A SPECTATOR AND EVENING STANDARD BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020 'A joy. Each chapter instantly became
my favourite' David Mitchell author of Cloud Atlas 'Wonderful' Lucy Mangan 'The right
book has a neverendingness and so does the right bookshop.' This is the story of our love
affair with books whether we arrange them on our shelves inhale their smell scrawl in their
margins or just curl up with them in bed. Taking us on a journey through comfort reads street
book stalls mythical libraries itinerant pedlars radical pamphleteers extraordinary
bookshop customers and fanatical collectors Canterbury bookseller Martin Latham uncovers the
curious history of our book obsession - and his own. Part cultural history part literary
love letter and part reluctant memoir this is the tale of one bookseller and many many books.
' If ferreting through bookshops is your idea of heaven you'll get the same pleasure from this
treasure trove of a book' Jake Kerridge Sunday Express
