Antigone Books Goes on the Market

Kate Randall and Trudy Mills are on the hunt for just the right person to take over Antigone Books [2] in Tucson, Arizona, reported the Arizona Daily Star [3].

Mills, who has co-owned the store with Randall since 1990, told the Daily Star, “We’re not after the fastest deal or the best financial deal, but the best match.”

Antigone Books, which began as a feminist bookstore, was opened by Barbara Atwood, Pat Kelly, and Jonnie Cunningham in 1973. “The thing that’s interesting to me about the store is that it kind of grew up and has changed as the times have changed,” Mills said. The store has seen consistent increases in profits over the past five years and is currently doing well.

Randall and Mills are working with Paz & Associates [4]’ Mark Kaufman on the sale of the store. Eight inquiries came to Kaufman within a day of the store’s announcement.

History of Seminary Co-Op Documented in New Book

Jasmine Kwong and Megan E. Doherty, graduates of the University of Chicago, have chronicled the history of the Seminary Co-op [5] bookstore in the photo book If You Weren’t Looking for It: The Seminary Co-op Bookstore. A book release party was held at the Seminary Co-op on Saturday, October 15, reported the Chicago Maroon [6].

“I think that the Co-op has been, for over 50 years, an integral part of not only the UChicago community, but the Hyde Park, Chicago community, and literary communities,” Doherty said.

After 50 years in the basement of the Chicago Theological Seminary (now Saieh Hall), the Co-op moved to McGiffert House in 2012. Following the move, Kwong and Doherty had the idea to capture the bookstore’s distinctive character and history through photography, interviews, and memorabilia. The book is available at the Co-op.

“I just knew that it was a special thing that I needed to capture. As the project evolved, it became clear that it wasn’t just books and ideas, but that it was a community, a center that drew people together,” Kwong said.

Phoenix Books Distributes Free Copies of the U.S. Constitution

Ahead of the November 8 presidential election, Vermont’s Phoenix Books [7], which has locations in Essex, Burlington, Rutland, and Chester, is giving away 2,000 pocket-sized copies of the U.S. Constitution free of charge to community members.

“Phoenix Books is in the business of disseminating ideas to our customers,” said co-owner Mike DeSanto. “There are no greater ideas than those contained within the Constitution of the United States and the Declaration of Independence. People bandy these ideas back and forth, often without having read those documents. We think it’s important to cast a ballot based on which candidates are most likely to bring the ideas embodied within those documents to their new administration. So, we’re providing an opportunity to consider and make thoughtful choices in this election.”

The edition being distributed at all four locations, one copy per customer while supplies last, is The U.S. Constitution & Fascinating Facts About It, annotated by Terry L. Jordan (Oak Hill Publishing). It contains the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence, as well as information about how the Constitution was created and how it has been interpreted by the Supreme Court in the years since.

Vroman’s to Honor Author Michael Connelly

Author Lisa See was inducted into Vroman's Walk of Fame in 2014.

On November 4, Vroman’s Bookstore [8] in Pasadena, California, will host a Walk of Fame dedication ceremony and reception in honor of bestselling author Michael Connelly.

Connelly’s handprint and signature will be the second added to the walkway alongside Vroman’s. The Walk of Fame, which the store plans to make a longstanding tradition, debuted with author Lisa See in 2014 in conjunction with Vroman’s 120th anniversary.

At the event, Connelly will sign copies of his newest book, The Wrong Side of Goodbye (Little, Brown), which features Harry Bosch, a reoccurring character who spent 30 years with the Los Angeles Police Department before becoming a private detective.