Film Forum

D.W. Young’s elegant and absorbing documentary is a lively tour of New York’s book world, populated by an assortment of obsessives, intellects, eccentrics and dreamers, past and present: from the Park Avenue Armory’s annual Antiquarian Book Fair, where original editions can fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars; to the Strand and Argosy bookstores, still standing against all odds; to the beautifully crammed apartments of collectors and buyers. The film, executive produced by Parker Posey, features a range of commentators, including Fran Lebowitz, Susan Orlean, Gay Talese, and a community of dedicated book dealers and collectors who strongly believe in the wonder of the object and what it holds within.

USA    2019    99 MIN.    GREENWICH ENTERTAINMENT

Reviews

“Charming.”
– Jennifer Szalai, The New York Times

“Plunges viewers into this world via the passionate, eclectic, undersung people who make it all hum: the booksellers.”
– Jennifer Schuessler, The New York Times
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“Lovely and wistful… THE BOOKSELLERS is a documentary for anyone who can still look at a book and see a dream, a magic teleportation device, an object that contains the world.”
– Owen Gleiberman, Variety

“A treat for anyone who appreciates the printed word… will be enjoyed by anyone who's ever happily spent hours wandering through bookstores with no specific goal in mind. Provides an evocative portrait of a way of life that is hopefully not completely vanishing anytime soon.”
– Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter