Once upon a Tome
The Misadventures of a Rare Bookseller
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Once upon a Tome
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Narrated by:
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Oliver Darkshire
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By:
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Oliver Darkshire
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin.
Welcome to Sotheran's, one of the oldest bookshops in the world, with its weird and wonderful clientele, suspicious cupboards, unlabelled keys, poisoned books and some things that aren't even books, presided over by one deeply eccentric apprentice.
Some years ago, Oliver Darkshire stepped into the hushed interior of Henry Sotheran Ltd on Sackville Street (est. 1761) to interview for their bookselling apprenticeship, a decision which has bedevilled him ever since.
He'd intended to stay for a year before launching into some less dusty, better remunerated career. Unfortunately for him, the alluring smell of old books and the temptation of a management-approved afternoon nap proved irresistible. Soon he was balancing teetering stacks of first editions, fending off nonagenarian widows with a ten-foot pole and trying not to upset the store's resident ghost (the late Mr Sotheran had unfinished business when he was hit by that tram).
For while Sotheran's might be a treasure trove of literary delights, it sings a siren song to eccentrics. There are not only colleagues whose tastes in rare items range from the inspired to the mildly dangerous, but also zealous collectors seeking knowledge, curios, or simply someone with whom to hold a four hour conversation about books bound in human skin.
By turns unhinged and earnestly dog-eared, Once Upon a Tome is the rather colourful story of life in one of the world's oldest bookshops and a love letter to the benign, unruly world of antiquarian bookselling, where to be uncommon or strange is the best possible compliment.
©2022 Oliver Darkshire (P)2022 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about Once upon a Tome
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Laura J Clifton
- 26-10-22
loved this book
Great narrative and the book moved along at a good pace.
The writer has such a good way of describing the world of rare book selling that you can see all of the characters clearly.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- alexandra
- 20-10-22
Fabulous insight into the world of the book seller.
Read beautifully by the author, wonderfully descriptive, with a wicked sense of humour and a fabulous insight into the eccentric world of Sotherans and their clientele, I would highly recommend!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Fejknamn Påhittsson
- 26-01-23
Lovely!
A delightful book in every way, perfect for book lovers. Narrated by the author and he does a very good job. It’s made me very curious about visiting the Sotheran’s book store!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- serentious7
- 23-08-23
Such a brilliant book!
Such a warm, funny and interesting book that wraps you in quintessential Britishness at its best. I loved it! Like meeting a wonderful friend who makes you laugh whilst you enjoy a good meal, I was left satisfied but sad it was over.
Well worth your time.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ian A
- 04-08-24
A
I have a passing acquaintance with Mr Darkshires work via one of his other hobbies so was looking forward to this expose of the rum and uncanny world of the rare book trade. I was not disappointed.
Written and performed with a fine degree of self-deprecating wit coupled with a keen eye for the bizarre, OuaT leads us on a carefully curated tour of the eccentric and barely-believable events of his career at Sotherans. If this is what he has chosen to include, I goggle at the thought of what he left out.
It's a rare book that makes me laugh out loud involuntarily and this one managed it repeatedly, and sometimes publicly. I look forward to future instalments.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Mr. A. Garlick
- 07-08-23
it was okay...
Nothing really special I'm afraid, although it kept my interest there really wasn't anything funny, the stories sort of tapered out with no conclusion.
Just felt a bit 'meh at the end.'
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