ONE OF LIT HUB'S MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2023

The essays in The Art of Libromancy explore the politics, philosophies, technologies, emotional experience, and craft of selling books in the twenty-first century.

With Amazon’s growing power in both bookselling and publishing, considering where and how we get our books is more important now than ever. The simple act of putting a book in a reader’s hands—what booksellers call handselling—becomes a catalyst for an exploration of the moral, financial, and political pressures all indie bookstores face. From the relationship between bookselling and white supremacy, to censorship and the spread of misinformation, to the consolidation of the publishing industry, veteran bookseller and writer Josh Cook turns a generous yet critical eye 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's profile page

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 Josh Cook

"One of [my] favorite booksellers."
—Celeste Ng, author of Little Fires Everywhere

“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

“Bookseller and debut novelist Cook’s humorous take on various whodunit and noir tropes is ... spot-on.”
—Library Journal

“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