The Diary of a Bookseller

By Shaun Bythell

A WRY AND HILARIOUS ACCOUNT OF LIFE AT A BOOKSHOP IN A REMOTE SCOTTISH VILLAGE

"Among the most irascible and amusing bookseller memoirs I've read." --Dwight Garner, New York Times

"Warm, witty and laugh-out-loud funny..."—Daily Mail

The Diary of a Bookseller is Shaun Bythell's funny and fascinating memoir of a year in the life at the helm of The Bookshop, in the small village of Wigtown, Scotland—and of the delightfully odd locals, unusual staff, eccentric customers, and surreal buying trips that make up his life there as he struggles to build his business . . . and be polite . . .

When Bythell first thought of taking over the store, it seemed like a great idea: The Bookshop is Scotland's largest second-hand store, with over one hundred thousand books in a glorious old house with twisting corridors and roaring fireplaces, set in a tiny, beautiful town by the sea. It seemed like a book-lover's paradise . . .
 
Until Bythell did indeed buy the store.
 
In this wry and hilarious diary, he tells us what happened next—the trials and tribulations of being a small businessman; of learning that customers can be, um, eccentric; and of wrangling with his own staff of oddballs (such as ski-suit-wearing, dumpster-diving Nicky). And perhaps none are quirkier than the charmingly cantankerous bookseller Bythell himself turns out to be.

But then too there are the buying trips to old estates and auctions, with the thrill of discovery, as well as the satisfaction of pressing upon people the books that you love . . .

Slowly, with a mordant wit and keen eye, Bythell is seduced by the growing charm of small-town life, despite —or maybe because of—all the peculiar characters there.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Sep 4, 2018
• ISBN: 9781612197258

Shaun Bythell

Shaun Bythell is the owner of The Bookshop, the largest second-hand bookshop in Scotland. He is the author of Confessions of a Bookseller and Seven Kinds of People You Find in Bookshops, both published by Godine. Shaun lives in Wigtown, Scotland.

Reviews for The Diary of a Bookseller

[lirmac-2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The grumblings of a second-hand bookshop owner. This book should be amusing – and it very occasionally is – but the overwhelming tone is one of whinge.

[northernteacher-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Brilliant! Next time I go to Scotland, it's to Wigtown!

[jon1lambert · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Patrick Modiano: Search warrant and Shaun Bithell: The diary of a bookseller‘The time I’ve spent, waiting in those cafes’: Search Warrant by Patrick Modiano (Harvell Secker Press, 2014,) page 5.I am in Coffee Roasters on The High in Oxford. It is raining outside. For some reason a flat white to drink in is cheaper than a flat white to take away: £2.50 rather than £2.60. I picked up my second copy of Search Warrant by Patrick Modiano in the Oxford St Giles Oxfam bookshop. I only bought it for the neat set of page-by-page notes loosely inserted within. I don’t need to read the book now, just the notes, was my thinking, Nevertheless, I read the first few pages of the book, became hooked and reminded myself of the importance of coffee and cigarettes to literature, for instance, Modiano introduces the cigarette as a characteristic of a Polish Jew who sold suitcases: ‘He was never without a cigarette dangling from the corner of his lips and, one afternoon, he offered me one’ (page 7). Simenon’s Maigret novels would be short stories without cafes, pipes and cigarettes. My reading was interrupted by a woman asking me whether she could plug herself in under my feet and by another one who told everyone that her bus pass was running out today. The barista said ‘make the most of it, go anywhere, go to Abingdon’. She said ‘yeah’ but she was going to a porn shop in Cowley first. ‘You should see some of the stuff he’s got,’ she added as she went out the door.Later in the day I finished reading Shaun Bythell’s The diary of a bookseller which cost me an outrageous £5.99 in a different Oxfam bookshop. I hope one day to visit the bookshop in Wigtown to be insulted. I really enjoyed Bythell’s book. It is reassuring to see how much customers irritate the bookseller who of course depends on the customer. On page 232 he makes the point that ‘on the whole booksellers dislike librarians’. I have some sympathy with this. Librarians are almost certainly a book’s greatest enemy. The acquisition and deaccessioning processes cause grave damage to the quality of the book as a physical object. There is also the issue of free lending, endowing a sense of generosity upon librarians to the detriment of booksellers who have to make a living by selling and want to buy books for virtually nothing and then sell them on (or back to libraries) for the highest possible price. Mind you, I like the Wigtown bookseller’s approach to fines. Libraries fine people for books being overdue. In Wigtown, browsers who hang around and show a great interest in a book but don’t buy it, may find its price has been marked up by a fiver when they come back and eventually bring it to the till.Having relocated my custom to an independent bookshop that sells carrot cake as well as books, I have become aware of a seemingly courteous respectful customer who has asked whether it is ok for him and his partner to have a coffee outside with their dog. The bookseller replied very positively saying, ‘even better, the dog would be most welcome inside’. I, a pre-existing customer, had no say in the matter. Within 2 minutes the shop was a menagerie. Dog meant two dogs, a lurcher and a poodle, with their owners, both international canine authorities, with loud voices to boot. The lurcher is called Lofty. Apparently, anything that is a greyhound is a lurcher. Lofty has Irish wolfhound in him and has beautiful colouring. The totally 100% poodle is a miniature bitch and quite rare. She is nearly a year old, cute and has huge eyes. Lofty can’t seem to sit still. The word ‘sit’ echoes repetitively round the bookshop. Mixed breeds need a lot of brushing. I couldn’t get past Lofty to get at the local history so left. Elsewhere in his book, page 293, Mr Bythell suggests that marginalia and annotations made by readers are ‘captivating additions – a glimpse into the mind of another person who has read the same book’. I tend to agree. That is why I bought the second copy of Search Warrant. The previous owner had protected the book from desecration through the neatness of the writing, the page references and providing them as an insert on yellow-lined paper. As for their value, I’ve changed my mind. The notes are quite helpful in sorting out Modiano’s multiple chronologies but in my view are way off the mark in terms of assessment, for instance ’much is surmise’ is seen as a bad thing; characters are thought to be rather ordinary, one doesn’t get to know them, and the streets of Paris didn’t join up. I think the point of fading memory and things not joining up is what the book is all about. I reckon that Search warrant (Dora Bruder) is one of the best books I have ever read. Also, I discovered on the back cover something brown that looks like remnants from one of Nicky’s Foodie Friday discount takeaways from Morrisons. It won’t come off.

[amaliagavea · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

These are the experiences of Shaun Bythell, a bookseller in Wigtown in beautiful Scotland, in diary format. The working days, the interesting customers (problematic or not), the co-workers, the struggle to support a second-hand bookshop (the second largest in the country) in the era of technology, everything that makes bookselling such a fascinating and exhausting profession is included in this book. Despite the positive reviews and my high expectations, I have to say that I didn’t enjoy reading this at all….There were two things that won me over and kept me going. The experiences of the author- sometimes, they proved to be real adventures- while trying to find the most appropriate books for his shop and the stories of the people linked to them. Their deceased owners and the ones that stayed behind and had to part with the books. Some of them. The rest were cruel monsters but anyway. Another interesting part is the connection of the bookshop world with Amazon and the importance of the online market in general. It was sad to learn how a mere rating in a dubious platform could influence your overall effort despite all your hard effort. In our digitalized, fast-food era, online purchases are vital for the survival of any shop. It further cemented my conviction not to support Amazon, a stance I’ve been supporting for years. On a lighter note, there were certain titles that were absolutely hilarious. Not one to judge but it definitely makes you wonder why people sometimes choose specific books. Do they buy them for the sake of research or have they organised their priorities wrong? These were the most amusing features of the book, in my opinion.Unfortunately, here end my positive thoughts regarding The Diary of a Bookseller. Apart from the content, I always pay attention to the overall tone, the ‘’voice’’ of the writer, especially when it comes to Non-Fiction and in this case, there were quite a few moments that made me contemplate whether to stop reading altogether. Forgive me for saying this, but there is a fine line between sarcasm and rudeness and, in my opinion, Bythell crossed it. He didn’t strike me as the most sympathetic person on the planet. I’m not referring to his behaviour towards the customers (although it was definitely questionable at times) but to his overall thoughts and assumptions. Perhaps it is a matter of cultural difference but certain parts left a sour taste in my mouth. Needless to say, the majority of the customers mentioned in the entries were excruciatingly ignorant so these were the only moments when I felt that his responses could be justified. Furthermore, I found his posh, high-brow attitude towards Fiction rather unfair and, in all honesty, tiresome and absurd. His comments over ‘’large’’ (as he calls them) customers sounded problematic as did his observations over ‘’female’’ customers. And truthfully, repetition over Amazon statuses or problems he had been facing with an employee day after day made this an extremely mundane read.Perhaps the most interesting feature was the inclusion of George Orwell’s quotes on books, readers and bookselling at the beginning of each chapter. I can see why many readers would enjoy The Diary of a Bookseller but the writing failed to engage me and gave me quite a few problematic moments. Therefore, I cannot possibly rate this with more than 2 stars (not that it matters, obviously) and naturally, it can’t hold a candle to Jen Campbell’s The Bookshop Book.Many thanks to Melville House Publishing and Edelweiss for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[heikem_13 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a year in the life of a second hand bookshop, told by the owner. I have read the owners Facebook page and from that I expected a humorous, slightly zynical view of dealings with customers. Although there is certainly some of that, it is so much more. Beautifully written, this is a love letter to the life of a book seller, so much more than just a diary. The fondness for the landscape, the town, the people, the books and the various employees in the bookshop shines through. It reads as witty as I hoped - this author is well read, across all genres it seems. It's also a really good read for anybody who wants to open a second hand bookshop - Shaun recommends a few books for budding shop owners, his should certainly be on that list. It made me smile, a little bit sad, and the fact that this bookshop exists makes me very happy. A wonderful read, warm, funny, honest and clever.

