The Bookshop: A History of Bookselling From the Dawn of Print to the 21st Century

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Andrew Pettegree

The Bookshop

Name: The Bookshop
Price: 77.95 AUD
Availability: PreOrder
ISBN: 9781805224372

A History of Bookselling From the Dawn of Print to the 21st Century

Andrew Pettegree

$77.95

Hardback

Forthcoming
Pre-Order now

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English

Profile
17 September 2026

Literature, Poetry & Criticism; Social & cultural history; Publishing industry; Antiques & collectables: books, manuscripts, ephemera & printed matter

Bookshops are a comforting sight on our high streets, warm and welcoming spaces in which to browse, meet friends and occasionally buy books. They may feel timeless, yet their history is a restless and turbulent one, filled with as many entrepreneurial street hawkers and illicit trades as with beloved institutions.

The Bookshop, from the celebrated author of The Library and The Book at War, explores the evolution of bookselling from the cramped collectors' shops frequented by Samuel Pepys to the radical feminist bookshops of the 70s, the rise of monolithic chains and the new world of online selling. Connecting stories and lives that span centuries, countries and continents, The Bookshop brings us into beloved bookshops of today and looks forward to the possible experience of booksellers of tomorrow.

By: Andrew Pettegree
Imprint: Profile
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Edition: Main
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 153mm,
ISBN: 9781805224372
ISBN 10: 1805224379
Pages: 352
Publication Date: 17 September 2026
Audience: General/trade , College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Primary
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Andrew Pettegree, FBA, is Professor of Modern History at the University of St Andrews. He is the author of The Book at War, the prize-winning The Book in the Renaissance and co-author of The Library: A Fragile History. He is a former Vice-President of the Royal Historical Society and founding director of the Universal Short Title Catalogue.

Reviews for The Bookshop: A History of Bookselling From the Dawn of Print to the 21st Century

PRAISE FOR THE LIBRARY: 'Outstanding ... fetchingly produced and scrupulously researched - a perfect gift for bibliophiles everywhere -- Professor John Carey * Sunday Times * In this superb history, the authors tell the rich and varied history of libraries, from those that aspire to collect the sum of human knowledge to modest but valued personal collections * Guardian * PRAISE FOR THE BOOK AT WAR: 'Rich, authoritative, and highly readable ... [a] tour de force' -- David Kynaston