Behind the Bookshelves artwork

Behind the Bookshelves

158 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 year ago - ★★★★ - 27 ratings

A podcast from AbeBooks. This series is dedicated to telling the stories behind books and the people who love them. We'll salute classic novels and famous authors, investigate long-forgotten books, and discuss publishing houses, libraries, bookshops, and anyone else with a bookish story to tell.

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Episodes

The food writing coach

February 12, 2023 17:26 - 30 minutes - 28.1 MB

We're joined by Dianne Jacob, a writing coach who specializes in food writing. Dianne tutors would-be writers on writing and publishing books, and also writing freelance articles, and blogging. Many of her students have signed publishing deals with major publishers. Dianne is the author of Will Write for Food: Pursue Your Passion and Bring Home the Dough Writing Recipes, Cookbooks, Blogs and More – a book that is essential for anyone wishing to write professionally about food. We discuss the ...

Koalas Uncovered

January 24, 2023 12:00 - 20 minutes - 18.3 MB

We go Down Under to learn about koalas with Australian zoologist Danielle Clode, who has written a new book called Koala: A Natural History and an Uncertain Future. Koalas regularly appeared in Danielle’s backyard, but it was only when a bushfire came close that she started to pay closer attention to them. Her book shows how complex and mysterious they are. We discuss how koalas are affected by disease, climate change, wildfires, and over population.

Tom Ayling on TikTok

January 14, 2023 12:00 - 32 minutes - 29.4 MB

We're joined by Tom Ayling who works for Jonkers Rare Books in Henley on Thames, in the UK. Tom has uploaded hundreds of videos to TikTok about a wide variety of bookish subjects, from The Hobbit first edition to rare bibles, Shakespeare First Folios, and collectible Harry Potters. Tom’s a master storyteller. His videos are educational and entertaining, and almost certainly winning a new audience for rare books.

Historic cemeteries

October 25, 2022 11:00 - 30 minutes - 28.3 MB

Our Halloween episode. We're joined by Greg Melville, who is the author of a new book called Over My Dead Body: Unearthing the Hidden History of America’s Cemeteries. Greg has toured the United States, visiting notable historic cemeteries from Burial Hill in Plymouth, Massachusetts, to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia and Boothill in Tombstone, Arizona. We discuss colonial sites, graveyards from the slavery era, celebrity graves, architecture, and nature, and never once mention ghosts.

Collecting Toni Morrison the editor

October 19, 2022 11:00 - 21 minutes - 19.5 MB

We speak to Ariana Valderrama who has just won the inaugural David Ruggles Prize, which is a new book collecting contest designed to encourage and support young collectors of color. Ariana decided to focus on Toni Morrison but not her rather expensive first editions. Instead Ariana collects books that Morrison edited and books where she provided a blurb. We learn how Ariana started collecting during the pandemic and hear about the books in her award-winning collection.

Sistine Chapel luxury art book

September 14, 2022 11:00 - 38 minutes - 35 MB

In this episode, we learn about a remarkable luxury art book that celebrates Rome's Sistine Chapel. Nicholas Callaway and Manuela Roosevelt join us from Callaway Arts and Media. They've produced a 3-volume limited edition book about the Sistine Chapel that features 1:1 scale images of the chapel’s masterpieces by Michelangelo and the other Renaissance artists. We discover how this book - which is listed for sale on AbeBooks - was created over 5 years using state of the art technology. Each v...

Collecting John le Carre

August 29, 2022 11:00 - 37 minutes - 34.3 MB

Our guest is Steven Ritterman, who joins us from New York. Steven has a collection of more than 300 John le Carré books, including first editions, signed copies, galleys and variants. John le Carré - who died in 2020 - is best known for his spy novels, particularly The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Le Carré wrote from a position of experience, having worked for the British security services in the 1950s and 1960s. Steven describes his quest for the complete le C...

Cornwall poet Charles Causley

July 26, 2022 11:00 - 40 minutes - 37 MB

We're heading off to Cornwall to learn about the poet Charles Causley. His peers in the 1970s regarded his poetry to be on par with Ted Hughes and John Betjeman. Our guest is Nicola Nuttall who is acting director of the Charles Causley Trust, a registered charity that preserves Causley's legacy. The Trust's 2022 Causley Festival of Arts and Literature takes place in Launceston in Cornwall from July 29-31.

