The title tells you what you need to know about this documentary: It’s a love letter to the people who love books — you know, the old-fashioned kind, made out of ink imprinted on paper. For anyone who has spent awesome hours discovering the secrets of the towering stacks within used book shops, The Booksellers will be a comforting window into the world of hardcore book collectors and traders, mostly in New York City.
The famous Strand, one of the few survivors of a golden age of Manhattan bookstores, is one of many explored here, along with visits to book collector expositions and homes with volumes stacked from floor to ceiling. In these days of self-isolation, it’s rather nice to settle back on one’s sofa and take virtual tours of places now closed to us, and to hear stories from the many eccentric and determined people who keep them alive.
It’s not surprising that director/editor/producer D.W. Young’s resumé is dominated by documentary shorts, because The Booksellers is essentially a bundle of self-contained portraits and vignettes and topical discussions, one after the other. We meet the trio of sisters who happily inherited their father’s shop and learn the secret of their survival. We visit the dealer/collector/hoarder whose apartment is a hazardous maze of shelves and teetering piles. We meet young women who discuss the gender imbalance of the business.
What we don’t get is any considered discussion of strategies for continuity, such as community marketing, in-store cafes, author appearances, online outreach and so on. It’s as if Young — who has been working on this film for over four years — isn’t really interested in the business side of the book business. He’s just in love with the booksellers…and with New York wit and curmudgeon Fran Lebowitz, whose periodic interjections are perhaps the best bits of the doc. “You know what they used to call independent bookstores?” she quips. “Bookstores.”
Of course, if you don’t know who the famed author and public speaker is, the film isn’t going to tell you. For a movie about written words, Young has a strange aversion to using them to identify his subjects, except occasionally by first name. But no matter. Whoever they are, these folks are a charming and intriguing lot. When closing time comes, you may not want to leave. But don’t rush out — Lebowitz gets the last word after the credits conclude.
Available to rent starting April 17 via fineartstheatre.com and grailmoviehouse.com
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