[dieseltaylor_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As a man who spent two happy years working part-time in a good second-hand bookshop in Oxted I can vouch for the veracity of the authors customer experiences.Fortunately I would only work running the shop on Saturdays and perhaps an odd day so saw many more customers than weekday working. Great fun.The book is very funny but with a touch of sadness. We too would lose good customers. And yes my very knowledgeable boss did have a slightly similar view of mankind as does the author.

[debbiemccauley-2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Bookshop in Wigtown, Galloway, is in a grade II listed Georgian building and is Scotland's largest second-hand bookshop. Owned by Shaun Bythell since November 2001, The Bookshop is home to 100,000 books, and by the sound of Shaun's diary, many quirky and eccentric customers. This daily summary of bookshop activity covers from February 2014 to February 2015, with all it's trials and tribulations and battles against the giants like Amazon who have driven many bookshops out of business. The staff sound even more entertaining then the customers, such as the bin-diving Nicky who wears a black Canadian ski suit in winter to stop freezing in the shop. Shaun writes of his buying trips to old estates and auction houses, fascinating finds, boxes of unsaleable books, the Wigtown Book Festival, and his experience of small-town life.This title reminds me of one of my favourite television series, 'Black Books'. Like us librarians, Bythell is quite fond of many of his regular customers and sad when they pass away. A fabulous read for those who love books and bookshops.

[sarahebear · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"The Diary of a Bookseller" by Shaun Bythell offers a sometimes amusing look at the ins and out of running a second hand book store, Presented in diary format, Bythell describes the challenges of managing the store, acquiring stock, dealing with staff, weird and wonderful customers, various cats (including the store cat), dealing with Amazon, and the IT dramas when using the systems for on-line book selling. From a business point of view, it is interesting (if not a little alarming) to see what his daily takings are, and to hear what other activities he engages in, in order to turn a profit. Worth a read.

[dramman_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is the diary of a bookseller, just as it says on the tin.....the books he buys and sells, and the people he buys from and sells to, Pretty simple stuff and somewhat interesting for 3-4 months, but a 12 month stretch is a bit much. For all that I love secondhand bookshops and hope this particular one will still be in business when I visit Wigtown.

[sleahey_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A fascinating account of the day to day operations of a used book store in small-town Scotland. The observations about customers and struggles of the book world are both entertaining and revealing. A bibliophile's delight, sure to make us all want to visit Wigtown in Scotland.

[clue_4 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

My thinking is not always practical when I go into a bookstore. Rarely do I come out with just the book I meant to buy. But unlike Shaun Bythell, I have never gone into a bookstore to buy a book and bought the store too, as he did in 2001 while visiting his parents for Christmas. His diary, written in 2014, tells his experiences of being a used bookstore owner with both humor and frustration. He is very likeable, very funny and by using every opportunity he can think of, he's kept the doors open. Although the store is in the small village of Wigtown, it has grown to be the second largest used bookstore in Scotland. I enjoyed this so much, I look forward to reading his other two books.

[eesti23 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I was disappointed by this. I thought it would be super funny and in the end it ended up being some pieces of funny and the rest not really. It did make me think back to all the enjoyment I have gotten and get from bookstores. It also made me feel a bit guilty for reading the book on a Kindle.

[steve38 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Cynically amusing diary of running a second hand bookshop in Wigtown. The author just about keeps your interest to the end.

[ladyars · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I took this book out with little expectation and was really surprised about how readable and funny it was. I definitely recommend it to anyone who likes books and/or has to deal with customers ;)

[mbmackay · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A surprisingly good read.The premise - daily diary notes by the owner of a second hand book shop in a remote corner of Scotland - hardly seems promising. But the author combines grumpiness with a good nature, and the text combines trivia with an assessment of the future of books in an Amazon run world.I found myself taking note of books mentioned, while adding Wigtown to the list of destinations to visit when next in Scotland - if international travel ever gets back in gear. There is much wry humour, with the occasional laugh out loud moment.

[belana-990668 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Funny, witty, very interesting. I've read some negative reviews, but they only increased my curiosity.
I'm so glad I bought the book, and I'm so sorry I live far too far away to ever visit the shop, or the book festival. I would love to do that.
The narrator did a splendid job, I loved every minute of the book.

[seschend · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fascinating, amusing, and engrossing.

Written in diary entries by a much-beleaguered bookseller in Wigtown Scotland, this is a great book for reading in dribs and drabs without ever losing the threads of continuity in terms of coworkers, friends, and customers.

Highly recommended to anyone who likes a good book, bookshop, or simply a wild and eclectic cast of characters.

[ponsonby_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This diary-form account of a year (from February 2014) in the life of Scotland's largest second-hand bookshop is highly readable, since it is as much about the shop's customers and staff as it is about books. The author manages to combine an acerbic commentary with a mostly sympathetic approach to those who actually like books. His negative view of Amazon and the 'multi-listers' (large internet sellers) is understandably hostile since he is himself a producer interest, although he seems to think that those who love books necessarily support independent bookshops, which is not necessarily the case. To be fair, he is alive to the failings of his own establishment and other bookshops.

[carolfoisset · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Entertaining listen- really enjoyed the audio. As an Amazon boycotter and previous bookstore employee all the references to Amazon's negative impact on bookstores/publishing/etc confirmed my commitment to continue boycotting! Liked having the insight to life in a small Scottish town and I plan on reading the other books by this author.

[mickyfine · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Shaun Bythell owns The Bookshop, a secondhand bookstore in the village of Wigtown in the Galloway region of Scotland. From February of 2014 he kept a diary for a year of the various goings on in his life with an eye to publishing it to give others an insight into working the book trade. Filled with tales of kind and also nightmare customers, his always bizarre encounters with his employee Nicky who is Jehovah's Witness and does Foodie Friday every week (when she brings in finds from her dumpster diving), and his encounters with people during trips to buy books it's a delightful snapshot of his life. Filled with funny, snarky, and sweet moments, despite Bythell's jaded feelings about humanity from his time owning the shop there's plenty of bookishness and beauty to be had here.

[2wondery_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lovely, slow paced summary of a year selling books in Scotland. Extremely soothing to listen to. Cheered for every day the online book orders were all found and when the till total climbed during the warm season.

[kaulsu · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Nothing too deep, but quite enjoyable. Many of the characters were quite...er, quite. Nicki, in particular, aroused in me chuckles and a desire to strangle. However, bless Shaun for keeping her employed! Some day I will travel to Scotland and make sure to pass through Wigtown.

[pdcread · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wigtown is a beautiful rural town nestling in the south west of Scotland, and it has been designated as Scotland's official BookTown. It is home to a range of bookshops and book-related businesses as well as its own book festival. The Bookshop in Wigtown is Scotland's largest second-hand bookshop, with around 100,000 items of stock and miles of shelves, an open fire and nooks and crannies to lose yourself in.

The proprietor of this bibliophile heaven is Shaun Bythell and on the 5th February 2014, he decided to start keeping a diary of the things that happened in the shop. Over the next year, he tells us just how it is running a bookshop in the modern world, from battling against the 1100lb gorilla that is Amazon to travelling around Scotland looking at collections of books, hoping, but not expecting to come across that rare book that he knows will sell.

Whilst he likes to have paying customers through the doors, it is his financial lifeblood, after all, there are certain types that he is critical of. Those that cross the threshold declaring a love of all things bookish are frequently the ones who leave empty-handed. He argues with customers who think that a second-hand bookshop should only stock titles that are £1 each and catching those that surreptitiously amended the prices of the books.

And then there are the staff…

This is a brilliant portrait about running a business in a small town, that the things that happen all have some impact on everyone in the town. He does not hold back in saying just how tough some things can be and how the core of second-hand bookshops, rare collectable and signed editions have had the heart and soul ripped out of the market with the internet in general and Amazon in particular. I really liked the way that he noted the number of orders that came through via the internet and the way this frequently varied from that actual number of books they could then find! Rightly, he has never embraced the flawed philosophy that the customer is always right and also seems to relish the verbal battle with those that want something for almost nothing. If, as a book lover, you have ever contemplated or dreamt of opening and owning your own bookshop then this is the book to read; you might just change your mind…

[dsc73277 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The author of this book will not be at all impressed that I got my copy from the library. Perhaps understandably he suggests that librarians and booksellers are not kindered spirits. Their are funnier and far less grumpy books about bookshops, but this was nonetheless an entertaining read.

