The rare book world to some seems like an impenetrable mystery filled with
expensive volumes, well-heeled buyers, and unapproachable and quixotic sellers brimming with disdain for the uninitiated. In fact, it is a very vibrant and welcoming world with a fabulous range of interesting material, many affordable rarities to delight, and down-to-earth dealers that are thrilled with new collectors whose interest they can cultivate. As such, this is a rare and important movie for it opens up that unique world to a broader audience. If you are curious about this movie, your soul already gravitates towards literature and history, but you may not know how easy it is to hold treasures in one's hand and connect on such an intimate level with great authors and events of the past. The movie is a tribute not only to the love affair of the printed word, but to the people who seek it out, catalog it, contextualize it, and make it available to libraries and collectors. The movie also deserves great credit for highlighting women and minorities (among others) and the importance of the growing inclusiveness in the rare book world in terms of collecting and preserving their narratives and helping assemble the first hand material that will help tell many untold stories.
Review of The Booksellers
