DNF @ 15%

It's too determined to be funny, to noticeably laboured in that cause, quite unlike someone like a Shaun Bythell (whose style I feel Darkshire is trying to ape), but where Bythell leans into the absurd, Darkshire tries to mine absurdity from situations that don't really qualify.

Hello, I love nothing more than a book about books, and the title? Genius. I really loved this and hearing about the love of books

This is a story that I did not expect when I picked the book up. I obviously knew it was non-fiction when I first requested the book and stored it on my virtual shelf, but a lot of time passed between that and me actually reading it. The cover of my version as well as the name, had me expecting a mystery tale of some sort.
Once I was over that surprise, I settled in to listen to the story of a man who stumbled onto a job that became his life (This is something I always hoped would happen to me), and Oliver puts in the effort to do a good job. The book begins with the foreword that the author is in charge of the social presence of Sotheran's online. The rare books' store is not one that I would frequent - my used book shopping is and will always be limited to cheaper works that get the job done. I was still drawn to the anecdotes the author provides in the book.
Oliver comes across as a generally genial person, and one of the first things that struck me as funny and stayed with me throughout the book was the image of a really tall man having to be squished behind a tiny desk surrounded by stuff.
Any role working in the Rare Books business seems to come with a lot of different things to accomplish, some more entertaining than others. The author manages to convey the whole atmosphere of the people and the place where he works. The stories are not in any particular order, some of them go back and forth in time, but for once, I did not mind that. I could dip in and out of the book as and when I felt the inclination. There is an inherent love for the written word that is a part of this entire narrative that will make it enjoyable for any bibliophile (of whatever type they may be).
The writing feels consistent throughout all the chapters making it easy to get a feel for everyone that we are introduced to. There are emotions tied to some stories, and others are more general. The latter poke good-natured fun at the kind of people who end up visiting the store. I would highly recommend this to everyone, especially since it can be read in parts.
I received this book as an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading.

This is an enjoyable read if - like me - you view bookshops as special places.

Fascinating insights into the world of "the antiquarian bookseller, related through the eyes of one-time apprentice Oliver Darkshire. The writing is very humorous at times, describing real encounters with a very entertaining cast of staff and customers of the esteemed Sotheran's bookshop in London.

I highly recommend this book - it would make the perfect travel companion for any book lover (I read much of it on a recent trip). It's a great book to dip in and out of, as the chapters can be read independently - a bonus when travelling.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

I loved this book, loved the style of writing, the humour and loved the descriptions of the shop.
It's an intriguing book that talks about working in one of the most ancient rare bookseller, Sotheran. I fell in love with the shop, the books and thoroughly enjoyed the descriptions fo the customers and the quirky events.
There's some more serious topics like sexism and homophobia and there's a lot of fun.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Once Upon a Tome is a charming account from Oliver Darkshire of his experience working at Sotheran’s Rare Books and Prints, one of the world’s oldest bookstores.

Founded in York in 1761, Sotheran’s moved to London in 1815, eventually settling into premises in Sackville Street, just off Piccadilly in the heart of London's West End. The store is laid out of three floors, crowded not only with old and rare books, but also magazines, art, maps, and antique bric-a-brac, including a cursed lectern.

Having fled an administrative job in a legal firm to avoid being fired, Oliver joined the staff, aged 20, as a bookseller apprentice. He’d no real intention of remaining in the job for long but stayed for a decade. (Oliver has now left Sotheran’s, moving to the country with his husband, though he still maintains the store’s Twitter feed @Sotherans which he popularised.)

Told through a series of roughly chronological vignettes, Oliver writes warmly about his colleagues, especially his canny late mentor, James; cheekily of his customers categorised as ‘smaugs’, ‘Dracula’s’ or one of a variety of ‘cryptids’; and earnestly of the vagaries of rare bookselling. I found his stories of cataloguing, bookrunners, home visits, ghosts and secret cellars entertaining, and his insights into the store’s trade interesting.

Comparisons to the memoirs of Edinburgh rare bookseller Shaun Bythell are inevitable, and I think Once Upon a Time comes out ahead. Darkshire writes with more evident affection for the store, its trade and its customers, though perhaps that is in part the privilege of being an employee rather than the owner.

A witty, candid, and tender book, Once Upon a Tome is sure to delight bibliophiles everywhere.

