SKU: 3204539272

The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore

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The Bookshop: A History of the American BookstoreBy Evan Friss Hardcover AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "A spirited defense of this important, odd and odds defying American retail category." The New York Times "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 An affectionate and engaging history of the American bookstore and its central place in American cultural life,

By Evan Friss

Hardcover 

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

"A spirited defense of this important, odd and odds-defying American retail category." —The New York Times

"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

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


Bookstores have always been unlike any other kind of store, shaping readers and writers, and influencing our tastes, thoughts, and politics. They nurture local communities while creating new ones of their own. Bookshops are powerful spaces, but they are also endangered ones. In The Bookshop, we see the stakes: what has been, and what might be lost.

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 love letter to bookstores, a charming chronicle for anyone who cherishes these sanctuaries of literature, and essential reading to understand how these vital institutions have shaped American life—and why we still need them.

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SKU: 3204539272

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Debby & Brian
Waukegan, US
★★★★★ 5
Cozy Omegaverse
Format: Kindle
This is the true definition of Cozy Omegaverse. LA wedding coordinator meets her pack at the location for a couple’s destination wedding. Low angst because they are scent matched high heat with heats and knots. Everything you love about this genre with very little anxiety. Simply a fun experience to read and a book I will comeback to when I’m in a slump. I simply love reading this book
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Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2026
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Iputmybookdownforthis
Waukegan, US
★★★★★ 4
Cute Omegaverse story
Format: Kindle
3.75 stars and 2 for spice. Adorable Omegaverse story about a wedding planner who has to go to a small town to plan a wedding for a movie star. While there, she meets her pack. This covers her struggles of not living there but trying to keep her relationship going with her 3 Alphas. It's a quick read and cute, so I recommend it for people who like light-hearted RH stories.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2025
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Dani
Port Orchard, US
★★★★★ 3
real good
Format: Kindle
This was a solid read for the ABO universe. The characters are great. The smut scenes were well written. And the town is so cute I want to go there. It didn’t have much character development it just felt like I was getting to the characters as they were getting to know each other.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2025
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Tstar
Massapequa, US
★★★★★ 5
So sweet
Format: Kindle
It’s so unexpectedly sweet that it sneaks up on you. Each character is so unique and charming. I love the openness and honesty among their pack. It really blows me away how wonderful this omegaverse trope plays out. I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2026
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Queen of Anxiety
Pawtucket, US
★★★★★ 2
Needs editing
Format: Kindle
Cute storyline and promising characters, but the lack of editing is painful to read. I would love to read an edited version.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2025

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