ABAA diversity internship

July 21, 2022 11:00 - 20 minutes - 18.5 MB

We meet Alba Melgar-C'De Baca who is currently working as an intern at rare book firm Type Punch Matrix through a new internship program organized by the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA). The program places students or recent graduates who identify as Black, indigenous, or people of color with ABAA dealers for 10 weeks to learn the fundamentals of the book trade. It’s part of a larger ABAA initiative to promote a culture of diversity. We hear about Alba’s experiences in ...

Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull

July 13, 2022 11:00 - 32 minutes - 29.5 MB

We are discussing two of the greatest leaders in Native American history – Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. Both members of the Sioux Nation, they led the native forces at the Battle of Little Big Horn where General Custer famously met his end. Our guest is Mark Lee Gardner, the author of a new book called The Earth is all that Lasts: Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull and the Last Stand of the Great Sioux Nation. It’s a biography of the two chiefs, and also looks at the decline of the Sioux Nation.

Where Great Writers Write

July 02, 2022 11:00 - 22 minutes - 20.8 MB

We welcome back author Alex Johnson, who has just released a new book called Rooms of their Own: Where Great Writers Write. It’s a beautifully illustrated book that describes the writing locations used by 50 famous authors. Alex show us attics, hotel rooms, huts, bedrooms, and basements where great literature was created. We discuss George Bernard Shaw's revolving hut, W.H. Auden's slum in New York, Roald Dahl's child-free hut, and much more.

The Mainstone Press

June 30, 2022 11:00 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MB

The Mainstone Press publishes beautifully crafted books and limited edition prints on a range of British artists, who worked in the first half of the 20th century, artists such as Eric Ravilious, Edward Bawden, Paul Nash, and John Piper. We speak to Tim Mainstone, who runs this independent publisher. about the appeal of Ravilious and these other artists.

Minnesota Antiquarian Book Fair

June 28, 2022 11:00 - 13 minutes - 12.1 MB

We speak to Jennifer Phillips from the Minnesota Antiquarian Book Fair, which takes place on July 8-9 in St. Paul, Minnesota. We learn about the bookselling community in this part of the Midwest and how the fair aims to attract a new generation of book collectors.

Yiddish Book Center

June 23, 2022 11:00 - 29 minutes - 26.7 MB

The Yiddish Book Center was founded in 1980 by Aaron Lansky, a 24-year-old graduate student of Yiddish literature. He realized that many Yiddish books were being lost and he organized a campaign to save as many as possible. The Center, located in Amherst, Massachusetts, grew out of that campaign. Our guest is David Mazower, who is the Research Bibliographer and Editorial Director at the Yiddish Book Center. We learn about the books that arrive in boxes each day and how they are made available...

Sensational Books at the Bodleian

June 02, 2022 11:00 - 27 minutes - 24.9 MB

We're talking about a new exhibition at the Bodleian Libraries in Oxford, which celebrates touching, tasting, seeing, smelling and hearing books. It looks at the sensory appeal of reading physical books from flip-books to pop-ups and even a book made from processed cheese slices. They even bottled the smell of books. Our guest is Kate Rudy, Professor of Art History at the University of St Andrews, who is one of the co-curators of this exhibition

Factotum in the Book Trade

May 18, 2022 07:10 - 41 minutes - 38.3 MB

We speak to retired bookseller Marius Kociejowski about his new book, A Factotum in the Book Trade. Marius began life in rural Ontario in Canada but moved to London where he embarked a long career in antiquarian bookselling with several notable firms. His book is a series of essays on the colleagues, collectors, literary figures and books that shaped his life from the 1970s onwards.

Collecting Tolkien

April 13, 2022 11:00 - 45 minutes - 41.2 MB

We are talking about collecting books and art associated with JRR Tolkien, the author who gave us The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Our guest is Mark Faith, who runs Festival Art and Books, a bookselling firm located near Machynlleth in Wales that has specialized in rare Tolkien books and fantasy art since 2001. From the impact of American paperback editions to the influence of Peter Jackson's movies, Mark reveals how demand for Tolkien's work has evolved over the decades.

Berwyn Bookshop Rising from the Ashes

March 28, 2022 11:00 - 26 minutes - 24.4 MB

Last November, Emma Littler could only look on in shock as her employer's warehouse filled with 400,000 books burned to the ground. The fire was devastating for Berwyn Books, located in Wales. But a new bookselling business, called the Berwyn Bookshop, is rising from the ashes. Emma and her husband Adam reveal how support from their local community helped to launch this new bookselling venture.

