He has produced a work of popular history that is both entertaining and informative ... Despite its high degree of anecdotal liveliness, The Bookshop slowly grows quietly, unavoidably elegiac ... Clear-eyed.
A spirited defense ... Friss’s book is organized like the best of such literary emporiums: a little higgledy-piggledy, with surprise diversions here and there ... Considers how little overhead is required to nourish the fundamental human hunger for knowledge.
An engaging history ... Friss...has made the shrewd decision to tell the story of American bookselling through the lives of its most interesting and colorful practitioners.
Marvelous ... The Bookshop is a paean to those magical places and is a must-read to understand why bookshops have been such an integral part of American life for so long, and why they—even in an age of social media—remain an 'influencer' today.
Very well-researched ... Aided by interviews, diaries, letters, archival material, oral histories, and city records, Friss tells the story of an institution that has been deified, mythologized, and made the subject of novels ... Friss’s frequently engaging book is marred by sloppy writing ... Nonetheless, bibliophiles, bluestockings, and history buffs will want to dive in.
The book is a fascinating work that underscores the importance of these beloved, if perpetually financially strapped, institutions ... Friss explores the shifting role of bookstores and how each shop emerged as an expression of its era.
Delightfully similar to actually being in a favorite bookstore ... Peculiar and wonderful things are learned along the way ... Friss assembles all these terrific details and anecdotes like a Georges Seurat of history—little drops of fact come together to create a solid portrait of the bookstore business in America and its decline.
A fantastic journey ... Argues persuasively that not only are these institutions a crucial part of U.S. social and political history, but that they are also worth fighting for in the face of a new generation of technological and financial threats. Be sure to find a copy through your local independent bookshop
