NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

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

“Browsing is a pleasure in this history of the bookstore . . . A spirited defense of this important, odd and odds-defying American retail category.”
—New York Times

“Fascinating. . . . A heartfelt, essential love letter to the literary sanctuary of bookstores and the people who run them.”
—People magazine, “Book of the Week”

“Serious browsers will love this history of American bookstores . . . both entertaining and informative.”
—Washington Post

“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.”
—The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“If you love books, and bookstores, you’re absolutely going to love Evan Friss’s The Bookshop. . .“
—Town & Country’s “39 Must-Read Books of Summer 2024”

“Attentive and thoughtful. . . . Evan Friss is the companionable guide we all deserve on this trip to bookstores throughout time, offering a treasure trove of information and anecdotes, and bittersweetly reminding us all how important these institutions are, how necessary to our culture and communities and how we must do everything in our power to protect them.”
—Lit Hub’s “Most Anticipated Books of 2024”

“Upbeat and immersive. . . . An entrancing deep dive into the book industry.”
—Publishers Weekly (STARRED review)

“Eye-opening. . . . A thoroughly engaging, delightful excursion into the wondrous world of books.”
—Kirkus Reviews (STARRED review)

“Bookstores are such idiosyncratic expressions of the humans who run them, and it is a delight to wander through the bookstores of American history in this warm, generous book.”
—Emma Straub, New York Times bestselling author and owner of Books Are Magic

“This bookseller read Evan Friss’s The Bookshop with the greatest delight. Friss’s history of the independent bookshop in the United states is very much like his subject—deeply authoritative, very personal, and very engaging.”
—Paul Yamazaki, City Lights Bookseller and Publisher

“Is there anything better than a bookshop? Perhaps, just perhaps, a book about bookshops. This is what Evan Friss has given us, and like its subject, it is a portal to endless discovery. The histories and personalities, the challenges and pleasures, everything happening behind the scenes—all come alive in his marvelous account.”
—Glenn Adamson, author of Craft: An American History

“Evan Friss has written a charming, deeply researched history of the understated but vital role that booksellers have played in forging the American identity. Rich in incident and richer in the colorful characters who have sold—or tried to sell—books to a reliably intractable public from the days of the Old Corner Bookstore till today, The Bookshop is an absolute delight.”
—Stephen Sparks, owner of Point Reyes Books