#Seven Kinds of People You Find in Bookshops by Shaun Bythell

[highsummonertemptress]

Books about bookshops and booksellers 📚

[thesoulprophecies]

Twelve People Who Visit Bookshops.

I have to confess, I haven’t read Shaun Bythell’s ‘Seven Kinds of People You Find in Bookshops’ so this list may have some similarities to his book, however the list below is based on my own observations from working in a large second-hand bookshop. Please note this list is loosely based on reality and is not meant to be taken too seriously.

1] The Box Rummagers

These customers are a curious bunch, when they see an open box, they have a strange compulsion to rifle through it.  Sometimes this is a hindrance to the bookshop staff as the box rummager may be drawn to boxes of books that haven’t been processed or priced yet. Box rummagers also don’t appear to care where these boxes are, and are quite happy to sit in the middle of the floor in order to look through what can only be in their minds, a cardboard treasure box.

2] The First Timers

The First Timers are easy to spot, they usually walk into the shop with expressions of pure amazement and sometimes confusion. They will also ask loudly ‘Is this place a library?’

3] The Lost Husband Seekers

Usually sporting a frown or a look of confusion, these customers often come in with a bag of goodies they have bought from a different shop and offer an explanation for their arrival by saying; ‘I’m just looking for my husband’. Sometimes they may ask questions like, ‘Has a tall man walked in here?’ To which there is no adequate reply as there are often a lot of different customers browsing the shelves. The Lost Husband will sometimes hear their other half and offer some help in locating them by shouting out from their position.

4] The Annualists

These customers know exactly what they’re doing and exactly where they are going. They will spend hours browsing the shelves collecting armfuls of books they wish to purchase. Sometimes they may start a pile of books at the desk and add to it as they go round the shop. Once they are ready to pay, they will inform the staff that they make a special visit to the shop every year and may confess to saving their money especially for this one visit.

5] The Cafe Hunters

This may not happen in every bookshop, but we advertise coffee on our sign and most people assume that coffee equals cafe, it does not. We have a lovely coffee machine that makes very good coffee, but we do not have a cafe. The mistaken Cafe Hunter will stride in with a hopeful expression, look around and ask; ‘Do you have a cafe?’ When you inform them that you have a coffee machine, they immediately look disappointed and walk back out to find a cafe.

6] The One Book To Rule Them All Pursuers

These customers have a one-track mind and only one book they wish to find. Sometimes they have been looking for this one book for years, others are looking for a recent new release that we may or may not have. Often these customers can’t remember the exact title or the author of the book they are looking for, as it may be a book from their distant childhood. Other customers seem genuinely confused that you don’t know the book that they are talking about, or don’t have it in stock, Many people don’t realise that knowing every book is an impossible feat, approximately three hundred thousand new books are published every year in the United States alone.

7] The Desperate Child Distractors

Parents, grandparents, or aunts and uncles who are looking after the children for the day, will come in looking exhausted and relieved that they have finally found somewhere that might keep the children occupied for ten minutes. When we inform then that there is indeed a children’s section downstairs for young kids and upstairs for older kids, they smile weakly and march straight to the back to set up a temporary camp in the children’s section. Toddlers are especially entertaining as they will often swipe books that are far too advanced for them as their guardians usher them to the back of the shop.

8] The Book Dealer

The Book Dealer will make a beeline for the collectors’ books and then spend anywhere from fifteen minutes to a couple of hours carefully examining the rare books. If they do decide to purchase some books, they will always announce they are part of the book trade.

9] The Rainy Day Explorer

These customers are trying to escape the weather. They are usually on holiday somewhere in the area and have sought out an activity they can do that is inside when the weather turns bad. The Rainy Day Explorer is usually delighted with big bookshops and will spend hours inside browsing the shelves. They will often buy books that they didn’t know they were looking for.

