Booksellers

A former bookseller at London’s largest Arabic bookshop, which closed at the end of 2022, has set up a crowdfunding appeal to launch a new bookshop and community space.Al Saqi Books in Bayswater opened in 1978, and sold books on the Middle East and north Africa in English, and on all subjects in Arabic. It closed on 31 December, with bookshop director Salwa Gaspard saying it was a “difficult decision that had to be made because of recent economic challenges, such as the sharp increases in Arabic-language book prices”.The…

Prince Harry’s forthcoming memoir, Spare, is unlikely to be championed by independent bookshops because of how heavily it has been discounted by larger retailers, according to booksellers.Spare will be published on 10 January by Penguin Random House, with the recommended retail price set at £28. However, it is already being offered at a discount by Waterstones, Foyles and Amazon, all of which are selling it for £14. Even at preorder stage, the book is in the Top 10 in Amazon’s bestsellers list.Amanda Truman from Truman…

This custom Super73 makes me want to tongue-kiss an eagle.Super73’s tribute to mountain-biking pioneer Tom Ritchey has my inner American engorged with flag-waving desire. The “ZX Team” edition features a red, white, and blue colorway with custom components fitted throughout. Modern MTBers might scoff at the idea of doing any serious trail riding on a heavy Super73 e-bike, which is fine: this one-off is not for sale. You can, however, buy the Super73 ZX it’s based on (read my review here), which proved to be a very capable…

The founder of Books Are Fun is moving on to the next chapter. Earl Kaplan and his wife Lily sold their Boulder home at 770 Circle Drive for $6.1 million last month, according to MLS, earning the top spot on BusinessDen’s July top home sales list. Kaplan started Books Are Fun, which sells books and merchandise through temporary displays in schools and businesses, in his home in Iowa in 1990. In 1999, he sold the business to Reader’s Digest for $380 million, according to previous coverage. In 2005, when his non-compete…