house to sell off my excess inventory. Next time in the city near Avenue A and St. Marks, I'll have to visit Jen Fisher's sidewalk shop to learn the ropes.

The Bookshop is well written book taking a look at one of the most important institutions for reading and readers: the bookstore. Evan Friss brings readers into these stores and why they are important to so many readers everywhere.

If you are not a bookshop person, there are still so many stories in this book because of those bookshops, don't skip it! It is a biography, history, sociology book all rolled into one. I actually had my phone near me as I read it, because it told stories of so many interesting people and happenings, that I wanted to learn more. I thank NetGalley and Penquin Group Viking for the advance read.