Here we are again at the end of another year. It’s a time for stock taking, both literal and metaphorical. Regular followers of Travel Between The Pages may be aware that in real life I am a bookseller. At this time of the year I usually spend some time reviewing annual sales, getting ready for tax preparation, tidying up the shelves, and thinking about rebuilding the catalog. This year I’m also marking a decade in the book trade as a “professional’ bookseller, although I’ve been collecting, buying, and selling books for many years.
Those of you in the book trade are surely aware of the vicissitude, unpredictability, and uncertainty of the business of bookselling. And I’m certain that those of you who are writers, editors, and publishers live with the mercurial nature of the book business every day. But as I mark this year’s end, I find that as time passes I am more grateful than ever for the opportunity to spend my days surrounded by books.
Each morning I get to immerse myself in the biblichor and be surrounded by old books. My days are enriched by printed works of art that can never be replaced by pale digital versions of reality.
So, as this year winds down, I can look forward to a new year in books and look back on a decade with gratitude.
Travel Between The Pages 