On September 11, 2023, Third Place Books was pleased to welcome Josh Cook of Porter Square Books to our virtual event series, for a conversation about his new collection of essays, "The Art of Libromancy: On the selling books and reading books in the twenty years. -first century'. Our Author Events Manager, Spencer Ruchti, joined a conversation about reading (and selling) translated literature, progressive bookselling, the future of bookselling, and much more.
About the art of libromancy. . .
In a society filled with misinformation, conspiracy theories, and propaganda, telling and reading true stories is more important than ever. But as Amazon continues to grow its power in book sales and publishing and the publishing industry consolidates into even fewer houses, telling important stories and getting them to readers is increasingly difficult.
From the relationship between bookselling and white supremacy, to the economics of bookselling in contemporary hypercapitalism, to a new philosophy of "good taste", to craftsmanship and art of manual sales, Josh Cook, experienced bookseller and writer, takes a generous but critical look. to an industry at the heart of American culture, sharing tips and techniques for becoming a better reader and, of course, recommending great books along the way.
Josh Cook is a bookseller and co-owner of Porter Square Books in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he has worked since 2004. He is also the author of the critically acclaimed postmodern detective novel An Exaggerated Murder and his fiction, criticism, and poetry have appeared in numerous leading literary publications. He grew up in Lewiston, Maine and lives in Somerville, Massachusetts. (Photo credit: Carissa Leal)
Spencer Ruchti has been the Author Events Manager for Third Place Books in Seattle since 2021. He has worked for Tin House Books, Broadway Books in Portland, Oregon, and was the Assistant Events Director for Harvard Bookstore in Cambridge, MA.
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