The Insect Crisis

March 16, 2022 11:00 - 26 minutes - 24.5 MB

We are talking to journalist Oliver Milman about his new book, The Insect Crisis: The Fall of the Tiny Empires that Run the World. Oliver, who is the environment correspondent on The Guardian newspaper, addresses the shocking decline in the number of insects in the world. He outlines the overall importance of insects from the pollination of plants to their vital role in the food chain, and describes how bees, butterflies and countless other insects are simply disappearing due to the loss of t...

Read Dangerously

March 11, 2022 12:00 - 26 minutes - 24.7 MB

We are talking about the art of reading dangerously with guest Iranian American author Azar Nafisi, who was written a book called Read Dangerously: The Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times. In 2003, Azar’s memoir Reading Lolita in Tehran became a worldwide bestseller as she shared her experiences of living, working and reading in Iran under its repressive regime. Read Dangerously is composed of letters to Azar’s father. Azar addresses immigration, Donald Trump, The Handmaid's Tale...

David Ruggles Book Collecting Prize

March 05, 2022 12:00 - 24 minutes - 22.4 MB

Today we are learning about the David Ruggles Prize, which is a book collecting contest designed to encourage and support young collectors of color. Our guests are Sara Powell, who is one of the prize judges, and Pat Olson, who is Assistant to the Prize Jury.

On Gold Mountain

February 28, 2022 12:00 - 32 minutes - 29.7 MB

On Gold Mountain by Lisa See was published in 1995. It’s a remarkable memoir that tells the story of one Chinese American family and their immigrant experience. The book is still making headlines today. It has been adapted into an opera with a new production planned for May, and it has also become a teaching resource. Lisa explains how the memoir has impacted her own family and influenced her career.

The First Kennedys

February 22, 2022 12:00 - 24 minutes - 22.5 MB

Author Neal Thompson is our guest as we discuss his latest book - The First Kennedys: The Humble Roots of an American Dynasty, which describes the early years of the family made world famous by John F Kennedy. We learn how two young Irish people arrived in Boston, met and married and created a family that would go on to shape American politics. The book’s principle figures are Bridget, one of those two immigrants, and her son PJ, who was JFK’s grandfather. PJ was the first Kennedy elected to ...

Heartbreak

February 08, 2022 12:00 - 22 minutes - 20.6 MB

Today we consider broken hearts. Our guest is journalist Florence Williams who has written a book called Heartbreak: A Personal and Scientific Journey. Sadly, Florence’s marriage unexpectedly collapsed after 25 years and she decided to investigate the science behind a broken heart and turned her learnings into a book. This is a podcast about love, loneliness and recovery.

Gwendolyn Brooks at the Morgan

February 03, 2022 12:00 - 16 minutes - 15 MB

In 1950, poet Gwendolyn Brooks became the first Black person to win a Pulitzer Prize following her second book, Annie Allen. We speak to Nic Caldwell from the Morgan Library & Museum in New York about their latest exhibition - Gwendolyn Brooks: A Poet’s Work In Community. We learn about Gwendolyn's Chicago roots, her passion for mentoring, and the importance of her poetry.

Bookselling in Maine

December 10, 2021 12:00 - 31 minutes - 28.7 MB

We speak to Steve Powell, who runs the Bar Harbor Book Shop on Mount Desert Island in Maine. He sells as the Mystery Cove Book Shop on AbeBooks. Steve's been selling books for 40 years and is an expert in collectible mystery and crime books. Learn about his most expensive sale, a couple of bookshop dogs called Simon Templar and Lord Peter Wimsey, and life in this corner of the United States.

Moraine Books in Finland

November 26, 2021 12:00 - 29 minutes - 27.5 MB

Join us as we speak to Mikko and Mari Vartiainen from Moraine Books in Finland. This is a family business selling used and antiquarian books - Mari is Mikko's daughter. We learn about the evolution of their business, which included publishing, and discuss the huge influence of Tove Jansson and the Moomins on Finnish culture. With only 5.5 million people in Finland, Mikko and Mari provide a wonderful insight in this country's deep love of books and literature.

Grapes of Wrath manuscript

October 25, 2021 11:00 - 18 minutes - 16.8 MB

This episode is about the great American author John Steinbeck and his novel, The Grapes of Wrath. We are speaking to Ellen Ffrench from SP Books, which has published a large format reproduction of Steinbeck’s original handwritten manuscript. Steinbeck wrote The Grapes of Wrath in 1938, writing in 2 oversized ledgers. The book would become his greatest achievement and the defining novel of America’s Depression era. Listen to Ellen explain about the manuscript's notes and marginalia, and how S...