10] The Short On Time Visitors

These customers don’t have much time to waste and go straight to the desk to ask any staff member if they have a particular book in stock. Sometimes these customers have a list of books they are looking for. If you can find their book, these customers are usually pleased and happy to pay and leave as quickly as possible.

11] The One Lap Sprinters

Not really customers as The One Lap Sprinters don’t tend to buy anything. They come into the shop and do a lap of the shop and walk back out again. No one knows why they have come in or what they are looking for, although sometimes they are silent Cafe Hunters.

12] The Bookshop Professional

The Bookshop Professional shops regularly in bookshops and knows the drill. Sometimes they ask for directions but mostly they locate the areas they want to search and find a book or two they wish to buy. If they have more time, they will spend longer browsing all the shelves and picking up whatever catches their eye.

[cyclone-rachel]

books read in December 2023 and January 2024:

December:

Wayne Family Adventures vol. 1 by CRC Payne

Wild Spaces by S.L. Coney

Superman Smashes the Klan by Gene Luen Yang

Belichick and Brady by Michael Holley

Department of Mind-Blowing Theories by Tom Gauld

Woman World by Aminder Dhaliwal

Vern, Custodian of the Universe by Tyrell Waiters

Camp Zero by Michelle Min Sterling

Lone Women by Victor LaValle

Faux Paw by Jessica Kara

Joy Operations by Brian Michael Bendis

Junkwraith by Ellinor Richey

Kill All Normies by Angela Nagle

Pantheon by Hamish Steele

January:

NFL Confidential by David Molk

Pod by Laline Paull

The Long Con vol. 1 by Dylan Meconis

Night Bus by Zuo Ma

Big Game by Mark Leibovich

Seven Kinds of People You Find in Bookshops by Shaun Bythell

Break Out by Joy Becker

Banned Book Club by Kim Hyun Sook

Layoverland by Gabby Noone

Rise of the Black Quarterback by Jason Reid

Of Thunder and Lightning by Kimberly Wang

Wayne Family Adventures vol. 2 by CRC Payne

Broken Faith by Mitch Weiss

Against Football by Steve Almond

Cosplayers by Dash Shaw

[bksbksbksbks]

Books listened/read in January 2023:

1.) Horrorstör - Grady Hendrix

This is technically a reread, but I went with the audiobook! Sincerely loved it so much more, especially the in between intros. Made the book all the more creepy.

2.) Little Pa - Hemley Boum

The story really stuck out to me, I really enjoyed learning more about this character and his journey.

3.) Seven Kinds of People You Find in Bookshops - Shaun Bythell

As a previous bookseller… how could I NOT love this?? Definitely going to be devouring more of this author if I can.

4.) Queer Heroes of Myth and Legend - Dan Jones

Very fun!! Narration made this a lot more enjoyable too.

5.) Galatea - Madeline Miller

I’m a sucker for Miller’s work, so this story of Galatea?? 🤌✨✨✨

6.) Lot - Bryan Washington

I had been meaning to start this since the collection of stories came OUT. I’m glad I finally dedicated time to enjoy it, so far this has been sticking in my head the MOST. I need to dive into Washington’s stories more. Sad it took me this long to start it.

[kunoichi96]

Reading Recap: August

I did it! I hit my 2021 reading goal! I am pretty proud of myself, not just for, well now, beating that goal, but also reading more classics this month. I even gave poetry another shot. This year has not been kind to me in many ways, reading has been one of the few sources of comfort I’ve had. Hence why I have been reading so much this year. That, and since the libraries have started opening up…

[godzilla-reads]

📚 Seven Kinds of People You Find in Bookshops by Shaun Bythell

“It’s hard, when you’re a voracious reader, to accept the fact that not everyone else is, but the reality sometimes slaps you in the face when you witness parents dragging their children out of a bookshop, rather than into it.”

This humorous addition to Bythell’s books on working in his bookshop in Scotland adds a bit of eye-rolling and a bit of laughing and a bit of scoffing as you try to figure out what type of bookshop person you are.