An amusing enough interlude, but unfortunately the magic and spark of the Sotheran's twitter account didn't translate well to long form.

One of those books that the likes of I give a high rating to, on the very basis that it's preaching to the converted. This is a book "adjacent to" (and god that neologism can do one) the book world, in being a report from the front line of selling antique volumes in London. A lot of this will be familiar to the reader of that there chap selling antique books and writing a diary about in in Scotland, but this approach is different enough to make this worth the time. Everything is here, from the belligerent non-purchaser, to the bigot seeking a select catalogue of dubious volumes best kept out his hands, to the flawed public event. Trips to find collections worth a punt are here, too, but there was never any talk of secret Secondary Cellars up in Wigton. We gain from the in-house squabble about desk real estate, witness the awkwardness with which two stores share the same hatstand, and just when I thought this was fine but not as funny as it thinks, a hilarious health and safety check.

This isn't about books per se, in that it barely mentions more than a couple dozen titles. But it is about the unique brand of bookishness that sends one down the rabbit hole of selling vintage printed matter, and suffering the people from the general public trying in turn to sell it to you. It's suggested that if you do get your feet under whatever desk comes to your attention first for long enough then you are a bookseller and nothing can change that; certainly our author seems to have an apprenticeship that lasts longer than some careers. But this book and many others prove there is so much of the haphazard in trading in books that we are inherently on the writer/seller's side. This similarly is a very likeable read – but as I say I was one of the converted before opening it up. Join me and you'll find a four star entertainment.

This was a brilliant book. I enjoyed it so much . This author wrote this book with some brilliant whit. I just had to finish this book in one sitting as I couldn't put it down. If you ever wondered what working in a book shop for rare books is like then this book is definitely for you. I definitely recommend reading this book. It was obvious from reading this book that there was never a dull moment in this bookshop. Set in a side street in the centre of London it certainly gas some strange and wonderful people visiting the shop. It was so interesting and I especially loved reading the story a out when the council paid a visit for there inspection. I could definitely relate to some of the annoying customers as I too would be smelling the books or pop in to walk around. There are just a world of amazing things. The authors writing was amazing and I loved this page turning book. It was so much fun reading the tale of the book that had been in the shop the longest. Although the author has finished working in that shop I do hope if he is still working on the book industry that he carries on writing books as I would love to read more books from this author. 

So much praise goes out to the author and publishing team for bringing us this fantastic book. It was so interesting learning about life in rare bookshop.

The above review has already been placed on goodreads, waterstones, Google books, Barnes&noble, kobo, amazon UK where found and my blog today https://ladyreading365.wixsite.com/website/post/once-upon-a-tome-by-oliver-darkshire-random-house-4-stars either under my name or ladyreading365

This is a book for booklovers, by booklovers, and about book lovers. Set in Sotheran’s bookstore on the much neglected Sackville Street in London, apprentice Oliver tackles the unexpected ups and downs of the rare book trade.

The anecdotes in this book are all written with a touch of fiction and a touch of dark humour. At times it is difficult to tell where the truth ends and where the exaggeration begins. There is a specific kind of ironic tone to the narrative voice which almost dares you to disbelieve or question him. It is this narrative voice that transforms a simple non-fiction book and a motley collection of real-life scenarios into an awe-inducing peek into a world of unfathomable mystery.

Inspired by the Sotheran’s slightly disreputable twitter account, this book adds the depth that just cannot be found in 280 characters. And if I wasn’t already following their twitter this book would definitely motivate me to sign up!

Charming and funny, full of wild characters and interesting anecdotes but never quite came together as a whole for me.

I so loved this book. I will admit it I am a book addict and the thought of finding a bookshop like this sounds heavenly. I have read it cover to cover and have asked for a copy for Christmas it is a definite 5-star book the characters are brilliant. thank you Oliver Darkshire for Once upon a tome and Netgalley for allowing me to review it

Peccadilloes Of The Place..
Steeped with a true love of books and literature, this charming account is bubbling with affection and humour. Sotheran’s of Sackville Street, one of the oldest bookshops in the world, became the author’s second home and here he shares his passions, frustrations and peccadilloes of the place with the reader. Eccentrics abound, tomes are numerous and even colleagues border on the obsessive. A delightful piece which should appeal to bibliophiles everywhere.

‘Once Upon A Tome’ is at once engaging, amusing and warmly written and I feel it has the wonderful ability to either be read in one deliciously indulgent go or savoured by reading in smaller chunks. As well as sharing the many interesting things and varied challenges that feature in the running of an antiquarian book shop, the author has also deftly included some personal anecdotes, which I found particularly touching. Other things to recommend this book are: the descriptions of various types of customer, items of furniture, and all the slightly peculiar items in the shop that are not books. I also found I learned a number of new words, with the dictionary on my Kindle being consulted regularly.

My only very, very slight criticism of an otherwise fantastic read is that the author does have a tendency to overuse the phrase ‘-adjacent’ to describe things, however; this extremely minor peccadillo could be put to good use by reading groups as the basis of a fun-yet-dangerous drinking game.

My sincere thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the advance copy of ‘Once Upon A Tome’ on which this review is based.

I'm not sure what I was expecting from this book but it wasn't what I got. I've worked in the book trade since graduating and while not in a specialist 2nd hand shop nothing in this book chimed with me.

For me it lacked the humour and acerbity that Shaun Blythell manages in his books and also wasn't a serious look at the trade.
Mildly interesting but ultimately not for me

A charming and funny bookselling memoir, full of anecdotes that make it a particularly good book for dipping in and out of. I liked the insight Darkshire gives into the rare book industry, placing it within the context of 21st century whilst also remaining appropriately reverent of the trade and I LOVED the bookselling RPG in the appendix.

Oliver Darkshire plunges the reader into the rarefied and strange world of antiquarian books, specifically Henry Sotheran Ltd on Sackville Street (est. 1761) in London, claiming to be the oldest bookshop in the world, and his experiences of being an antiquarian bookseller in his time there. To say that it was different from normal bookselling is an understatement, he came for an interview with Andrew, the manager with an obsession for second hand books, and was taken on as an apprentice, a training process overseen by James with input from others, such as Georg and the hardworking Rebekah. The bookshop is loaded with health and safety hazards, suspect cupboards, there are teetering piles of books, it is littered with flotsam and jetsam that has become assimulated into the premises, with stock that includes poisoned books, and gourds.

There are numerous ways of sourcing their books, including the peculiar one of book runners. It relies on book collectors, the Smaugs and Draculas, with a strategy of turning any book buyer they can into a future collector. Oliver never intended to stay for as long as he did, but before he knew it, he became an intrinsic part of the old bookshop, along with its resident ghost, Henry, and its long history of cursed books. He began to learn of the 'art' of cataloguing, an ongoing process that never ends, the valuation and buying of books, the nightmare that is finding, securing and selling big money items and goes to York, the national hub of the antiquarian book trade. Despite detesting academia, he even completes a 2 course, aided by Cynthia, although it does take him 4 years to finish. He begins to appreciate his job is less about selling books and more about learning to handle the wide array of colourful, offbeat, weird and fragile characters that go with the antiquarian territory.

Oliver is witty and entertaining in the amusing and hilarious picture he paints of his time as an antiquarian bookseller, relating his surprise that Andrew tolerated his 'naps', he is diagnosed with narcolepsy, and the total absence of drama when he comes out as gay to the staff. He plays an instrumental role on social media, with its Pandora's Box of issues, chaos and opportunities. This is a wonderfully joyful and insightful read of the madness and insanity that accompanies Oliver's chosen profession, it will appeal to a wide range of readers, particularly those book obsessives who can never walk past any bookshop without giving into temptation, entering and browsing its contents. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

A sweet, funny, informative memoir of the highs and lows of antiquarian bookshops. A must read for book lovers.

Once Upon a Tome by Oliver Darkshire is about one of the world's oldest bookshops and the world of antiquarian bookselling.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House Uk for a copy of “ Once Upon A Tome “ for an honest review .

I must admit to not knowing about Sotherans Bookshop before I read this , despite it being one of the oldest in the world !
I know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but it attracted me to read it straight away,and I love anything book related
Oliver Darkshire humorously recalls his work as a bookseller and ,for me his writing evokes the sights and smells, from my visiting many bookshops over the years .
I think from working in such a shop , or a library , we do get “ our characters “ and I loved hearing about them.
I Loved the book and I will definitely be recommending the purchase of it .