Once upon a Tome
The Misadventures of a Rare Bookseller
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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
Some years ago, Oliver Darkshire stepped into the hushed interior of Henry Sotheran Ltd (est. 1761) to apply for a job. Allured by the smell of old books and the temptation of a management-approved afternoon nap, Darkshire was soon unteetering stacks of first editions and placating the store's resident ghost (the late Mr. Sotheran, hit by a tram).
A novice in this ancient, potentially haunted establishment, Darkshire describes Sotheran's brushes with history (Dickens, the Titanic), its joyous disorganization, and the unspoken rules of its gleefully old-fashioned staff, whose mere glance may cause the computer to burst into flames. As Darkshire gains confidence and experience, he shares trivia about ancient editions and explores the strange space that books occupy in our lives—where old books often have strong sentimental value, but rarely a commercial one.
By turns unhinged and earnest, Once Upon a Tome is the colorful 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)2023 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
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The beloved author of The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared returns with an enchanting adventure that skewers the greed and hypocrisy that dominates our time and holds lessons about what’s truly important in life.
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Entertaining
- By Alek Grant on 07-17-24
By: Jonas Jonasson
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The Sunday Philosophy Club
- An Isabel Dalhousie Mystery
- By: Alexander McCall Smith
- Narrated by: Davina Porter
- Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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New York Times best-selling author Alexander McCall Smith, winner of the first-ever Saga Award for Wit, has entertained millions with his beloved No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency mysteries. Now this phenomenally popular author introduces a fresh series, brimming with the charm and humor his stable of dedicated fans can't get enough of.
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Advice For Prospective Listeners
- By DCinMI on 02-18-13
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The Cracked Spine
- Scottish Bookshop Mystery, Book 1
- By: Paige Shelton
- Narrated by: Carrington MacDuffie
- Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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In need of a good adventure, Delaney Nichols takes the leap and moves to Edinburgh, Scotland, to start a job at The Cracked Spine. She doesn't know much about what she's gotten herself into other than that the work sounds exciting and that her new boss, Edwin MacAlister, has given her the opportunity of a lifetime.
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A bit unbelievable
- By Beatrice on 04-01-16
By: Paige Shelton
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The Aspern Papers
- By: Henry James
- Narrated by: Jeremy Northam
- Length: 3 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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One of the wittiest and most scathing of Henry James' novellas, The Aspern Papers chronicles the attempt to extract the valuable letters of the famous and recently deceased poet Jeffrey Aspern from the hands of his past lover and formidable adversary in the battle Juliana Bordereau. The plot was reputedly suggested to James by a story he heard of an illicit attempt to get hold of several of Lord Byron's letters.
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Cat and mouse
- By Beyler Francois on 01-07-18
By: Henry James
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The Perpetual Astonishment of Jonathon Fairfax
- By: Christopher Shevlin
- Narrated by: Finlay Robertson
- Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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When Jonathon Fairfax accidentally helps a murderer bump off Sarah Morecambe, the secretary of a senior politician, he sets off a chain of events that astonishes him. Jonathon is wrong-footed by even the most everyday things, so he's particularly startled to find himself caught up in a conspiracy that goes right to the heart of government. Teaming up with a suave private investigator, a glamorous granny and the probable love of his life, Jonathon must confront his greatest fears - including talking to girls and balaclava-clad killers - and answer some very difficult questions.
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Great story with LOL moments
- By Bethany on 12-11-20
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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- Dawn Cauldin
- 12-02-23
Who knew the whit of a bookseller would be so good!
I had no idea how much I would like this book till it finished and at the end, I cried. Goodness me, bravo!
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- Mari
- 06-10-24
Musings
What a wonderful way to summarize an otherwise overlooked profession. With no real plot to follow is a great book for a relaxed weekend.
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- Kevin Crumpton
- 06-23-24
Interesting viewpoint on the book world
Very original book. I would have enjoyed hearing a few more positive stories about helping customers rather than the many annoying experiences. In the end the author seemed to have more complaints than victories.
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- Hiking cat
- 05-14-23
Wonderful, witty story narrated by the author
The book is about the author's experience working in an authentic but fantastic rare bookstore that is steeped in history in London. The characterizations are delightful. There are so many clever, witty, and original turns of phrase that had me stopping the book and backing up to appreciate them more fully. It's author narrated, which I always love since the author knows where to put the inflections that he intended, etc. This author is such a wonderful narrator that he would do a terrific job of narrating other authors' audiobooks. I'd love to hear more from him, hopefully with a subsequent work of his own.
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1 person found this helpful
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- M.K.
- 06-17-24
Don’t do it
Respectfully, this was the worst book I have ever read. The author owes me $16.
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- Jessica
- 08-03-24
Blithering Pile of Garbage
I cannot, for the life of me, understand how this book has a 3+ star rating. It is an exhaustive, pitiful tale of a rare book store and the inner workings of the anti-social people who work there. At no time did I laugh, cry, nor was truly engaged at any point. The author’s cockney accent was excruciating. I had to rewind and listen to almost every chapter twice because it was THAT uninteresting. The only reason I finished this atrocity was that it was recommended for a book club. I now question that person’s integrity who suggested this dismal waste of literary material. Shame on the publishers who brought this to the public.
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