Browse: Love Letters to Bookshops Around the World - Softcover

Various

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1782272968 ISBN 13: 9781782272960

Publisher: Pushkin Press, 2018

Synopsis

'This spell-binding collection will carry you off to shops near, far, lost and imagined' Mail on Sunday

'All these writers convey the magic of bookshops' Guardian

A cabinet of curiosities, a time machine, a treasure trove - we love bookshops because they possess a unique kind of magic. In Browse Henry Hitchings asks fifteen writers from around the world to consider bookshops that have shaped them: each conjures a specific time and place.

Ali Smith chronicles the secrets and personal stories hidden within the pages of secondhand books; Alaa Al Aswany tells of the Cairo bookshop where revolutionaries gathered during the 2011 uprisings Elif Shafak evokes the bookstores of Istanbul, their chaos and diversity, their aroma of tobacco and coffee. Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor recalls the quandary of being asked to choose just one book at a favourite childhood store in Nairobi, while Iain Sinclair shares his grief on witnessing a beloved old haunt close down. Others explore bookshops they have stumbled upon, adored and become addicted to, from London to Bogotá.

These inquisitive, enchanting pieces are a collective celebration of bookshops - for anyone who has ever fallen under their spell.

About this title

Review:

'All these writers convey the magic of bookshops, while also making their vulnerability in recent times a recurrent theme' -- Guardian

'If you have ever lost yourself in a bookshop, felt the world fall away as you took a book off the shelves, this spell-binding collection will carry you off to shops near, far, lost and imagined' -- Mail on Sunday

'Everywhere bookshops are fast disappearing. Sixteen writers from around the world remind us why we should cherish them at all costs' --Spectator

'Lives up to its inviting title' -- Times Literary Supplement

Very worthwhile but not too worthy, this is a timely call to arms' -- Monocle

'In celebrating bookshops, Browse heralds humanity, with all its glorious eccentricities' -- Country Life

'A lovely collection of touching and personal accounts of books and bookshops. Each author's writing style is unique and transports you across the globe' --CUB Magazine

'A book guaranteed to reawaken anyone's passion for all things bookish' -- Storiesfromthecity.com

'A book for all those who love books and the shops that sell them' -- The Northern Review of Books

I advise you to pick up this book as soon as you can' -- Always Trust in Books (blog)

'Browse is compulsive reading, offering unusual insights into the role bookshops play in our lives' --The Bay

From the Back Cover:

A cabinet of curiosities, a time machine, a treasure trove - we love bookshops because they possess a unique kind of magic. In Browse Henry Hitchings asks fifteen writers from around the world to consider bookshops that have shaped them: each conjures a specific time and place. Ali Smith chronicles the secrets and personal stories hidden within the pages of secondhand books; Alaa Al Aswany tells of the Cairo bookshop where revolutionaries gathered during the 2011 uprisings Elif Shafak evokes the bookstores of Istanbul, their chaos and diversity, their aroma of tobacco and coffee. Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor recalls the quandary of being asked to choose just one book at a favourite childhood store in Nairobi, while Iain Sinclair shares his grief on witnessing a beloved old haunt close down. Others explore bookshops they have stumbled upon, adored and become addicted to, from London to Bogotá. These inquisitive, enchanting pieces are a collective celebration of bookshops - for anyone who has ever fallen under their spell.

About this edition

• Publisher: Pushkin Press
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1782272968
• ISBN 13: 9781782272960
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256
• Editor: Henry Hitchings