By Sarah Statz Cords
All right, I’ll admit it. I don’t know that there are many ways to relate Murray Browne’s new title The Book Shopper: A Life in Review, to reader’s advisory service and professional development.
But sometimes, the heart just wants what it wants, and a lot of times, what my heart wants is simply a great read about books and reading. And that is undoubtedly what Browne’s slim volume is. In a mere 200 pages, Browne tackles many aspects of reading and the physical arrangement and procurement of books.
There’s chapters here on how “Book Lovers Are Not Necessarily People Lovers,” “What Every Good Bookstore* Should Have,” and “Managing the Personal Library.” It’s meant to be a guide to the world of used bookstores, but I really think it works as a guide to the broader world of reading and readers as well.
Browne himself admits that he has had a varied career, including stints as a book reviewer and author, and he does hold an MS in Information Sciences from the University of Tennessee. His book–which I’ll admit I have a soft spot for because he includes a chapter on “the new journalists,” also known as some of my own personal favorite authors such as Joan Didion and Tom Wolfe–has been published by Paul Dry Books, an independent publisher in Philadelphia. Even if you don’t know if this title is for you, do check out Paul Dry’s catalog; it’s an eclectic joy to behold, and boasts numerous titles you might be able to use in your libraries.
I’ve already blathered on about this title too much, when I should have let Browne do his own talking. I’m bringing in the big guns with this excerpt; this is a paragraph designed, I think, to resonate with readers, librarians, and readers’ advisors:
“I take comfort in knowing that in a world fraught with conformity, where you see the same retail stores, smell the same fast foods, and hear the same music on the car radio no matter where you are, there still exists a tribe of non-conformists. These people (including you, dear reader) are like that beloved used bookstore near a campus town with inventory piled high and deep…Through years of reading, an individual becomes one of those places that I never want to give up visiting.”
*Insert the word library here instead; that helps us relate this book to library service!