As someone who works in retail, I found the anecdotes on customers to be funny, but there was a bit of meanness to the descriptions that made me uncomfortable, thinking of the oblivious people who don’t know they’re being annoying. I will say that some of his observations seem spot on. I say this as someone who has never worked in a bookstore, let alone a second-hand one.

If you’ve got thick skin and want to read something light and funny, I’d suggest picking this book up and flipping through it.

[goldencrownofsorro]

[booksandwords]

Seven Kinds of People You Find in Bookshops by Shaun Bythell

Read time: <1 Day Rating: 4/5

The quote: I ought also to apologise for perpetuating stereotypes, when in reality people are far more nuanced and exist in endless subtle shades of characteristics. Generalisations are unfair, but so is life. Suck it up. — Shaun Bythell (I mean this sets up the tone for the whole book if I'm honest)

The way this man talks about his customers is a delight. It is almost shameless dragging those people that need to get dragged because oh man you are awful people (and yes we've all seen them) and praising those underrated but highly valuable readers. Personally, I think it is unlikely that anyone will read this without having to take a second to stop a realise yes I did just read that. Nothing is outright insulting to anyone but some of it does run a very fine line. Those it does come closest to blatantly insulting likely won't perceive it as being them anyway, it is part of the personality trait.

Each of the seven eight chapters is a kind of person you will meet in a bookstore, each has a genus and species. For example, chapter one is Genus: Peritus (Expert) with its species doctus (specialist), homo odiosus (bore), homo utilis (helpful person), homo qui libros anqiquos collogit (antiquarian book collector) and, mechanicus in domo sua (home mechanic). The use of Latin names as classification is a very smart choice, the only way it could feel even more zoological would be almost satirical sketches of the types in their natural habits. The chapters are all quite short. If you are interested in how at least this bookseller sees his customers then you will likely enjoy this. You don't need to be a book lover to enjoy it, those in retail/ customer service/ libraries may see some of their own customers/patrons in these pages.

Ending with a short annotated quote dump because I'm having a lazy reviewing day.

They don't read anything other than books about cars, but who cares? They read what they want to read, like everyone, and have literally nothing in the way of literary pretensions. — The section on Home Mechanics is stunning. It's all praise in a chapter with some fairly scathing commentary. It's clear Bythell's never had a serious run in with anyone of this type. I'm wondering how global this kind of person is, there would be some outside of Britain and Europe but I wonder about how many. Or it could be a purely generational thing (I come from a family of manual hoarders we've never had to go looking for one they are all impeccably filed).

Gillian, the Ginger Menace. She's worked here for about a year, part-time, but she bears the weighty burden of having worked in the Edinburgh brunch of a shop that sells new books, during which she underwent what I'm lead to believe is known as 'training'. This appearing to be a form of toxic brainwashing in which the victim is taught to believe all kinds of nonsense including the appalling matra that the customer is always right'. — Shots fired we have shots fired. 10+ years of retail. You have no idea how much I laughed at this half paragraph. The pure disdain dripping from that comment. Anyone who has worked with the public in a customer service capacity knows Selfridge, Wanamaker, Field and Ritz have a lot to answer for (you decide who's to blame, Ritz apparently started the idea in France before the others were working with the concept).

It's hard, when you're a voracious reader, to accept the fact that not everyone else is, but reality sometimes slaps you in the face when you witness parents dragging their children you of the bookshop, rather than into it. — Libraries too and I kinda wish I saw it more in an oddly depressing way.  But it means someone must be teaching those kids to be booklovers and I doubt it's the schools. And younglings it's hardly likely to be peer pressure encouraging them to read. That leaves the loving grandparents or as in my case spinster aunts.

