“With wit and humility, Bythell, owner of a used bookshop in Wigtown, Scotland, chronicles a year in the life of a bookseller… Bythell’s narrative is lively and intelligent.” —PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
“Sure to bring book lovers chuckles, nods of recognition and a surge of hope for bookshops everywhere.” —SHELF AWARENESS
“A cheerfully depressing account of independent bookselling today — deadpan, ruthless, poignant, and at times, so charing it’s almost unbelievable… surprisingly touching.” —QUARTZ
“Entertaining and dryly humorous… the book is fascinating.” —MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE
“Warm, witty and laugh-out-loud funny…will stay long in the memory.” —DAILY MAIL
“Wonderfully entertaining.” —THE OBSERVER (London)
“Peopled with fascinating characters . . . laugh-out-loud funny.” —SUNDAY HERALD
”Among the most irascible and amusing bookseller memoirs I’ve every read.” —Dwight Garner, THE NEW YORK TIMES
“Warm and funny, and deserves to become one of those bestsellers that irritate [Bythell] so much.” —MAIL ON SUNDAY
“It is hysterical. Anything that anyone ever wanted to know about what a bookseller really thinks is in here.”—Caitlin Luce Baker, University Bookstore
“Outspoken, hilarious and thought-provoking… It’s the best inducement I’ve ever come across to set aside my occasional flirtation with e-readers, walk into a bookstore and get my hands on the real thing.” —BOOKREPORTER
“Often hilarious… The Diary of a Bookseller is a charming mix of wacky characters and caustic diatribe, an ode to that perilous trade.” —THE RECORD
“For anyone who has ever dreamed of owning a bookstore. Bythell’s hilarious account will have those in the industry crying and those otherwise employed dropping their resume off at their local indie.” —SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
“Excruciatingly funny.” —BOOKLIST
“Makes for entertaining reading… he has a keen waggishness which makes his reflections funny and memorable and this book a hoot.” —MEMPHIS FLYER
“Bythell writes with biting humor… Bythell is a man on a mission, and a year seen through his eyes convinces the reader that it is a mission worthy of undertaking.” —CHICAGO TRIBUNE
