An interview with Pensees Bookshop

Biblio checks in with Pensees Bookshop to learn more about their book business, collecting interests and more! To view and shop their inventory, click here.

When did you get started in bookselling?

As a student in Chicago in the mid-80's I used to frequent all the thrift, antique and book stores to try to build a library on a college student's budget. I remember finding so many collectible things those days for a small fraction of their actual value.

What drew you to bookselling?

I started out as a book scout selling some of my finds to the local used bookstores and then selling some things on the internet. I felt really drawn to possibly opening my own store some day which I did about 20 years ago.

Did you have any mentors in becoming a bookseller?

I spent many hours at Bob Hodge's Burkwood Books in Urbana in the 90's and early 2000's. He taught me so much about Americana and how to use Bibliographies, auction catalogs and the like. I came away with a better knowledge on judging a book's importance without have to rely on comparative pricing via the internet. More recently Joe Judd, who formerly owned Myopic books in Chicago and now operates a store across the street from mine, has really shown me how to get customers in the store and actually sell them something.

What are your specialties as a dealer?

My store is filled with books of every genre. I am heavy on history, especially military and americana but also have large sections of Sci-Fi and Fantasy and have even added quite a bit of comic books. There are also probably more books on books than one would expect to find at any store that does not specialize in that genre.

What's the most amazing book you've ever sold?

There are lots of them but one that stands out was a very large 8 language dictionary from the early 1500's bound in ornately stamped vellum over wood boards. It broke during shipment.

What is your favorite part of being a bookseller?

The hunt. I love going out to estates, library sales, etc. You never know what you're going to find but the anticipation is a bit of an adrenalin rush.

Do you have an open storefront or have you in the past?

I have an open store in the courthouse square in Charleston, IL. There are 2 other bookstores within a block.

If so, do/did you have any bookstore pets?

I wish I had a store cat but my wife is allergic.

What is the funniest / strangest / scariest thing that ever happened in your store?

I had a woman come in with a book signed by Mary Holmes the late 19th century novelist. She told me that this was "Sherlock Holmes's wife". I told her that Sherlock Holmes was a fictional character. It kind of deflated her as she really thought she had something. I cannot tell you how many other stories like that I have heard from customers. And then there is the age-old question that most booksellers hear repeatedly, ie "Are these books for sale?" I am tempted to respond in a Mad Magazine "Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions" sort of way but have never had the courage.

What is your favorite bookshop (other than your own)?

There are so many that I enjoy. I love the Dickson Street Bookstore in Fayetteville, AR. I love the atmosphere at Hammond's Books in St. Louis. That store and the now closed Bookman's Alley in Evanston are two that I have sort of modeled my store after. They showed me that atmosphere brings people in, holds their attention and makes them feel like they need a book.

What do you personally like to read? Collect?

I read whatever catches my eye, especially true crime mingled with interesting historical accounts surrounding the unveiling of the perpetrator. The Devil in the White City, The Island of Lost Maps and The Beautiful Cigar Girl: Mary Rogers, Edgar Allan Poe, and the Invention of Murder are just a few good reads here.

What's your favorite book you personally own? Would you sell it, if the price were right?

I would sell any book that I own for the right price. After all I am a bookseller. My personal Bible is not for sale though and is so filled with notes that I cannot imagine who would want it.

What one book would you buy if price were no object?

I don't know. I guess I wouldn't mind owning a 2 Volume Set of Lewis Merriweather's Account of the Lewis and Clark expedition (1814).

If you were stranded on a desert island and could bring three books, what would they be?

The Bible, the Oxford book of English Poetry and maybe Ulysses. I have never read the later but there is a lot of book there and I am guessing that I would have to go through it twice in order to understand it. I just hope that I wouldn't end up throwing it in the ocean in a fit of frustration if I couldn't. I mean it has to be good. It's on almost every reputable list of the greatest novels ever written!