Jen Campbell compiles a second collection of real-life interactions between booksellers and physical retail visitors. The text consists of brief, transcribed anecdotes documenting bizarre requests, factual misunderstandings, and unintentional comedy found within the aisles of various global bookstores. Specific entries detail customers asking for books with green covers whose titles they have forgotten, parents questioning the educational value of illustrations, and individuals attempting to use the shop for non-literary services. These vignettes serve as primary evidence of the friction between niche literary knowledge and general public behavior.
Retail workers and bibliophiles read this book to find solidarity in the common frustrations of customer service. It offers a candid look at the logistical absurdities of the book trade and the gap between an author’s intent and a buyer’s interpretation. Readers finish the collection with a cynical yet humorous perspective on human logic. The book provides a quick, episodic experience that validates the professional experiences of librarians and clerks while highlighting the strange social dynamics of independent bookshops.
Practical, outward-looking and clear-cut; an easy read.
Best for readers like The Practical Optimizer. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2013
- Language
- EN
