--- product_id: 49741413 title: "The Diary of a Bookseller" brand: "shaun bythell" price: "€ 40.25" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 9 url: https://www.desertcart.it/products/49741413-the-diary-of-a-bookseller store_origin: IT region: Italy --- # The Diary of a Bookseller **Brand:** shaun bythell **Price:** € 40.25 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Diary of a Bookseller by shaun bythell - **How much does it cost?** € 40.25 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.it](https://www.desertcart.it/products/49741413-the-diary-of-a-bookseller) ## Best For - shaun bythell enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted shaun bythell brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Full description not available ## Images ![The Diary of a Bookseller - Image 1](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51HJDDDcGnL.jpg) ![The Diary of a Bookseller - Image 2](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41jglK0H5pL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The funniest book I have read this year! *by C***P on Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2017* Shaun Bythell’s THE DIARY OF A BOOKSELLER is laugh out loud funny. The author is the owner of a second-hand bookshop called The Book Shop, in the rural town of Wigtown, Scotland. The book is a daily account about the books that he buys, how he goes about acquiring these books, keeping his second-hand bookselling business afloat in this modern world, his interactions with his staff, and his various relationships with his customers. Brace yourself for the hilarious interactions with his staff and customers. It does not matter if you  are fascinated by the intricacies of the world of booksellers, or even with some guy in Scotland. This is full-on comedy.Shaun has a wry sense of humor. He does not spend much time talking about books that he loves. He barely has any time to read. The dialogue between Shaun, the quirky Nicky, one of his staff members, will leave you crying with laughter. She doesn’t take direction from him, she takes over the store’s Facebook page whenever she pleases inserting her voice when she does so, and she files books in categories that she deems appropriate, making it impossible to locate them later. But her heart is in the right place. While Shaun disparages a customer’s inane questions in the book, he is never rude to them in person, and is quite dedicated to his job. This is evident by his numerous repeat customers and the fact that The Book Shop is a destination for tourists alike.If Shaun ever reads this post, I am afraid that he will send me to kingdom come on his Facebook page, as I read his book on my Kindle. The ebook is akin to the devil. To give you an idea of how much he detests the electronic device, he shot one once with his father’s rifle and then displayed it in the shop as if it were a trophy. I get where he is coming from. I understand the position that the behemoth Amazon has put businesses like his. I tried my darndest to purchase a hard copy of his book at my local bookshop, but I was told that they do not have the rights to purchase it in the US. I hope that he will appreciate the Kindle sales boost from my one purchase none the less. And know that I thoroughly enjoyed every single bit of it. Hats off to him as a dedicated book shop owner and to the extremely hard work that he puts in on the daily to his customers to search for the most interesting books he can find. Also, this is one book that I would be delighted to hear someone purchase the movie rights to. If Colin Firth plays him in the movie, even better.Mr. Bythell, when can we expect to read The Diary Pt. II? ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and this one is one of the best. We've all heard of Hay-on-Wye in Wales *by K***D on Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2017* I'm a sucker for any book about bookstores, and this one is one of the best. We've all heard of Hay-on-Wye in Wales, and this book is about Scotland's book town--Wigtown (yes, that's its real name). Bythell's book is his diary of a year in the life of the bookshop. You'll meet his staff, his family, his customers, the people who sell used books to him--a colorful kaleidoscope of village life through the lens of someone who truly loves books. I read it in two sittings--because I kept having to look up the books that play the role of 'supporting characters' in the Diary. I can't wait for the next Diary to be published, and a visit to Wigtown is definitely on my bucket list. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The highs and lows of being a bookseller *by C***Z on Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2018* This book is going straight onto my shelf of all time favourites. I really enjoyed reading Shaun Bythell's diary of the trials, tribulations and occasional triumphs of being a bookseller.In 2001, after having difficulty settling on a career he enjoyed, Shaun bought The Book Shop in his home town of Wigtown, in the Galloway region of Scotland. Some years later he started a diary and a facebook site to record the interactions with his customers, but over the months it developed into so much more - a record of the changing seasons and the happenings in the town, as well as a record of the selling and buying of books, dealing with Amazon and his quirky part time employee Nicky.Following closure of its main industries, a distillery and a creamery, Wigtown launched a plan in 1998 to rejuvenate itself as a Book Town like the well known popular Welsh village Hay-on-Wye and is now a popular tourist destination with a successful annual Book Festival. The Book Shop is now the second largest second hand book store in Scotland with over 100,000 books. It sounds wonderful with rooms and rooms full of books, an open fire and comfortable armchairs, and odd antiques that Shaun picks up at auctions. There is even a 'festival bed' on a mezzanine that can be booked for the festival and often used by overnight guests who stay too late or drink too much to go home.This is a fascinating book to read if you're interested in becoming a bookseller. There are all sorts of customers, the regulars, the hagglers, the ones who spend hours in the shop pulling books off the shelf and not buying. Then there is the business of buying books from auctions and deceased estates, having to get rid of the unselleable portions but also occassionally finding a gem like a rare first edition or a book signed by Florence Nightingale. There are also the trials of on-line selling and dealing with Amazon (who now seem to own everything).The compensations for Shaun are living in a beautiful part of the world, enjoying the fishing, boating and rock climbing in the quiet times with someone else minding the shop. Shaun also knows many interesting people and his involvement in organising the annual festival allows him to meet many authors and writers so there are many evenings of social company and entertainment.Shaun's one time employee Nicky also provided him with hours of amusement (as well as annoyance because she had her own ideas of how to run the shop). There are some priceless videos on YouTube of Nicky (in the black ski-suit that she wore to work all winter) showing the results of her bin foraging outside the supermarket, judging the anonymous postcard competition, explaining to Shaun what happened to his creme eggs and also of Shaun and Nicky in a Book Shop rap. Shaun's video series of Kindle Tutorials on how to deal with broken kindles is also hilarious and sums up his thoughts on Amazon (there's a great photo in the book of the 'fixed kindle' from one of his tutorials). I also enjoyed Shaun discussing the books he's reading and the George Orwell quotes at the start of each month of the diary.Recommended for all those who think it would be cool to have a bookshop and for the rest of us who enjoy reading and reading about what other people are reading. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.it/products/49741413-the-diary-of-a-bookseller](https://www.desertcart.it/products/49741413-the-diary-of-a-bookseller) --- *Product available on Desertcart Italy* *Store origin: IT* *Last updated: 2026-05-12*