Today we’re talking about Ken’s surprising appearance as a villain in John Grisham’s rare books heist thriller, Camino Island. Well, not Ken exactly, but someone very much like him. Oscar Stein is the fictional proprietor of the three story Old Boston Bookshop on West Street in downtown Boston, a shop that was founded by his father, Loyd Stein. Sound familiar? The only problem is that Oscar Stein is also a thief, his bookshop is failing, he’s weary of the book trade, and would rather pop pills in his cluttered office than run the shop. After reading Camino Island, Ken, baffled and understandably concerned about the possible damage it could cause to his reputation, does some investigating of his own, ultimately leading to a phone call from Grisham himself.
Brattlecast #59 - Decorating with Books
In this episode Ken talks about a colleague and friend of the shop who has literally written the book on decorating with books. Thatcher Wine, of Juniper Books, designs curated personal libraries, some in custom dust jackets that can transform a wall of bookshelves into a stunning and dynamic mural. Thatcher has recently published a gorgeous book on his work, For the Love of Books, co-authored with Elizabeth Lane. Visit juniperbooks.com to learn more. Plus, we’ll talk about the history of decorating with books, from Downton Abbey to Caffe Nero.
Brattlecast #25 - Ken's Collections
A glimpse of Ken's fun and surprising personal collections: eclectic bathroom decor, cookbooks about cannibalism, jazz photographs, and a signed Houdini photo that, while technically for sale, he's doing his best not to allow to escape.