Ah books. Many of my happiest hours have been spent in book shops, especially one as vintage as Brattle’s Antiquarian Bookshop, which boasts on the sign that it is the oldest continually operating Bookshop in America, dating back to the 18th century. Honestly, I believe it. There are some books still in there from the 18th and 19th century! I for example looked at a vintage set of two volumes by Hannah Moore, first edition dating 1830ish. If you don’t know her, look her up.
In its more recent incarnation, it has been run for all my adult lifetime by one Kenneth Gloss of Newton, and he has been a boon to my career and learning curve. His shop has supplied me with second hand Loeb Classical lIbrary volumes for nearly 40 years now at a reasonable price (originally the first edition ones from the 1930s he sold to me for the princely sum of $5.00 each). Most of them are now safely ensconced in the Witherington collection portion of Gordon-Conwell’s library in Charlotte.
To say that this shop is ‘olde worlde’ and ‘olde school’ is to put it mildly. They still believe in real books, not virtual ones, real hard cover books, and magazines (including many vintage Life Magazines), and maps, and charts, and memorabilia. Every morning they roll out whole cartloads of old paperbacks and hard cover books into their alley and sell them for $5.00 each (or less). They are a one stop shop for all things bookish, and have single-handedly educated or furthered the education of many Bostonians, and yours truly.
The picture of Ken Gloss holding one of the original pieces of memorabilia from the pre-curse era of Red Sox baseball gives you a feel for the stuff stuffed into this small two story shop.
So bookaholics of America, lay down your Kindles, your IPads, your Nooks and Crannies and go pay a visit to this good place. You may even find some vintage Witherington books within 🙂
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