The Haunted Bookshop

October 22, 2021 11:00 - 14 minutes - 13.1 MB

Join us as we speak to Nialle Sylvan from the Haunted Bookshop in Iowa City. We learn about the 1847 building that houses her used bookstore and numerous cats, life in a university town, and how this bookshop got its name.

Hammonds Books

September 17, 2021 16:16 - 29 minutes - 27.2 MB

We are joined by Jovanka Hammond who owns Hammonds Books & Antiques in St Louis, Missouri. Jovanka's journey into bookselling began in 1979 with Art Deco collectibles. Today, her store features books, jewelry, antiques and prints. We learn about Jovanka's dogs and a parrot with a taste for literature, the prohibition tunnel in the basement, and how customers sometimes get locked in the store.

Tavistock Books

September 14, 2021 11:00 - 19 minutes - 18.3 MB

We speak to bookseller Vic Zoschak, who runs Tavistock Books in Alameda, California, and has sold on AbeBooks for 25 years. Vic explains how he took up bookselling after many years of rescuing people. He discusses his interest in Charles Dickens and the most memorable Dickens object that he ever handled (and it wasn't a book). Join us for 20 special minutes with a remarkable rare bookseller.

The Story Shop

July 27, 2021 17:19 - 39 minutes - 36 MB

To continue our 25th anniversary celebrations, we speak to Jenny and Patrick Kalahar, who runs The Story Shop bookselling account on AbeBooks. Jenny and Patrick previously owned bookshops in Michigan and Ohio, while Jenny, an author, has published 14 books. Listen to their adventures in books from dressing up as Edgar Allan Poe to writing books about cats and answering bookish questions on a call-in radio show.

Committed by Adam Stern

July 22, 2021 17:36 - 34 minutes - 31.6 MB

We interview Dr Adam Stern about his just-published book, Committed: Dispatches from a Psychiatrist in Training, which describes his four-year residency in Harvard's Medical Program. Adam offers an insight into the psychiatry profession, from the unpredictable experience of treating patients for the first time to suffering from the imposter syndrome.

Tom Lecky of Riverrun Books

July 13, 2021 11:00 - 37 minutes - 34.6 MB

To continue our 25th anniversary celebrations, we speak to Tom Lecky from Riverrun Books & Manuscripts in Ardsley, New York. Riverrun Books has sold with AbeBooks since 1996 with Tom buying the business in 2016. Previously, Tom was head of the printed books & manuscripts department at Christie’s in New York. He is also a book appraiser on PBS' Antiques Roadshow. As you can imagine, we have a lot to discuss.

Ray Boas Bookseller

July 05, 2021 11:00 - 44 minutes - 40.7 MB

To kick off our 25th anniversary celebrations, we interview bookseller Ray Boas from Walpole, New Hampshire, who has sold with AbeBooks since 1996 - our first year in business. We learn about Ray's adventures in bookselling from the early days of the internet to opening his own bookshop after retiring from the US Navy.

Small Library Company

June 16, 2021 11:00 - 23 minutes - 21.7 MB

We are joined by Meg Dillon, a former BBC librarian, who explains about her new adventure in books. Meg runs the Small Library Company where she buys, sells and organizes books for small private collections. We also learn about Meg's first impressions of life in the rare bookselling business.

Appalachian Trail A Biography

June 08, 2021 11:00 - 29 minutes - 26.7 MB

We are pulling on our hiking boots and stepping out on to the Appalachian Trail with author Philip D’anieri. Philip has written a book called The Appalachian Trail: A Biography which looks at the people behind the conception and construction of the trail over a period of 150 years. We discuss Bill Bryson and his 1998 book about the trail, the first person to walk the length of the trail, the volunteers who created and still maintain the trail, and how hiking is a relatively modern pastime.

The Madman's Library

June 04, 2021 11:00 - 26 minutes - 24 MB

Books written in blood, poisonous books, and edible books are just three of the topics covered in this episode. We are joined by Edward Brooke-Hitching, the author of The Madman's Library: The Strangest Books, Manuscripts and other Literary Curiosities from History, who also explains about a book made from slices of cheese and numerous other literary oddities. This is a podcast episode devoted to the weird, unusual and eccentric.

Heyday of Grammar

April 05, 2021 16:35 - 39 minutes - 36.3 MB

We speak to grammarian Bryan Garner about rare grammar books. One hundred books from Bryan’s collection of 1,900 books about grammar and 4,000 dictionaries are currently on display at the Grolier Club in New York. We learn how a teenage crush sparked Bryan’s love of grammar, how Noah Webster was instrumental in the spelling differences between British and American English, and how grammar continues to evolve.

