Advertise on podcast: Brattlecast: A Firsthand Look at Secondhand Books

In today’s episode, we pivot away from books and shake things up by talking about Ken’s own personal collection of over 250 snowdomes. He and his wife, Joyce, have been picking up the snowdomes as souvenirs for years—on family vacations and while they're traveling for Antiques Roadshow. We’ll discuss their criteria for what makes a good dome (glass vs. plastic, snow vs. glitter) and about new challenges that bedevil the snowdome connoisseur (TSA liquid restrictions). Settle in for a chilly and charming #brattlecast that perfectly encapsulates everything we love so much about the shop and its proprietors.

Today we’re looking at two classic American magazines: TIME and LIFE. Published weekly for most of the 20th century, these sister periodicals offer complementary perspectives on the biggest stories of the era, with LIFE’s vivid photojournalism bringing immediacy and emotional resonance to TIME’s in-depth reporting. They’ve always been popular items at the shop, but while past collectors sought out issues that commemorated special events or milestone dates from their own lives, a younger generation of readers are embracing these magazines for the design language they helped define—as archives of iconic mid-century modern fashion, architecture, typography, and consumer goods. Explore the way that objects slip from personal nostalgia into cultural history as time and life march irrevocably forward on this new-for-now #brattlecast.

This week, we’re unwrapping (not literally) a little piece of local journalistic history: one of 150,000 condoms distributed by The Boston Phoenix. In 1987, the alternative weekly published an issue that included a condom—donated by Trojan—and a guide to safer sex with every newspaper. They intended to raise awareness of the burgeoning AIDS crisis, and to court some controversy at a time when contraception itself was still up for debate in heavily Catholic Boston. As usual on this podcast, the story behind the story is just as fascinating, and Ken’s got insider info on the unique logistical challenges posed by getting all those condoms into all those papers. Join us for a tale of courageous publishing—and shortsighted stapling—on this slightly-racier-than-usual #brattlecast.

When you visit a different stranger’s home almost every day of your working life, you end up having a lot of interesting experiences—some incredibly elevated, and others rather harrowing. On today’s episode, we’re going over some of those highs and lows from Ken’s decades in book buying, from palatial estates filled with priceless antiques to hoarding situations infested with fleas. We never know what we’re going to find when we set out in the morning, which is what makes this job such an adventure. Join us as we revisit some of the most memorable spaces in the greater Boston area—for better or worse—on a hospitable new #brattlecast.

Ken’s a busy guy—we’re lucky he can even make time for this podcast. In today’s episode, he’ll break down one of his typically action-packed weeks, from early morning chores and laborious book buys to photo shoots at the shop and high-end appraisals. We say at the Brattle that Ken only works half-days: from 5 a.m. until 5 p.m. Make some room in your schedule to learn more about the demands and rewards of bookshop proprietorship on this occupying new #brattlecast.

Today we’re flipping through some fresh arrivals to the shop: issues of Ebony magazine from the 1970s. In print from 1945 to 2019 (and still published online), Ebony documented mid-century Black life in the United States with the same upbeat and aspirational tone that mainstream magazines once reserved for white America. From glossy fashion spreads and celebrity profiles to coverage of politics, civil rights, and everyday life, Ebony built a vivid visual record of a rapidly changing country. Today, Ebony offers a rich and fascinating archive of the African American experience, along with a quietly radical reminder that Black people’s lives were always worthy of glamour, curiosity, and cultural memory.

The Brattle has been in Ken’s family since 1949—before GPS, electronic mail, or even the podcast. In today’s episode, we discuss how modern tools have changed our daily routines at the shop, from appraising collections and setting up appointments to navigating the roads of New England. One piece of communication technology that hasn’t changed? The books themselves. They still deliver information and delight readers just as well as they did fifty, one hundred, or two hundred years ago. Join us for a look at the past and present of the bookselling on this timeless new #brattlecast.

Astute Brattlecast listeners may have already noticed this, but Ken really loves to tell a good story. Did you know you can see him speak in person as well? Today’s episode is about Ken’s lectures: informative, entertaining presentations drawn from his decades in the book business and delivered at venues throughout New England. These talks are always followed by a Q&A with the audience and a look at any books attendees have brought in for appraisal.  Visit brattlebookshop.com to see when Ken might appear at a library, museum, or historical society near you—or to book him for your own event.