[sandyamcpherson · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Took me a long time to read this diary-format book. The narrative was boring and engaging by turns. I'm glad I read Jessica Fox's 'Rockets' first because her narrative was more of a reflection of the 'soul' of Wigtown, its people and the book festival. I went on to read Bythell’s 'Diary' predisposed to find something more evocative. My late father-in-law supported his family for over 50 years running such an enterprise so there were many good laugh-out-loud moments whilst reading Bythell's sometimes acerbic observations. Indeed, customers can be infuriatingly ignorant and after awhile in any retail business, it gets old really fast. However, despite this being a diary format, I expected more reflection and anecdotes. There would be so much to describe about finding stock to buy and remarks about the people of Wigtown, beyond the postal collections and the once-a-year Book Festival. Instead of more thoughtful observations about book-selling in Galloway, the reader wades through a lot of drivel: a daily tally of books ordered, number of customers and the amount of cash in the till. I skipped over these reports very quickly. I also rapidly tired of his employee difficulties. The second-hand business earns too little to waste on employees that don’t pull their weight. I wondered if this was an exaggeration or there were unmentioned (unmentionable?) circumstances. In any case, this chronicle of employee woes was ultimately quite boring.

[adzebill · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Interesting insight into the day-to-day work of running a used-book shop, with 100,000 books and 20,000 sold each year. Battles with Amazon, with odd customers, with odder staff, with their inventory software… A rather endearingly grumpy narrative voice throughout. I didn't enjoy the sequel as much, nor the gushy memoir by his partner about how they met (in the sequel he's splitting up with her).

[petroglyph_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Shaun Bythell owns and operates a large second-hand bookshop in tiny Wigtown, down in an almost-forgotten corner of Scotland. His diary consists mainly of the everyday grind that is dealing with customers and gathering new stock, as well as the seasonal excitement that are annually-recurring events organised by the bookshop and by the town. Bythell agitates against massive online retailers that are driving shops like his out of business: he likes a good complaint about non-customers who merely visit in order to check his stock’s prices against those online. He also likes it when his staff and customers are characters: they provide funny anecdotes that fill the pages and that make this a largely effort-free read. Also, since I work part-time in a shop, several of the interactions with customers or the kind of people who are looking for something to complain about (and anyone to complain to) are comfortingly familiar. Easy reading. I’m not sure what persona Bythell was aiming for: I have the impression that many reviewers think of him as a cantankerous but lovable bookseller -- perhaps like a toned-down version of the Bernard Black character of Black Books. To me, though, he comes across as more of a regular self-employed service industry worker: sales interactions are fine, attempts to “connect” are not. Anecdotes showcasing his grumpiness feel cherry-picked, like affecting a Bernard-Blackish persona for marketing purposes.Either way: this book chugged nicely along, and it contains just enough local interest and social commentary on corporate-run capitalism to elevate it above mere fluff. Its main interest, for me, was the look behind the scenes of the day-to-day running of a bookshop. It was especially interesting to learn how second-hand stock is acquired.

[m.belljackson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Shaun Bythell presents a calm, measured delivery of the life of a used bookseller.He presents enlightening perspectives of the damage done to book selling and buying as a result of the recent practices of both Amazon and, even more sadly, abe.com. Potential customers doing online "ghost-stealing" price fixing is another unwelcome development.It's amazing that he makes a profit and surprising that so little passion is shown for his girlfriend'sarrivals and departures.Reviews of the books that he mentions he is reading would have been welcome as would a decision to keep his cat inside when new baby birds were hatching and growing rather than to see if the cat annihilates the tiny struggling creatures. Nicky, the monsoon, Eliot's shoes, & Wilma and the postman were simply boring fillers,while a photo or drawing closeup of a walking stick would have livened things up.Mr. Deacon was the only character I cared about.

[fliss88_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Have you ever come across a book where you just wanted to bring every character home? This book has a cast of eccentrics like no other and they're all gravitate in and around one bookshop. The author fails, in my eyes, to come across like the curmudgeon he wishes he was, as he gives us a yearly account of the life and workings in his rambling but cold, secondhand bookshop. The writing style is wickedly flippant, the author clearly loves what he does, despite what he says, and it all makes for splendiferous reading.

[pgchuis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was very whimsical and gently enjoyable. I could have gone on reading it far longer.