Once upon a Tome
The Misadventures of a Rare Bookseller
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Once upon a Tome
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Narrated by:
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Oliver Darkshire
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By:
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Oliver Darkshire
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin.
Welcome to Sotheran's, one of the oldest bookshops in the world, with its weird and wonderful clientele, suspicious cupboards, unlabelled keys, poisoned books and some things that aren't even books, presided over by one deeply eccentric apprentice.
Some years ago, Oliver Darkshire stepped into the hushed interior of Henry Sotheran Ltd on Sackville Street (est. 1761) to interview for their bookselling apprenticeship, a decision which has bedevilled him ever since.
He'd intended to stay for a year before launching into some less dusty, better remunerated career. Unfortunately for him, the alluring smell of old books and the temptation of a management-approved afternoon nap proved irresistible. Soon he was balancing teetering stacks of first editions, fending off nonagenarian widows with a ten-foot pole and trying not to upset the store's resident ghost (the late Mr Sotheran had unfinished business when he was hit by that tram).
For while Sotheran's might be a treasure trove of literary delights, it sings a siren song to eccentrics. There are not only colleagues whose tastes in rare items range from the inspired to the mildly dangerous, but also zealous collectors seeking knowledge, curios, or simply someone with whom to hold a four hour conversation about books bound in human skin.
By turns unhinged and earnestly dog-eared, Once Upon a Tome is the rather colourful story of life in one of the world's oldest bookshops and a love letter to the benign, unruly world of antiquarian bookselling, where to be uncommon or strange is the best possible compliment.
©2022 Oliver Darkshire (P)2022 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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- The Collected Slough House Novellas
- By: Mick Herron
- Narrated by: Gerard Doyle
- Length: 8 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 170
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 142
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 142
Espionage. Blackmail. Revenge. Cunning. Slapstick. State secrets dating back to the fall of the Berlin Wall. All this and more in a tight package of five novellas by Mick Herron, CWA Gold Dagger-winning author of Slow Horses.
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5 out of 5 stars
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More Please
- By Katy on 01-27-23
By: Mick Herron
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The Papers of Sherlock Holmes: Volume 1
- By: David Marcum
- Narrated by: Simon Shepherd
- Length: 13 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 104
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 91
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Story4 out of 5 stars 91
Spanning events over thirty years, Volume I of The Papers of Sherlock Holmes relates narratives of Holmes and Watson's days in Baker Street, as well as particulars of Holmes's supposed retirement. Follow along as The Master and his Boswell travel from the streets of London to the Kent countryside, to Oxford and Sussex. Written in traditional canonical style, these stories provide fresh details of Holmes's world. Join us as we climb the seventeen steps to the Baker Street sitting room, where Holmes and Watson prepare to begin their next adventure. The game is afoot!
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2 out of 5 stars
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Overall this is a dud
- By Nancy & Greg on 03-10-21
By: David Marcum
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How It All Began
- By: Penelope Lively
- Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren
- Length: 7 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 459
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 392
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Story3.5 out of 5 stars 390
When Charlotte Rainsford, a retired schoolteacher, is accosted by a petty thief on a London street, the consequences ripple across the lives of acquaintances and strangers alike. A marriage unravels after an illicit love affair is revealed through an errant cell phone message; a posh yet financially strapped interior designer meets a business partner who might prove too good to be true.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Wonderful and beautifully written
- By Molly-o on 02-15-12
By: Penelope Lively
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Fundraising the Dead
- A Museum Mystery
- By: Sheila Connolly
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 10 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 195
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 172
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Story4 out of 5 stars 171
At The Society for the Preservation of Pennsylvania Antiques, fundraiser Eleanor "Nell" Pratt solicits donations - and sometimes solves crimes. When a collection of George Washington's letters is lost on the same day that an archivist is found dead, it seems strange that the Society president isn't pushing for an investigation. Nell goes digging herself, and soon uncovers a long, rich history of crime.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Not Sure About This Series
- By Chalis on 11-21-14
By: Sheila Connolly
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Miss Kopp Investigates
- A Kopp Sisters Novel, Book 7
- By: Amy Stewart
- Narrated by: Christina Moore
- Length: 8 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 112
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 93
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Story5 out of 5 stars 93
Winter 1919: Norma is summoned home from France, Constance is called back from Washington, and Fleurette puts her own plans on hold as the sisters rally around their recently widowed sister-in-law and her children. How are four women going to support themselves? A chance encounter offers Fleurette a solution: clandestine legal work for a former colleague of Constance's.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great series
- By Mimi on 02-07-22
By: Amy Stewart
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Corduroy Mansions
- A Novel
- By: Alexander McCall Smith
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 11 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 648
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 506
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Story4 out of 5 stars 508
In London’s Pimlico neighborhood lies a tenement described in architectural guides as “a building of no interest whatsoever.” But the residents of Corduroy Mansions—including a literary agent, a wine merchant, a thoroughly unpleasant member of Parliament, and a vegetarian dog—are a rather fascinating lot.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Oedipus Snark, MP
- By connie on 04-25-12
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Sweet, Sweet Revenge Ltd.
- A Novel
- By: Jonas Jonasson
- Narrated by: Peter Kenny
- Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 77
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 72
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 71
The beloved author of The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared returns with an enchanting adventure that skewers the greed and hypocrisy that dominates our time and holds lessons about what’s truly important in life.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Entertaining
- By Alek Grant on 07-17-24
By: Jonas Jonasson
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The Sunday Philosophy Club
- An Isabel Dalhousie Mystery
- By: Alexander McCall Smith
- Narrated by: Davina Porter
- Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 926
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 602
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Story4 out of 5 stars 596
New York Times best-selling author Alexander McCall Smith, winner of the first-ever Saga Award for Wit, has entertained millions with his beloved No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency mysteries. Now this phenomenally popular author introduces a fresh series, brimming with the charm and humor his stable of dedicated fans can't get enough of.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Advice For Prospective Listeners
- By DCinMI on 02-18-13
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The Cracked Spine
- Scottish Bookshop Mystery, Book 1
- By: Paige Shelton
- Narrated by: Carrington MacDuffie
- Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 371
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 330
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Story4 out of 5 stars 330
In need of a good adventure, Delaney Nichols takes the leap and moves to Edinburgh, Scotland, to start a job at The Cracked Spine. She doesn't know much about what she's gotten herself into other than that the work sounds exciting and that her new boss, Edwin MacAlister, has given her the opportunity of a lifetime.
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3 out of 5 stars
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A bit unbelievable
- By Beatrice on 04-01-16
By: Paige Shelton
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The Aspern Papers
- By: Henry James
- Narrated by: Jeremy Northam
- Length: 3 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 84
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 74
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 75
One of the wittiest and most scathing of Henry James' novellas, The Aspern Papers chronicles the attempt to extract the valuable letters of the famous and recently deceased poet Jeffrey Aspern from the hands of his past lover and formidable adversary in the battle Juliana Bordereau. The plot was reputedly suggested to James by a story he heard of an illicit attempt to get hold of several of Lord Byron's letters.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Cat and mouse
- By Beyler Francois on 01-07-18
By: Henry James
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The Perpetual Astonishment of Jonathon Fairfax
- By: Christopher Shevlin
- Narrated by: Finlay Robertson
- Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 122
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 106
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 105
When Jonathon Fairfax accidentally helps a murderer bump off Sarah Morecambe, the secretary of a senior politician, he sets off a chain of events that astonishes him. Jonathon is wrong-footed by even the most everyday things, so he's particularly startled to find himself caught up in a conspiracy that goes right to the heart of government. Teaming up with a suave private investigator, a glamorous granny and the probable love of his life, Jonathon must confront his greatest fears - including talking to girls and balaclava-clad killers - and answer some very difficult questions.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great story with LOL moments
- By Bethany on 12-11-20
What listeners say about Once upon a Tome
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Northern Lights
- 06-15-23
Love books? Of course you do.
i first "met" the author through Sotheran's twitter account and that sweet, quirky, genuinely book-loving tone is perfectly kept throughout. Imagine your buddy got a job working for the stereotypical used bookshop, telling you about customers, books and everything to do with the trade - grab a cup of tea and just let the words flow.
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