Seven Kinds of People You Find in Bookshops

by Shaun Bythell

A very funny view of books and the people who love them. It does take all kinds and Shaun Bythell knows them all--from the "Person Who Doesn't Know What They Want (But Thinks It Might Have a Blue Cover)" to the "Parents Secretly After Free Childcare." A wickedly witty field guide by the curmudgeonly author of Confessions of a Bookseller.

From behind the counter, Shaun Bythell catalogs the customers who roam his shop in Wigtown, Scotland. There's the Expert (divided into subspecies from the Bore to the Helpful Person), the Young Family (ranging from the Exhausted to the Aspirational), Occultists (from Conspiracy Theorist to Craft Woman).

Then there's the Loiterer (including the Erotica Browser and the Self-Published Author), the Bearded Pensioner (including the Lyrca Clad), and the The Not-So-Silent Traveller (the Whistler, Sniffer, Hummer, Farter, and Tutter). Two bonus sections include Staff and, finally, Perfect Customer--all add up to one of the funniest book about books you'll ever find.

Shaun Bythell's unique observational eye and dry wit make this perfect for anyone who loves bookshops--including all the kinds of the people you meet inside.

• ISBN13: 9781567926927
• Publish Date: 24 November 2020 (first published 5 November 2020)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: David R. Godine Publisher Inc
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 128
• Language: English

Reviews

[Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub]

With a title like this, I just had to read Seven Kinds of People You Find in Bookshops. This is a nonfiction written by someone whose profession affords him the excellent opportunity to people watch. As a bookseller, author Bythell has experienced all kinds of customers, and has sorted them into categories, easily explained and commented on.

This book was funny and snarky, although it segued into meanness every now and again. Categories such as “Genus: Peritas (Expert)” are sorted into sub-categories and described in hilarious detail. I have to apologetically admit to fitting neatly into the “Young Family” category: I truly do try to keep the fingerprints off of glass, though.

I found myself chuckling at some of the things the author notes. His ability to both poke fun at, and show appreciation for, all kinds of people was incredibly entertaining. I did feel that Bythell took things too far from time to time, particularly when discussing self-published authors. I’m sure his comments were made without malicious intent, but I did get a little annoyed on these authors’ behalf. Right when I was at my most ticked off, he mentioned a delightful encounter with a self-published author, smoothing my ruffled feathers a bit.

I didn’t love the book the way I was hoping, but I did find it to be a very diverting read. It’s a one-and-done sort of book, but those also have their place. Seven Kinds of People You Find in Bookshops would be a great palette cleanser in-between books that require an emotional investment.

https://wittyandsarcasticbookclub.home.blog/2021/01/19/seven-kinds-of-people-you-find-in-bookshops-by-shaun-bythell/

[MurderByDeath]

Having read his first two books, I was surprised when this arrived at how small it was.  But good things / small packages and all that.  It may be a small, slim volume, but it's spot on and hilarious.  I've never owned a bookshop (yet) but I recognise these people from time spent in bookshops - and a library or two - everywhere.  I found myself reading most of it aloud to my husband, and we took turns naming those we know who fit Bythell's descriptions a little too well, inside or outside a bookshop.  

MT self-identified with type 3 of the Homo qui desidet or Loiterer, sub-type The Bored Spouse (though in his defense, he just buys his books way too fast).  I was relived not to have identified with the American sub-type of Family Historian, since I leave all that stuff to my mom, who is a first generation American, so comes by it honestly, at least.  I'd like to think I fall firmly in the bonus category of Cliens Perfectus as I generally enter a bookshop, talk to nobody, browse everything, and almost never leave without a stack, and the idea of haggling is one I find personally abhorrent, but then, doesn't everyone think they're the Perfect Customer?

All in all, a fun way to spend a few hours as long as you have a healthy sense of humor about humanity.