November 2005    

The King's English: Adventures of an Independent Bookseller Author: Betsy Burton Publisher: Gibbs Smith $24.95 Cloth (302 p.) ISBN: 1586856871 B&T         YBP Reviewed by Marcia Amidon Lüsted, Statusing Having spent seven years as a bookseller in both an independent bookstore and a large chain, I was immediately drawn to this book about Salt Lake City's most famous independent bookstore, The King's English. Betsy Burton does a good job of not only recounting the history of her bookstore from its conception, but also some of the issues facing books and booksellers today. In this age of online bookstores and discount chain stores, independent booksellers are an increasingly beleaguered group, and reading this narrative will help the average book customer understand why. Burton discusses at length the early years of her store and the lessons learned from operating it. She also has many wonderful anecdotes about the wonderful authors who have visited the store for signings, such as Isabelle Allende, John Irving, and E. L. Doctorow, as well as a few unnamed temperamental authors who were hardly worth inviting. She talks about the usual issues that beset any business, such as a succession of business partners, good and bad employees, and issues such as theft and computerization. She also talks about juggling with the constant dichotomy between Salt Lake City's Mormon population and the rest of its citizens, all of whom impact the store in different ways with their particular tastes in books and their prejudices. Some of Burton's most important points, however, deal with the slow sinking of independent bookstores and how this will negatively affect what Americans can read, since the best-seller-based decisions that chain bookstores make are impacting publishers choices about what books will be published, to the detriment of some of the best writers who can't compete in this kind of publishing environment. If Americans want to retain their right to read more than just the latest bestseller on the rack at the grocery store, they need to patronize independent booksellers who actively seek out and promote great new writers as well as matching books to the taste of the reader, which is called hand selling and rarely occurs in a chain or internet bookstore environment! This is an interesting and eye-opening read, especially for anyone who has ever browsed a well-stocked and interesting independent bookstore and wondered how it all happens. The book also includes many wonderful lists of the best books to read in certain categories, such as poetry, mystery, and fiction, which will keep your "books to read" list growing for a long time. Published by YBP Library Services 999 Maple St., Contoocook, NH 03229 USA v: 800.258.3774   f: 603.746.5628 w: www.ybp.com   e: academia@ybp.com All rights reserved.