Only Signed Books Sold Here
Is there a bookstore that doesn’t carry a Hemingway title? Yes, there is, and the reason might surprise you. It carries only signed first editions. The Alabama Booksmith in Birmingham is the only brick-and-mortar bookstore in the world where every book is a hardback signed by the author. (As a word of caution, they don’t do book repairs as the name might suggest!) It was a risky business model, but it has worked for 35 years!
Inspired by his son, who ran a used bookstore in San Francisco, and now has a thriving full-service operation in Atlanta, Jake Reiss, who ran a successful tailoring business, started his own bookstore in 1990 when he was in his fifties. Initially called Highland Booksmith, it sold a variety of used, new, and signed books. And Jake found that the signed books sold much faster than the rest of his inventory. So, in 1999, he took a bold step: he moved from the first floor of an apartment building to a new location, reduced his inventory by 95 per cent, and sold only new hardbacks signed by the authors. Though 99 per cent of readers don’t care whether the book is signed, hardback, or collectible, the ones who do he calls the ‘crazy book people’. The bookshop’s focus and niche caused sales to increase and attracted customers from all 50 states in the US.
Jake says, “Signed books serve two purposes – you can read the book, but after it is read, it may increase in value and pay for your child’s college if it becomes a collectable!” What makes The Alabama Booksmith even more special is that the books are sold at the publisher’s price, except for a few collectable ones. He boasts an eclectic ‘Signed First Edition Club’ with members in all parts of the United States. “I often have to get on my knees and beg our publisher to send signed books since the numbers are limited.” Most of the books are signed by the authors in the bookstore, and most find online buyers. The first time I shopped online from The Alabama Booksmith, I bought books worth $100, and the second time, around $800. Inside the store, every book is displayed face-out on the shelves, so you can see them properly.
Jake has a special place for local authors, and his bestselling books are from Pulitzer Prize winner Rick Bragg, who has launched all his books at this bookstore and who wrote a beautiful piece about it in his book My Bookstore. The most famous resident of Alabama was the reclusive author of To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee. Rick Bragg has written a tribute for Go Set A Watchman, a collectable edition that costs $250. Another book associated with Lee is The Mockingbird Next Door: Life with Harper Lee, a delightful account of the two years Marja Mills spent living in Monroeville, Alabama, as Lee’s neighbour.
Some special books, like one signed by Paul McCartney, cost around $10,000, and a special signed edition of The Racketeer by John Grisham costs $250. The book I value the most is a special signed copy (limited to 500 copies) of Forrest Gump by Winston Groom. Another famous local is the late naturalist and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner EO Wilson. When I asked the 89-year-old Jake about the most interesting aspect of the many authors he has hosted, his response was, “They are all kind, gracious, and thoughtful. The bigger they are – the national prize winners, the Pulitzer Prize winners – the nicer they are!” When I asked him who his favourite author was, he said, “It is always the one who is coming next.”
When Jake saw the vast collection of books in my home office over a video call, he excitedly cried, “You are the crazy book person!” When I complained about the lack of space for my books, he said, “Get rid of the furniture, the refrigerator and the dishwasher.”
(The writer’s views are personal)