An Honest Trade Booksellers and Bookselling in Scotland

Bookselling in Scotland went through radical changes during the course of the twentieth century: the creation of more attractive shop interiors to replace the gloomy cathedrals of the pre-second world war era; increasing specialisation of outlets including the development of paperback bookshops; the growth of chains and the dogged persistence of independents; the abolition of the net book agreement; and the importance of the mass media in the promotion of books. This book provides a lively account of bookselling and booksellers through the life histories of key and representative figures in the Scottish book trade. Told in their own words, it offers, through a balanced blend of anecdote and analysis, the first insight into the nature of the trade and the characters who worked in it.