Seven Stairs : An Adventure of the Heart (Touchstone Book)

Rating:
Summary: The Seven Stairs by Brent Stuart
Review: Good books by book sellers are hard to find, and this one is not only good, but definitely a pleasure to read. I wish it had included more details about how to succeed in the business of selling books, but I quickly realized that the author lived in an entirely different era than the one we have now of internet book selling. The author started in business at a time when the world was not sure that television would last and many wiser than he had not survived in the business of selling books.

Originally published in 1962, this book is the autobiography of Brent Stuart, a successful Chicago book seller. His venture into book selling started after World War II, when as a young man fresh out of the Army, he opened a small book and music store. He admits he knew almost nothing about business, and he shares what he learned while struggling to survive. He also shares about the people he knew, many of whom were very helpful to him in his early years. He drops a lot of names, no doubt many of whom were very well-known in that era, among the most famous of whom are Katherine Hepburn, Gore Vidal, and Ernest Hemingway. Unfortunately, the book does not have an Index, which would be helpful when one is looking to find an interesting part that is worth reading aloud to friends.

One of the parts of the book I found most interesting was his account of his business and social dealings with Dr. Lionel Blitzsten, a wealthy psychoanalyst. Dr. Blitzsten encouraged and helped him to develop a current catalog of psychiatric books, and the sales of those books greatly helped his business to prosper. He describes his first impression of Dr. Blitzsten in almost poetic yet graphic details: "What was really arresting (and somewhat terrifying) about this fat, puffing little man was the face. Above the glasses, the skull seemed all forehead; beneath, the clean-shaven skin was baby pink and the mouth shaped like a rosebud and just as red. That was it, the mouth -- and when he spoke, the voice was musical, no longer deep, but rather high in pitch." Dr. Lionel hosted social gatherings which many clamored to attend. The author defines the social atmosphere at Dr. Lionel's home as a coterie, and his eloquent description of it is:

"The machinery of a coterie is simple; the reasons behind its operation and its subtle influence on the lives of those drawn into its orbit are complex almost beyond endurance. Essentially, the coterie consists of a number of people who hold similar views on unimportant things. Everyone admitted must observe a cardinal prohibition: to say nothing fundamental about anything. All must follow the leader, employ a common stock of expressions, adopt the same mannerisms, profess the same prejudices, affect the same bearing, and recognize a common bond of impenetrable superficiality."

The author also provides details about early television in Chicago and his role in a daily TV program titled "Books and Brent," in which he reviewed books. He also briefly gives details about his personal life, the businesses of publishing and writing books, his favorite cabin retreat at Bark Point in Wisconsin, and his adventures in a summer stock theater in suburban Chicago. Some of his secrets about how to succeed in the business of selling books include hosting chamber music parties and author signings at his book store, as well as having the help and support of good friends.

Save this one for a treat on a long winter night. It is an easy and entertaining read, yet very interesting for its portrayal of the author and his era. While the author does not preach or make recommendations about how to succeed in the business of selling books, his philosophy is shared in the telling of his stories. His life is an American success story packed with interesting details about life and business in the 1950s.

Rating:
Summary: The Seven Stairs by Brent Stuart
Review: Good books by book sellers are hard to find, and this one is not only good, but definitely a pleasure to read. I wish it had included more details about how to succeed in the business of selling books, but I quickly realized that the author lived in an entirely different era than the one we have now of internet book selling. The author started in business at a time when the world was not sure that television would last and many wiser than he had not survived in the business of selling books.

Originally published in 1962, this book is the autobiography of Brent Stuart, a successful Chicago book seller. His venture into book selling started after World War II, when as a young man fresh out of the Army, he opened a small book and music store. He admits he knew almost nothing about business, and he shares what he learned while struggling to survive. He also shares about the people he knew, many of whom were very helpful to him in his early years. He drops a lot of names, no doubt many of whom were very well-known in that era, among the most famous of whom are Katherine Hepburn, Gore Vidal, and Ernest Hemingway. Unfortunately, the book does not have an Index, which would be helpful when one is looking to find an interesting part that is worth reading aloud to friends.

One of the parts of the book I found most interesting was his account of his business and social dealings with Dr. Lionel Blitzsten, a wealthy psychoanalyst. Dr. Blitzsten encouraged and helped him to develop a current catalog of psychiatric books, and the sales of those books greatly helped his business to prosper. He describes his first impression of Dr. Blitzsten in almost poetic yet graphic details: "What was really arresting (and somewhat terrifying) about this fat, puffing little man was the face. Above the glasses, the skull seemed all forehead; beneath, the clean-shaven skin was baby pink and the mouth shaped like a rosebud and just as red. That was it, the mouth -- and when he spoke, the voice was musical, no longer deep, but rather high in pitch." Dr. Lionel hosted social gatherings which many clamored to attend. The author defines the social atmosphere at Dr. Lionel's home as a coterie, and his eloquent description of it is:

"The machinery of a coterie is simple; the reasons behind its operation and its subtle influence on the lives of those drawn into its orbit are complex almost beyond endurance. Essentially, the coterie consists of a number of people who hold similar views on unimportant things. Everyone admitted must observe a cardinal prohibition: to say nothing fundamental about anything. All must follow the leader, employ a common stock of expressions, adopt the same mannerisms, profess the same prejudices, affect the same bearing, and recognize a common bond of impenetrable superficiality."

The author also provides details about early television in Chicago and his role in a daily TV program titled "Books and Brent," in which he reviewed books. He also briefly gives details about his personal life, the businesses of publishing and writing books, his favorite cabin retreat at Bark Point in Wisconsin, and his adventures in a summer stock theater in suburban Chicago. Some of his secrets about how to succeed in the business of selling books include hosting chamber music parties and author signings at his book store, as well as having the help and support of good friends.

Save this one for a treat on a long winter night. It is an easy and entertaining read, yet very interesting for its portrayal of the author and his era. While the author does not preach or make recommendations about how to succeed in the business of selling books, his philosophy is shared in the telling of his stories. His life is an American success story packed with interesting details about life and business in the 1950s.