Once upon a Tome

The Misadventures of a Rare Bookseller

By: Oliver Darkshire

Narrated by: Oliver Darkshire

Some years ago, Oliver Darkshire stepped into the hushed interior of Henry Sotheran Ltd (est. 1761) to apply for a job. Allured by the smell of old books and the temptation of a management-approved afternoon nap, Darkshire was soon unteetering stacks of first editions and placating the store's resident ghost (the late Mr. Sotheran, hit by a tram).

A novice in this ancient, potentially haunted establishment, Darkshire describes Sotheran's brushes with history (Dickens, the Titanic), its joyous disorganization, and the unspoken rules of its gleefully old-fashioned staff, whose mere glance may cause the computer to burst into flames. As Darkshire gains confidence and experience, he shares trivia about ancient editions and explores the strange space that books occupy in our lives—where old books often have strong sentimental value, but rarely a commercial one.

By turns unhinged and earnest, Once Upon a Tome is the colorful 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)2023 Tantor

Who knew the whit of a bookseller would be so good!

I had no idea how much I would like this book till it finished and at the end, I cried. Goodness me, bravo!

Musings

What a wonderful way to summarize an otherwise overlooked profession. With no real plot to follow is a great book for a relaxed weekend.

Interesting viewpoint on the book world

Very original book. I would have enjoyed hearing a few more positive stories about helping customers rather than the many annoying experiences. In the end the author seemed to have more complaints than victories.

Wonderful, witty story narrated by the author

The book is about the author's experience working in an authentic but fantastic rare bookstore that is steeped in history in London. The characterizations are delightful. There are so many clever, witty, and original turns of phrase that had me stopping the book and backing up to appreciate them more fully. It's author narrated, which I always love since the author knows where to put the inflections that he intended, etc. This author is such a wonderful narrator that he would do a terrific job of narrating other authors' audiobooks. I'd love to hear more from him, hopefully with a subsequent work of his own.

Don’t do it

Respectfully, this was the worst book I have ever read. The author owes me $16.

Blithering Pile of Garbage

I cannot, for the life of me, understand how this book has a 3+ star rating. It is an exhaustive, pitiful tale of a rare book store and the inner workings of the anti-social people who work there. At no time did I laugh, cry, nor was truly engaged at any point. The author’s cockney accent was excruciating. I had to rewind and listen to almost every chapter twice because it was THAT uninteresting. The only reason I finished this atrocity was that it was recommended for a book club. I now question that person’s integrity who suggested this dismal waste of literary material. Shame on the publishers who brought this to the public.