Book Historia

March 22, 2021 11:00 - 28 minutes - 26.1 MB

Allie Alvis is our guest as we explore book history. Allie creates easy-to-understand bite-size YouTube videos to explain rare book terminology. We discuss her love of rare books, including how Led Zeppelin and Monty Python can help us understand book collecting terms.

Women of Pan Am

March 15, 2021 11:00 - 25 minutes - 23.1 MB

We interview Julia Cooke, who has written a book called Come Fly the World: The Jet Age Story of the Women of Pan Am. Julia’s book looks at the young women who became stewardesses with Pan Am in the 1960s and 1970s. She tells the stories of several American women who were the right height, right weight and under 26 years of age to qualify for a job at Pan Am. From women’s rights to the Vietnam War, Julia explores the role played by these women as the world became a whole lot smaller.

Rare Islamic Books

March 10, 2021 12:00 - 25 minutes - 23.6 MB

In this episode, we learn about rare Islamic books in the company of Roxana Kashani, who was recently hired to lead a new Islamic department at Shapero Rare Books in London. From the importance of the Quran to an early pioneer of fiction, we take a journey through the rare books of the Islamic world

Books of Hours Explained

March 08, 2021 12:00 - 34 minutes - 31.4 MB

They were the bestsellers of the Middle Ages. In this episode, we speak to Sandra Hindman, who runs Les Enluminures, a business dedicated to selling manuscripts and miniatures from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Sandra explains what books of hours contained, who owned them, how they were decorated and the purpose they served. Step back in time with AbeBooks and this expert bookseller.

New Zealand's Book Van

February 26, 2021 21:14 - 22 minutes - 21 MB

Annie Buscemi and Natasya Zambri are booksellers who have gone mobile. Located in Queenstown, New Zealand, they have a bookstore on wheels - a Nissan van filled with books for sale. Listen to our interview as we hear about their adventures in mobile bookselling.

Bookishness

February 18, 2021 12:00 - 24 minutes - 22.6 MB

What's the definition of bookishness? We are joined by Jessica Pressman who is the associate professor of English and comparative literature at San Diego State University. Jessica is the author of Bookishness, Loving Books in a Digital Age. She explains how bookishness is represented in 21st century culture and how print is loved while surrounded by digital media. We discuss book-themed objects, films, Instagram, experimental writing and... mermaids.

100 Books Challenge

February 01, 2021 12:00 - 24 minutes - 22.5 MB

Several years ago, AbeBooks created a reading list called 100 (Fiction) Books to Read in a Lifetime. We are joined by Monica MacMillan, who is attempting to read every book on the list, which ranges from famous classics like Moby Dick and Fahrenheit 451 to contemporary fiction such as The Road and Life of Pi. Join us and learn about Monica's literary quest.

The Mystery of Mrs Christie

January 27, 2021 12:00 - 20 minutes - 19 MB

We investigate one of the great literary mysteries – the 11-day disappearance of Agatha Christie in 1926 - with Marie Benedict, the author of The Mystery of Mrs Christie. Marie used a fictional narrative to imagine the disappearance and the events leading up to it. A real-life mystery about the queen of fictional mysteries.

Scoff

January 19, 2021 12:00 - 25 minutes - 23.5 MB

We are joined by Pen Vogler who is the author of Scoff: A History of Food and Class in Britain. The book investigates British food traditions from humble fish and chips to posh dinner parties. We discuss tea, comfort food, curries, Cornish pasties, pork pies, avocado, and oranges in Christmas stockings.

Takaya Lone Wolf

January 13, 2021 20:42 - 26 minutes - 24.4 MB

We are joined by Cheryl Alexander, a conservation photographer based in Victoria, British Columbia. Her book, Takaya Lone Wolf describes the remarkable life of a wolf that lived for 7 years on a group of small islands just off the coast of Victoria, a city of 300,000 people. We learn how Cheryl studied and photographed Takaya on numerous visits to the islands, and about this animal's lasting legacy in British Columbia.

The Sifter

November 17, 2020 12:00 - 26 minutes - 24.5 MB

We meet the team from The Sifter, an international, collaborative database of cookbooks designed to help people answer their food-related questions. Containing details of 8,000 authors and more than 7,000 works, The Sifter is a remarkable research tool detailing cookbooks and their contents down to the ingredients for particular recipes. We learn how the database has been years in the making and how it’s going to help scholars, researchers, cooks, scientists, and historians.