I'm not sure I am going to be able to do this book justice in my review, because it is just absolutely brilliant. Straightaway the book led me to other books I haven't heard of and now need to read. As well it provided me with an education in book history I was clearly lacking.

I detest folded corners in books and cannot bring myself to write in them either, despite being encouraged to do so by my past tutors. I now learn that folding corners used to be seen as a feminine device and that marginalia used to be a very big thing. It even used to be that people cut their favourite passages out of books and pasted them into commonplace books with their own thoughts. I also learnt (amongst so many other things) that In ancient times libraries were attached to bath houses - and the free browsing of libraries is akin to mindfulness.

It appears books have been treated very shodily at times through the ages. One of the worst I was shocked to read about was in 1535, when the Parlement de Paris banned printing and burned twenty-three people associated with the book trade, not before earlier having order books to be burnt. A real life Farenheit 451.

"The Decameron" is not a book I had heard of, but when I read that in the past it was laid down that it was "not to be lent to women" I thought I needed to know more. It's this kind of snippet that has led me down a rabbit hole looking for books that reference other books and then when I get to the end of the book, I find several pages of sources - more book hunting.

There is so much knowledge in this book and I was reading it until my eyes hurt, I did not want to put it down. Surely this needs to be made into a TV documentary, it would be fascinating. I'm struggling to remember it all, luckily it's in this book and I will be referring to it in the future and re-reading. My favourite part of the book is the section on Bookshops in New York and a quote from my favourite film "You've Got Mail", it doesn't get much better than this.

The author ran the Canterbury Waterstone's bookshop and underneath it was discovered a Roman mosaic. An image that will stay with me is of the author reclining in a hammock suspended over the mosaic floor and then overhearing a customer's query, answering them through the wall. Thus providing the customer with what must have seemed like an outerworld experience, although apparently one customer did think there was a portal to another world within the bookshop anyway. So many anecdotes that were truly entertaining.

This is an eloquently written book with more than a taste of humour that was a pleasure to read. I want to talk to everyone about it now and share all that I've learnt.

I didn’t really know what to expect with this book- fiction or non fiction- but found that it was a mesmerising read. It sums up how I feel for books and I’m sure anyone who is an avid book lover will feel the same. It was so good to read about the history side of things, but also reading about the passion Martin has for books was fascinating.

A fun read that is less salacious gossip from the coal face of book retail but a thoughtful exploration of books & reading through the centuries.
As a former bookseller I'd have possibly liked a few more current stories but this was a delight to read.

Martin Latham covers all aspects of loving books, historical and psychological, in this comprehensive and varied volume. As this type of book is prone to be, it veers from the funny through the interesting to the frankly rather dull. Something for everyone, nonetheless

As an obsessive reader, I found much to enjoy in this book, which is a wonderful collection of reminiscences, stories and thoughts on readers intimate relationships with books, by a bookseller. Of course, as he owns a bookshop, he is rhapsodic about the way we interact with books, as compared to digital devices. Although I am a female reader, unlike many of Mr Latham’s customers, I have never hugged, kissed, or indeed, had the desire to smell books. I do buy books, but I will also admit – especially as I age – that the lightness, ease of carrying so many books with me, and an increased font, has made me as much in love with my kindle as I am with books. Not so romantic, perhaps, but I do appreciate his thoughts and I have always brought my own children books, as opposed to digital versions, as I do agree there is a difference.

Books are more tactile, and I enjoyed the sections here on marginalia, much loved and well read books and book collectors. Like the little girl crying in the queue, as she did not want her book ‘spoilt,’ by a signature, I have never written in books and never even turned over the corner of a page. I do love bookmarks, as does my daughter (she was the only child in her class who actually owned one, which I find a troubling statistic, even if it is only based on a small group of children).

The author continues to look at all things bookish; from readers feeling they should plough ‘glumly’ through the Booker longlist, while craving comfort books; libraries and librarians, and booksellers in Paris, New York and elsewhere. An interesting collection of anecdotes, which will have great appeal for book lovers everywhere. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

The blurb describes this book as "part cultural history, part literary love letter and part reluctant memoir".


The first part of the sentence seems to make up the bulk of the content - there is a lot of cultural history included in the book; I particularly liked the sections on libraries throughout history, street booksellers and the bookstore customers. The book contains a collection of anecdotes from the history of books that allowed me to see a different side to bibliography. At one point it was mentioned that this book was a 10-year project; I can well believe it, the subject matter throughout (all parts of it) are very clearly researched.


The literary love letter part felt a little lacking for me; while it is clear that the author has a lot of passion for books and has dedicated a large portion of his life to bibliography, the writing felt a cold at times. There were moments of humour (I found myself chuckling at certain one-liners or fun facts that were included) but at times I found myself feeling like I was reading a textbook. It was a decent read, but there were parts dotted throughout where I struggled to stay engaged.


On to the part reluctant memoir - reluctant is certainly the right word. I don't feel like I got to know much of anything substantial about the author until the very end of the book (the last 30 pages or so). This is a man who appears to have a fascinating personal story that is woven into the bookstore that he has headed for so many years (and the ones he worked at before), I would have loved to have seen more of it. The book had room for an increased feeling of personality and space for more stories from 30 years of running a well-known bookstore - I think I would have connected with it more if they had been a bigger feature.


I've come away from this read knowing a lot more about the world of bibliography than I did before, but it didn't leave the lasting impression on me that I hoped it would.

As a librarian, I really loved this book! It was full of book anecdotes and stories that reaffirmed my love of all things books! It really did make me want to give up my library job and open up a cosy bookshop!

This was an interesting collection of tales and anecdotes. I liked how it was spilt up and found it quite informative. There were a couple of places that were not really what i was after but i enjoyed it overall,

It made me want to quit my job immediately and open up a small, completely unprofitable, bookstore. It will appeal to all keen readers.

An interesting read about the world of books. I particularly liked the section about the history of libraries.

I was hoping for more book recommendations throughout the way but overall a good read for book lovers / collectors.

Thanks to NetGalley for my review copy.