I found the whole occultist section a bit much. While I understand Shaun Bythell was just talking about his own bookstore putting craft enthusiasts in there feels like a stretch even with the justification. "There are some practical books in there too — sewing, pottery and that sort of thing — but the craft enthusiast never, ever, buys anything useful. The craft enthusiast is usually an empty-nester, or retired — another trait shared with the tarot reader — and is looking to fill the void with something — anything.". I find this section interesting mostly because I know there is a surge in the younger generations (millennials, gen z) taking up craft activities but I guess we just look or our information online.

One final group deserving of perhaps the most important mention in the erotica-browsing category is young women. This is the only group whose members don't run away or try to conceal their reading material, and stand perfectly happily flicking through the section with the same openness as if they were reading The Complete Works of Thomas Carlyle. This is exactly how it should be. There is no shame in reading books from the erotica section, and if old men and teenage boys need to hide the fact that they have an interest in the subject, then perhaps it reflects more on the social norms than the content of the literature. — This is a really long quote but I need it here because YES to the social commentary. And I remember a time when I was too ashamed to look at the erotica section in booksellers and libraries I don't remember when that changed it just did, one day I was content enough in myself to do it. I can only imagine how difficult it would be for men with that stigma, especially men of a generation.

The sci-fi fan is instantly recognisable. To say they are social misfits would be to do them a huge disservice. They fit in, but they only ever want to do so on their own term and in the comfort of their own community. They are a clan, — I have never seen this written in such an articulate manner. In a way that is not derogatory to the culture while still being written by someone who is for all intents and purposes an outsider. Sci-fi fans talk about themselves like this (as well as owning the slurs) but not a lot of others seem to.

Of all the types covered in this book, the only one you can guarantee will always be in a book-shop is staff. They are the interface, the front line and the foot soldiers of the industry — and they suffer for it. — For that my dear friends we salute your service. In times of covid, you continue to make sure we all stay sane with reading material. Before then you dealt with the chaos on a day to day that we can only imagine. But you made so many peoples days with a smile and a book and a space.

[tudorblogger]

'Seven Kinds of People You Find in Bookshops' by Shaun Bythell

‘Seven Kinds of People You Find in Bookshops’ by Shaun Bythell

Genre: Adult Non-Fiction – Literature Published: 2020 Format: Hardback Rating: ★★★★ I adored this book! Having read ‘The Diary of a Bookseller’ as well as ‘Confessions of a Bookseller’ I was quite excited when I heard this book was coming out. It had the potential to maybe a little mean in places, but Bythell’s humour offset that. It’s very clever, whether intentionally or unintentionally! He…

[forthegothicheroine]

After a couple of hours of the usual cut-and-thrust of daily bookshop life, the legendary local bore, Alfred, came to the counter with three books. He thumped them down on the wooden surface with an air of serene smugness and said, with a voice dripping with entirely unjustified authority, that they were 'important books because they are responsible for the way things are now.' I have suffered sufficiently long and painfully at Alfred's hands over almost two decades to fall for this obvious attempt to invite the listener to inquire politely as to how and why these three particular books are 'important books because they are responsible for the way things are now' and thereby giving him carte blanche to pontificate on whatever particular prejudice or conspiracy theory is foremost in his mind on that particular day, so I refused to take the bait and just smiled at him...The moment he was out of earshot I warned Robin not to ask the question that Alfred had so obviously expected one of us to ask for fear of being on the receiving end of one of his interminable lectures on matters which he considers himself to be an authority. Which is everything. 'When he comes back to pay, don't say anything that could be construed as an interest in what he has to say' were my parting words to Robin before going upstairs to make a cup of tea.

Shaun Bythell, Seven Kinds of People You Find in Bookshops

[thegreatgherkin87]

Rules: answer the questions and tag 9 people you want to get to know better/catch up with!

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Last Song: Wide Eyed by Billy Lockett

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Currently Watching:Hinterland series 3, The Five , Broadchurch series 1

Currently Reading: Infinity Reaper by Adam Silvera, Walking with the Wind by John Lewis, and Seven kinds of people you find in bookshops by Shaun Bythell

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