Our shop has seen many love stories over the years—some fiction, others nonfiction. In today’s episode, we reminisce about the handful of presumably still-happy couples who’ve gotten married or engaged at the Brattle. It may be an unconventional venue, but people love books, and we love love. It’s an honor to serve as the setting for such special memories—plus, a small wedding ceremony makes shoppers look up from the sale lot shelves for a moment and breaks up the day for our staff.  If you got married, met someone significant, exchanged a meaningful glance with a stranger that still troubles you, or proposed at the Brattle, please reach out; we’d love to hear your story!

This week we’re taking a look at one of the shop’s most distinctive features: our outdoor sale lot. Open year-round in extreme New England weather, the lot presents some unique operational challenges for the Brattle crew (not many booksellers have to worry about their customers getting frostbite, or about sudden summer thunderstorms decimating their sale sections). It’s a fun, photogenic space that generates a lot of publicity—we’ve hosted weddings, served as a movie location, and appeared in countless social media posts—but the lot also acts as a practical pressure valve for overstuffed shelves inside the shop, allowing new books to be brought in almost every day. Join us for a behind-the-scenes look at our book-eating monster on this outdoorsy new #brattlecast.

As a secondhand book shop, the thing that really drives our business isn’t selling books—it’s buying them. That’s why we venture out almost every day—to houses, libraries, and storage units throughout New England—searching for good books and the occasional treasure. In today’s episode, we’re taking a behind-the-scenes look at our book buying process, from receiving phone calls and making appointments through appraisals, offers, and, if things go well, packing up the truck. These trips keep fresh books flowing into the shop, but they’re also a little adventure: we get to see new places, meet new people, and hopefully bring back a story or two for the podcast. Join us (and our 87 specifically-sized cardboard boxes) for a journey into book buying on this fully-stocked new #brattlecast.

This week we’re talking about one of the shop’s longest book buys—a deal that took over thirty years to seal. In the late ‘70s Ken was called out to a local library, where he made a bid on some really excellent books. They said that the board of trustees would have to think about it. Decades passed, babies grew up, pant silhouettes changed, and the library called to check in every five or ten years. Ken would find the collection—Gutenberg Bible pages, illuminated manuscripts, Audubon folios, etc.—stored in a slightly worse location almost every time he visited. Ultimately, in the 2010s, when the library was really, really ready to sell, we cut a check for almost a million dollars and rescued the books from a janitor’s closet, next to the cleaning supplies. Ken shares his tips for summoning patience in frustrating situations on this long-overdue new #brattlecast.

Before the implementation of standardized time zones in the United States, every town pretty much decided what time it was on their own. This wasn’t that big of a deal when you had to walk everywhere, but it created some major problems as communication and transportation got faster in the 19th century: imagine creating an accurate train schedule when the time of day is slightly different at every stop. In today’s episode, we’re taking a look at some old transportation maps—from coach lines to railroads to air travel—and reflecting on the ways our conception of time has evolved alongside these industries. Join us on a journey through time and space in this punctual new #brattlecast.

The Farmers’ Almanac will publish its last edition this year, ending a run that began in 1818. So how will we know when to plant our crops going forward? Don’t worry: there’s still the Old Farmers’ Almanac, which is now functionally the Only Farmers’ Almanac. Today we’re talking about the once-crowded landscape of American almanac publishing and flipping through a few examples from the late seventeen and early eighteen hundreds. In addition to covering agriculture, there were popular almanacs on medicine, navigation, abolition, and Christianity—and even satirical almanacs that parodied the genre. Designed to entertain as well as inform, these volumes offer a fascinating look at the everyday lives of average Americans hundreds of years ago, plus a wealth of folksy wisdom that may still apply today. Listen to learn more about a disappearing genre on this bucolic new #brattlecast.

It’s been an exceptionally rough winter, so we thought we’d talk about what a big snow day looks like at the Brattle. Picture downtown Boston, quiet streets blanketed with feet of newly fallen snow. Almost everyone is staying home today—except for plow drivers and the Brattle staff. Are we having a cozy time in there? Not really. This is where selling books outdoors becomes a feat of endurance: we’re shoveling the sale lot clean, we’re shoveling the roof, we’re climbing onto a higher part of the roof and shoveling that, we’re running through cases of Hot Hands packets just to stave off frostbite. Sometimes we have to close the sale lot to protect our customers from themselves—we’ve learned that people will browse outside even in dangerously cold conditions. Join us for a chat about working in a winter wonderland on this frosty new #brattlecast.