Shaun Bythell bought The Bookshop in Wigtown on 1 November 2001, and has been running it ever since with an increasing passion for the business, matched only by a sense of despair for its future, and an ill-humour inspired by almost two decades of dealing with confused customers and surly staff. His internationally-bestselling books The Diary of a Bookseller and Confessions of a Bookseller have been translated into over twenty languages, including Russian, Korean and French.
Bythell has a good ear for the absurd and a mundane telemarketing call becomes comedy gold ... For all Bythell's self-flagellation, he comes across as a generous, largely genial figure. It is hard to go for more than a few pages without finding him cooking for staying guests or drinking with friends until the small hours. * The Times * All the ingredients for a gentle human comedy are here, as soothing as a bag of boiled sweets and just as tempting to dip into. * Literary Review * Written with caustic wit...a diverting and congenial read. * Bookmunch *