At the recent Boston Book Fair we were delighted to meet with some brattlecast listeners, who told us they’d like to hear more about day-to-day life at the shop. It’s a great idea, so today we’re kicking off a short series on our average workdays—not the spectacular finds or the times when the building catches fire, but the stories in between. 

We’ll start with an account of a pretty normal book buy that didn’t work out quite the way we would have hoped. It’s something that comes up more and more in the internet age: people with collections to sell will do their own research, see copies of their books languishing online at fantastical prices, and come away with an inflated sense of their value. In these awkward situations, it’s difficult to make a reasonable offer without seeming like you’re lowballing, and sometimes it’s simpler just to walk away (or, in this case, drive three hours back to Boston away). Stay tuned for the rest of our day-in-the-life series, and as always, if you have ideas for future episodes, reach out to [email protected].