By Anne Levin

The largest seller of books in the world is Amazon — not a professional bookseller. That doesn’t sit well with Jeff Deutsch, author of In Praise of Good Bookstores, which he will discuss April 10 at a hybrid event being held at Princeton Public Library and co-sponsored by Labyrinth Books, Princeton University’s Humanities Council, Princeton University Press, and Classics Books of Trenton.

A professional bookseller since 1994, Deutsch is the director of Chicago’s Seminary Co-op Bookstores, considered to be among the world’s finest. His book pays tribute to the independent bookstore, an endangered species that he hopes will have a future instead of disappearing amid Amazon and other online services that are more about profit than literature.

“The book is an essayistic celebration of a good bookstore,” Deutsch said in a telephone conversation. “It’s not an argument or a lamentation. What I’m trying to do is help a reader who might not have a good bookstore experience the pleasures of browsing. I’m celebrating the tactile experience of browsing, reflecting how we think about space and time. It’s a relatively accessible sketch of a world we could be living in.”

Growing up in Brooklyn, N.Y., and Elizabeth in Orthodox Jewish communities, Deutsch wasn’t a big reader. But books were always present. “Everyone I knew studied daily,” he said. “It wasn’t about becoming educated to make a living. It was about becoming learned, to have a more meaningful life. When I was ready, the presence of books really meant something to me. Becoming learned is a critical part of what makes up the pursuit of knowledge in [Orthodox] Judaism. Finding models to support an ongoing engagement with serious books and spaces that support that strike me as a critical endeavor.”

What makes a good bookstore? “One that sells only, or mostly books,” Deutsch said, singling out Labyrinth Books on Nassau Street as a prime example. “Princeton has one of the best bookstores in the country. You’re lucky. It’s a really special place. One of the things I celebrate is the bookseller – a discerning, filtering, selective professional who is trying to help readers discover the books that will enrich their lives. When people like [co-owner] Dorothea [von Moltke] are running a bookstore, you can tell the difference between it and one at an airport.”

Seminary Co-op Bookstores incorporated in 2019 as the first not-for-profit whose mission is bookselling. It was founded by students at Chicago Theological Seminary, and grew into one of the country’s best academic bookstores. “We sell coursebooks, but are also trying to feature scholarly and academic books and great literature and philosophy for the serious general reader,” Deutsch said.

Online book retailers can serve certain needs. But there is no replacement for browsing the shelves of a good bookstore. “In the 21^st century, no reader needs a bookstore to buy a book, and no bookstore can make it selling books alone,” Deutsch said. “So what is the point of a bookstore? It’s discovery and community, and the browsing experience in a physical space, where one can think about and talk about books.”

Deutsch envisions a future in which the bookstore not only endures, but thrives. “I hope we can build different financial models to support bookstores, and also take back the industry from those who are not part of the industry,” he said. “Or at least, convince them to care about it.”

Deutsch will appear on Sunday, April 10 at 11 a.m. at Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street. There is a livestream option. Visit princetonlibrary.org for the link or to register for in-person attendance.