Our Bright Young Booksellers series continues today with Sam Butler, General Manager of Hermitage Books in Denver, Colorado:
What is your role at the Hermitage?
I am the General Manager in charge of the daily operations of our shop, as well as our principal buyer and cataloguer.
When did the Hermitage open and what do you specialize in?
The Hermitage opened in 1973. We are a generalist shop with books in every price point, age, and genre. However, we tend to specialize in more collectible material, both modern and more antiquarian.
What do you love about the book trade?
I most love the diversity of stories. People often ask what typical Hermitage customer looks like. And the beautiful thing is that they are as diverse as the books in our shop. They come from every demographic, every walk of life, every political party and perspective. It’s a wonderful thing to watch the world of people overlap in the worlds of books.
Describe a typical day for you:
Being an open shop, most days are pretty atypical. However, most consistently my days are filled with cataloguing and customer interactions. Being an open shop, my day is ultimately driven by the customers that walk in the shop and helping them find exactly what they’re looking for. The vast majority of the rest of my time is spent researching and cataloguing the high end material that comes in the shop.
Favorite rare book (or ephemera) that you’ve handled?
This is a tough one. There are so many. However, the book that has made the most impact on me was a signed association, first edition copy of Bambi. While not the most rare or valuable book that I’ve handled, it was the one that at the earliest moment in being in the rare book trade taught me to research, catalogue, and really sparked the joy of what the rare book trade could hold for me.
What do you personally collect?
My wife and I together collect G.K. Chesterton. In the same vein, I collect influential Christian theological fiction writers (Tolkien, Lewis, Barfield, Williams, MacDonald, etc.). I also collect 60s-70s paperback box sets, mainly of science fiction and fantasy. Lastly, as a lover of pipes and cigars, I have a small collection of books on pipes and tobacco.
What do you like to do outside of work?
Most of what I love to do outside of work is play with my daughter. We love to draw, play soccer, and sing and dance––along with a lot of other silly games. When not with my daughter I, of course, love to read and write. I also play and coach soccer.
Thoughts on the present state and/or future of the rare book trade?
We’re encouraged. We constantly have young readers and collectors diving into the analog world or books and book collecting. We believe that the book trade is alive and well. Young collectors are creative, passionate, and curious. And we’re here for it!
Any upcoming fairs or catalogs?
We will be exhibiting at our regional fair here in Denver, August 17th-18. We will also be releasing a catalogue this Fall with a focus on natural history and paleontology from the 16th-19th centuries from a collection that we recently purchased.
