Seeing Shelley Plain: Memories of New York's Legendary Phoenix Book Shop

In the tradition of Sylvia Beach's "Shakespeare and Co." and Frances Stetloff's "Wise Men Fish Here," Robert Wilson presents an engaging memoir of his years as owner of the Phoenix Bookstore in NY's Greenwich Village from the '60s to the '80s. The autobiographies of bookstores (and to some degree their entrepreneurial owners) afford the book enthusiast the opportunity to vicariously experience the ownership of a storefront bookshop, but to also experience first hand the people who pass through their doors (the Phoenix guest book signers are listed as an appendix). In this case Wilson focuses both on the Beats, their circle and successors, providing sincere portraits of Allen Ginsberg, Robert Duncan, Diane di Prima and many others, as well as on other major 20th century icons including W.H. Auden, Marianne Moore, and Alice B. Toklas. His chapter "Tea with Miss Toklas" is among the book's highlights! A wonderful read.