The Haunted Bookshop

Page 120: That's why I call this place the Haunted Bookshop. Haunted by the ghosts of books I haven't read. Poor uneasy spirits, they walk and walk around me. There's only one way to lay the ghost of a book, and that is to read it. THE HAUNTED BOOKSHOP draws me straight into its story. It's a story that booklovers will enjoy--a romance with books and a mystery to be solved. Roger Mifflin owns the second-hand bookshop on Gissing Street, Brooklyn. The bookshop operates under the name "Parnassus at Home," and is known as the Haunted Bookshop. He has a loving wife, Helen, and she is a fantastic cook. Her signature dish is the chocolate cake that every member of the Corn Cob Club relish. The Club is held at the bookshop for bookish discussions by the booksellers. I particularly enjoy and appreciate their discussions. For example, one of the booksellers, Benson said: "Look at the way a man shells out five bones for a couple of theatre seats, or spends a couple of dollars a week on cigars without thinking about it. Yet two dollars or five dollars for a book costs him positive anguish." I can definitely relate to the thought above. Although the story dated way back in 1919, it is still true today. We could easily spend money on clubbing, movies, cigarettes and so on without blinking an eye but when asked to invest in good books, it sounds almost obscene to the other party. Again, Mr Mifflin articulated it very well in his dialogue with Titania, when he said: "You see, books contain the thoughts and dreams of men, their hopes and strivings and all their immortal parts. It's in books that most of us learn how splendidly worthwhile life is." Those are beautiful statements. A good book meets human hunger. A good book for you may not be a good book for me, so there's a book for everybody. And that's what Mr Mifflin takes pleasure in doing--he 'prescribes' books for such 'patients' as they visit his bookshop and who are willing to tell him their symptoms. Such is his passion for the art of bookselling. The life led by the bookseller and his wife is easy-going and simple. Every day, they do business until about ten o'clock at night. Then Mrs Mifflin would brew a pot of hot cocoa and they would read or talk for a while before bed. Sometimes Mr Mifflin would walk their dog, Bock (short for Boccaccio). I would love a simple life like that. Often, I have such daydreams and hope that I would retire like the Mifflins and possess a passion like theirs. The story does not just stop there. One day, a young advertising man named Aubrey Gilbert comes into the Haunted Bookshop hoping to sell copywriting service for his agency. In fact, the story almost begin with this young man. Mr Mifflin does not believe in paying for advertisement and goes on to explain his rationale to the young man. They became acquainted that way and even had supper together because Mrs Mifflin is out of town. Together, they discuss about literature. Later, a young lady named Titania Chapman,

Part romance, part thriller, part comedy, the Haunted Bookshop is an offering at the altar of the book. Morley's obvious love of literature and the written word shines through in an old-fashioned, sweet, innocent tale.

The Haunted Bookshop is quaint, delightful fiction that is simultaneously entertaining and thought provoking. Like its predecessor, Parnassus on Wheels, it is first and foremost a book for book lovers. The exuberant Roger Mifflin, the owner of a dusty, out-of-the way, used bookstore in Brooklyn, thrives on helping people discover new books and authors. His bookshop motto reads: "We have what you want, though you may not know you want it." Making money is secondary to him and his favorite pastime is talking and arguing, especially about books. Written in 1919, the action centers upon a then contemporary event, the planned voyage of Woodrow Wilson to the Peace Conference in Europe. Roger's leather bound copy of Carlyle's Oliver Cromwell disappears from its shelf, only to reappear the following night. A clever story of espionage follows. Roger is a man of his times and is deeply concerned that the mistakes leading to the Great War not be repeated. His hopes for future world peace are poignant, especially as we modern readers realize that in just two decades the Great War would be renamed, and numbered. Christopher Morley's characters - the irrepressible Roger Mifflin, his pragmatic and loveable wife Helen McGill Mifflin, the youthful, diligent Titania Chapman that works in their shop, and her idealistic suitor Aubrey Gilbert - are all eminently likeable characters. The villains are indeed villainous, but thankfully, miscommunications within their ranks causes their plans to go awry. Aubrey, acting as an amateur sleuth, misinterprets the situation, but ultimately all works out for the best. I suppose it is best to read Parnassus on Wheels and its sequel, The Haunted Bookshop, in order, but it is certainly not necessary. I suspect that whichever you begin with, you will immediately begin searching for the other. It is no surprise that Christopher Morley, author of more than 50 books, is primarily remembered for these two marvelous stories. Years ago my wife and I stumbled upon a pleasantly enticing, used bookstore on a narrow street in downtown Mobile. It was appropriately named The Haunted Bookshop.

It's been years since I read The Haunted Bookshop, but it's one of those books that really stays with you. The proprietor of the bookshop has the proper attitude about selling books and has the sign posted right up on his wall: "We sell no fakes or trashes." I first read the book when I was in 9th grade, and remember thinking wistfully that I would love to visit the Haunted Bookshop. To my immense delight, I've discovered a few over the years, where I've made wonderful finds I never would have discovered at [local stores]. When you run across one of these bookstores, they are a joy to remember forever.

Usually the sequel is never as good as the original, but in this case, The Haunted Bookshop is even better than the first volume, Parnassus on Wheels. If you are a booklover, you will thoroughly enjoy both. This story is set in Brooklyn just after the close of WWI. The descriptions of the city made me feel like I was really there. The book is filled with observations about books and bookselling. Although the romance woven into the plot was somewhat sentimental, the book did have its serious side, and is stronger on plot than the first volume was. The bookseller and his wife are thoroughly enjoyable and likable people. It was really fun to read about city life early in the century, when milk wagons and bakery wagons still made deliveries, and apothecaries mixed prescriptions right on the premises instead of counting out pills from a bottle from the pharmaceutical company. This was a very refreshing book, and the observations it contained about reading have not gone out of date.