At one of America's oldest bookshops, there are just as many stories to be told outside the pages as in them. Join bookseller Kenneth Gloss and co-host Jordan Rich as they share entertaining conversations and histories surrounding Boston's favorite spot for bibliophiles.
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He voyaged with Captain Cook, escaped from college via canoe, and attempted to walk across Russia. But, most importantly for our purposes, he also wrote a plain looking, easily discarded book, some volumes of which contain an extremely valuable map. He's John Ledyard, the most interesting New England character you've never heard of and the author of Captain Cook's Voyages, the book we should all be scouring yard sales for!
What makes a book valuable? Is it age? Scarcity? How old is an old book? Which souvenir reprints consistently trick people into thinking they've got a million dollar antique on their hands? Are public libraries good? What unassuming volume does Ken ravenously hunger and thirst for? If I spill a glass of fruit punch on my book, is it cool to dry it off in the microwave? Answers to most of these questions and more, from Ken and a little pamphlet called 'Your Old Books'.
