Books and Mortar by Gibbs M Smith
A visual feast celebrating the alluring power of bookstores--68 paintings by illustrator Gibbs M. Smith.
The local bookstore, a place of wonder, refuge, and rejuvenation for book lovers the world over. Books & Mortar is a celebration of these literary strongholds. Sixty-eight oil paintings capture these storefronts at a moment in time, and pair the artwork with anecdotes about the shops and reflections on bookselling by many of the owners themselves.
A delightful gift for an avid reader, an inspiration for any bookstore owner, Books & Mortar is the perfect keepsake for anyone's personal library.
Smith, Gibbs: - Gibbs M. Smith always wanted to be a history professor. But while in pursuit of his master's degree, Smith wrote a dissertation on Joe Hill-American labor martyr, proletarian folk hero, and songwriter-that profoundly changed his life. After the book was published by the University of Utah press and made into a movie, Gibbs started entertaining the idea of starting his own publishing company. While riding a cable car in San Francisco and contemplating this venture, he wrote Alfred Knopf a letter. In my view, he was the greatest publisher in America, reflects Smith. Knopf wrote back with words of encouragement; later they spoke over the phone. Gibbs now had the inspiration needed to embark upon this extraordinary entrepreneurial adventure. In 1969, Gibbs and his wife, Catherine, started the company known today as Gibbs Smith, Publisher. With $12,000 in cash earned from the Smiths' work on the movie Joe Hill, the company published four initial books, which would be used as supplementary texts in college history classes. The first few years were tough, as Gibbs and his wife, Cathy, ran the company out of their studio apartment in Santa Barbara.
In 1973, the company relocated to Utah, where Gibbs and Cathy reinvested profits back into the business and lived on savings. They spent the first summer there converting an old barn (built in 1916) on the family farm into offices. It was a race against time, as the barn had no roof and winter was rapidly approaching. During that summer they also managed to publish a new textbook, Utah's Heritage. This proved to be a very wise decision, as the company's textbook division provided financial stability during the early years.
In 1973, the company relocated to Utah, where Gibbs and Cathy reinvested profits back into the business and lived on savings. They spent the first summer there converting an old barn (built in 1916) on the family farm into offices. It was a race against time, as the barn had no roof and winter was rapidly approaching. During that summer they also managed to publish a new textbook, Utah's Heritage. This proved to be a very wise decision, as the company's textbook division provided financial stability during the early years.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781423650430 |
| ISBN 10 | 1423650433 |
| Title | Books and Mortar |
| Author | Gibbs M Smith |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Gibbs M. Smith Inc |
| Year published | 2018-09-04 |
| Number of pages | 136 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |