should i buy Art of the Bookstore reviews

For several decades, publisher Gibbs Smith has been visiting independent booksellers around the country. Inspired by the unique culture and ambiance of these fine bookstores, he made oil paintings to feature on the covers of his publishing company's catalog each season. This collection of 68 paintings, accompanied by essays about the art of the bookstore, captures the distinctive atmosphere of each establishment, from the bright lights of Washington D.C.'s Politics & Prose to the tucked away charm of Chicago's Kroch's & Brentano's to the magnetism of New York's Shakespeare & Co. Bookstore. The Art of the Bookstore celebrates independent voices and the exchange of ideas, defends the importance of community, explores the alluring power of bookstores, and captures a love of the printed word.
Gibbs Smith, founder and president of his namesake publishing company, started the business in 1969 with his wife, Catherine, in Santa Barbara, California. After a couple of years, they moved the company to their hometown, Layton, Utah. This book is a celebration of 40 years as an independent publisher.
Jacket design by Kurt Wahlner Jacket art by Gibbs M. Smith

Gibbs M. Smith always wanted to be a history professor. But while in pursuit of his master's degree, Smith wrote a dissertation on Joe Hill-American labor martyr, proletarian folk hero, and songwriter-that profoundly changed his life. After the book was published by the University of Utah press and made into a movie, Gibbs started entertaining the idea of starting his own publishing company. While riding a cable car in San Francisco and contemplating this venture, he wrote Alfred Knopf a letter. "In my view, he was the greatest publisher in America," reflects Smith. Knopf wrote back with words of encouragement; later they spoke over the phone. Gibbs now had the inspiration needed to embark upon this extraordinary entrepreneurial adventure. In 1969, Gibbs and his wife, Catherine, started the company known today as Gibbs Smith, Publisher. With $12,000 in cash earned from the Smiths' work on the movie Joe Hill, the company published four initial books, which would be used as supplementary texts in college history classes. The first few years were tough, as Gibbs and his wife, Cathy, ran the company out of their studio apartment in Santa Barbara.

In 1973, the company relocated to Utah, where Gibbs and Cathy reinvested profits back into the business and lived on savings. They spent the first summer there converting an old barn (built in 1916) on the family farm into offices. It was a race against time, as the barn had no roof and winter was rapidly approaching. During that summer they also managed to publish a new textbook, Utah's Heritage. This proved to be a very wise decision, as the company's textbook division provided financial stability during the early years.

This is a beautiful book that profiles many of the well-known independent bookstores in the United States. Sadly, some of the stores have closed. I have been in many of the stores and it was lovely to relive the experience through this book. The paintings of the bookstores are wonderful. The commentary about each store is quite interesting. The book itself is presented in a slipcase. This book will remain in my library for a very long time!

There have always only been less than fifty really good independent bookstores in the U.S. Those of us lucky enough to be sales reps for publishers in the 1970s got to visit most, if not all, of them and luxuriate in the stacks of fine titles, meet the incredible people who managed them, and savor their existence. It was a golden age. Who knew which author would walk in or what unknown masterpiece would seize your attention? I usually bought more than I sold. Alas, they waned in the age of B. Daltons and Waldenbooks and have been replaced by the Borders and Barnes & Nobles of today. But, once upon a time, in a land not far away, there were literary treasure troves on the streets of New York and Chicago and San Francisco and they have all been captured here. That this book is now available in a Kindle® edition says it all.

I bought this book for a gift for a friend who loves bookstores and travels a great deal. Now she can copy down the names of bookstores to visit when she's in a particular city. It looks very nice on her coffee table as well. Guests to her home often pick it up to look at and comment on how interesting it looks. It's too bulky to pack on a trip but I think it makes a perfect gift for the person who has "everything."

This is a beautiful book that profiles many of the well-known independent bookstores in the United States. Sadly, some of the stores have closed. I have been in many of the stores and it was lovely to relive the experience through this book. The paintings of the bookstores are wonderful. The commentary about each store is quite interesting. The book itself is presented in a slipcase. This book will remain in my library for a very long time! There have always only been less than fifty really good independent bookstores in the U.S. Those of us lucky enough to be sales reps for publishers in the 1970s got to visit most, if not all, of them and luxuriate in the stacks of fine titles, meet the incredible people who managed them, and savor their existence. It was a golden age. Who knew which author would walk in or what unknown masterpiece would seize your attention? I usually bought more than I sold. Alas, they waned in the age of B. Daltons and Waldenbooks and have been replaced by the Borders and Barnes & Nobles of today. But, once upon a time, in a land not far away, there were literary treasure troves on the streets of New York and Chicago and San Francisco and they have all been captured here. That this book is now available in a Kindle® edition says it all. I bought this book for a gift for a friend who loves bookstores and travels a great deal. Now she can copy down the names of bookstores to visit when she's in a particular city. It looks very nice on her coffee table as well. Guests to her home often pick it up to look at and comment on how interesting it looks. It's too bulky to pack on a trip but I think it makes a perfect gift for the person who has "everything."