Description

‘Peculiarly hilarious!’ – William Gibson
‘Every page is a pleasure’ – Lindsey FItzharris
‘Utterly charming’ – Tom Holland
‘Laugh-out-loud’ – Garth Nix
‘A must read’ – Fergus Butler-Gallie
‘Brims with self-effacing charm’ – Caitlin Doughty
‘Unfortunately I have mislaid the book in question’ – Neil Gaiman

Welcome to Sotheran’s, one of the oldest bookshops in the world, with its weird and wonderful clientele, suspicious cupboards, unlabelled keys, poisoned books and some things that aren’t even books, presided over by one deeply eccentric apprentice.

Some years ago, Oliver Darkshire stepped into the hushed interior of Henry Sotheran Ltd on Sackville Street (est. 1761) to interview for a job. Allured by the smell of old books and the temptation of a management-approved afternoon nap, he was soon balancing teetering stacks of first editions, fending off nonagenarian widows and trying not to upset the store’s resident ghost (the late Mr Sotheran, hit by a tram).

Darkshire came to love Sotheran’s, not just for its illustrious history (or for producing the most cursed book of all time), but also its joyous disorganization and the unspoken rules of its gleefully old-fashioned staff, whose mere glance may cause a computer to burst into flames.

By turns unhinged and earnestly dog-eared, Once Upon a Tome is the rather colourful story of life in one of the world’s oldest bookshops and a love letter to the benign, unruly world of antiquarian bookselling.

Publisher Review

Seeking a Christmas present for that bibliophilic relative who has seemingly read everything? It’s right here. * Financial Times * Peculiarly hilarious and/or hilariously peculiar! — William Gibson An enchanting billet-doux to an arcane and eccentric world. Every page is a pleasure. — Lindsey Fitzharris, bestselling author of The Facemaker A wonderful, eccentric love letter to books and the people who love them… A must read for anyone who has ever lost a few hours in a second hand bookshop or been tutted at by a strangely dressed proprietor. — Fergus Butler-Gallie, bestselling author of A Field Guide to the English Clergy Utterly charming — Tom Holland, bestselling author of Dominion Darkshire is an exciting new voice brimming with self-effacing charm. If you consider yourself a book aficionado, this is your Coachella. — Caitlin Doughty, author of Smoke Gets in Your Eyes I love bookseller memoirs, and this is a laugh-out-loud exemplar… A very entertaining journey into the dimly lit heart of rare bookselling. — Garth Nix, award-winning author of The Left-Handed Booksellers of London Sirs, thank you for your extremely entertaining book, which I have enjoyed most heartily. The anecdotes about the bookselling profession were as enlightening as they were amusing. Unfortunately I have mislaid the book in question as there are honestly too many books here. I mean, they’re everywhere. Teetering piles of the things. If ever I see it again I’ll try and say something nice about it, but by then it will undoubtedly be too late. Yours apologetically, — Neil Gaiman A book lover’s delight * Irish Examiner * He writes very engagingly and extremely honestly… His sardonic wit runs through the book in a similar fashion to Shaun Bythell… But here there’s more of a mischievous Terry Pratchett tone… Uproariously funny * Fine Books Magazine * Beneath the bemusement and occasionally explosive irritation, there is a very kindly book here, about unlikely friendships and little epiphanies. * The Scotsman * Once Upon A Tome is an utter treat for those of us who prefer books and reading to any other activity – the oddballs and obsessives who, like waggish Oliver Darkshire, never easily mixed with other children at school; who loathed compulsory games and sport; who have never ‘texted’ or ‘tweeted’; and who require a lot of floor space, ‘an indecent amount of square footage’, to house our ever-expanding hoard. — Book of the Week * Daily Mail * With its mixture of exaggerated misanthropy and eloquent surrealism, Once Upon a Tome calls to mind the cult television sitcom Black Books, albeit with more emphasis on matters of genuine interest to bibliophiles. * Times Literary Supplement * Mr. Darkshire is a witty observer …. All of this-the craft and customs of an esoteric enterprise; the delights and irritations of buying and selling-is conveyed in charming short chapters with titles like “Kerfuffles,” and in a prim tone perfectly suited to Mr. Darkshire’s subject. * Wall Street Journal *