The King's English: Adventures of an Independent Bookseller

Burton, owner of The King's English Bookshop (TKE) in Salt Lake City, has pursued a simple objective since the store's inception in 1977: ""Pick good books, pass them on. That's all that counts in the end."" Indeed, the fulfillment she derives from reading is matched only by the joy and satisfaction she feels when she pairs customers with quality books. In this lively history of the independent bookstore, she recounts her experiences working with various employees and partners and adjusting to sophisticated alarm systems and computerized inventories, but her anecdotes involving well-known authors are the most engrossing. She describes how Isabel Allende pitched in good-naturedly when the dinner Burton was preparing in her honor got out of control, and how John Mortimer giggled gleefully when Burton encountered troubles getting his luggage out of the car that she had borrowed to pick him up from the airport. It's clear that Burton's life is profoundly and inextricably linked to TKE: she believes her literary recommendations to an old boyfriend, whom she later married, sparked their initial reconnection, and writes that the shop was her ""necessary anchor"" when her son was born with brain damage. This delightful book is largely a heartfelt ""thank you"" to all who have contributed to The King's English, from gracious authors to friends and colleagues. Avid readers will be charmed by this intimate look at the bookselling business and will especially appreciate the many book lists (25 Thrillers with Moral Heft, 25 Non-Fiction Titles from the West, etc.) included in these pages.