Josh Cook is a bookseller and co-owner at Porter Square Books in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he has worked since 2004. He is also 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.
Praise for The Art of Libromancy"With clarity, urgency, and
good humor, Cook excavates what it is to write, read, buy, and sell
books right now."
—Nina McLaughlin, Boston Globe
"In the age of book banning, publishing industry consolidation, and
the pandemic’s lingering aftershocks, Cook’s words ring with
frightening truth."
—Esquire
"This collection of essays comes from an undeniable place of
passion for and commitment to social justice and the betterment of
a venerable profession that has had its fair share of hard times.
It’s intelligent, in many ways practical, a must-read for
booksellers and a should-read for bookstore customers."
—Chicago Review of Books
"If you want to really dive deeply into the world of bookselling,
this is the exact book for you."
—Greg Zimmerman, Chicago Review of Books
"A treatise on the way commerce shapes what and how we read."
—Chicago Tribune
"The Veteran bookseller unpacks what’s at stake as Amazon’s
monopolistic power threatens indie bookselling and the publishing
industry."
—Globe and Mail
"Exceptionally well written, deftly organized, and impressively
presented."
—Midwest Book Review
"He writes as a fan of thesis, antithesis, synthesis—looking for
solutions."
—Winnipeg Free Press
"The Art of Libromancy, Josh Cook’s recent collection of essays, is
necessary reading whether you work in an indie bookstore or
not."
—Lit Hub
"In The Art of Libromancy, Josh Cook asks booksellers to live by
their ideals. As a bookseller himself, at Porter Square Books in
Massachusetts, he seeks to set an example for justice-based
bookstores—justice for booksellers in their employment conditions,
and justice as a motivation for bookselling."
—Full Stop
"In pulling back the curtain to show readers the nuts and bolts of
what this entails, Cook has provided a valuable service."
—That Shakespearean Rag
Praise for Josh Cook“The writing throughout is so crystalline, the
dialogue so acerbically funny and the characters so engaging as to
make the pages seem as though they’re turning themselves.”
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review“One of the most high-minded
detective stories in years ... Meticulously planned and
content-rich, this sophisticated, variegated study ... ranks with
the best upmarket mysteries by Iain Pears and Umberto Eco.”
—Bookslut
“Bookseller and debut novelist Cook’s humorous take on various
whodunit and noir tropes is ... spot-on.”
—Library Journal"One of [my] favorite booksellers."
—Celeste Ng, author of Little Fires Everywhere
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