The Booksellers

The Booksellers is a 2019 American documentary film that was directed, edited, and produced by D.W. Young. It was executive produced by Parker Posey, who also provides narration in the film. The film explores the world of antiquarian and rare book dealers and their bookstores. It focuses primarily on booksellers in New York City, including Adina Cohen, Naomi Hample and Judith Lowry, the three sisters of the Argosy Book Store; Stephen Massey, founder of Christie’s NY Book Department; and Nancy Bass Wyden, owner of the Strand Bookstore. Other prominent people featured in the film include Fran Lebowitz, Gay Talese, Justin Croft, Zack Hample, Susan Orlean, William S. Reese, A. S. W. Rosenbach, Jay S. Walker, and Kevin Young.

The Booksellers
Film poster
Directed byD.W. Young
Produced byD.W. Young, Dan Wechsler, Judith Mizrachy
Narrated byParker Posey
Distributed byGreenwich Entertainment
Release dates
  • October 2019 (2019-10) (New York Film Festival)[1][2]
  • March 6, 2020 (2020-03-06)[3]
Running time
99 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Release

The documentary premiered at the 2019 New York Film Festival and had a limited release in March 2020 that coincided with the annual New York International Antiquarian Book Fair.[4][5] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the film was released as video on demand as part of Greenwich Entertainment's virtual cinema initiative on April 17, 2020.[6][5]

Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 90% based on 63 reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Inviting viewers into a fascinating world of bibliophiles, The Booksellers is a documentary that's easy to curl up and get lost in."[7] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 72 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[8] A review in Variety said of the film "Lovely and wistful. 'The Booksellers' is a documentary for anyone who can still look at a book and see a dream, a magic teleportation device, an object that contains the world."[9] NPR's review called the film "beguiling" and noted "most of the story is told by eccentrics you've never heard of but will enjoy meeting."[10]

References
  1. "POSTPONED: 2020 CIFF Selects 'The Booksellers' is postponed, date to be determined". PenBay Pilot. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  2. "See us in the new documentary titled The Booksellers, premiering this October at the 57th Annual New York Film Festival! - Monday, Oct 07, 2019 - Wednesday, Oct 09, 2019". Imperial Fine Books. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  3. "'The Booksellers' - All Of It". WNYC. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  4. "57th New York Film Festival: Spotlight on Documentary". Film at Lincoln Center. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  5. Ramos, Dino-Day (April 17, 2020). "Coming-Of-Age Foodie Comedy 'Abe' Fires Up, 'The Booksellers' Makes Virtual Premiere – Specialty Streaming Preview". Deadline. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  6. "The Booksellers - Now Available at Home". Film at Lincoln Center. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  7. "The Booksellers (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  8. "The Booksellers Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  9. Gleiberman, Owen (October 8, 2019). "'The Booksellers': Film Review". Variety. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  10. Taylor, Ella (March 5, 2020). "'The Booksellers' Speaks Volumes About Old Books And Those Who Love Them". NPR. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
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