The Brattle Book Shop in its current form began when owner Ken Gloss’ parents put down $500 to purchase a then-failing bookstore in the heart of Boston shortly after they were married in 1949.
Nearly five decades later, the book shop – though having moved several times – has found a permanent home in the Downtown Crossing area of the city, and having opened in 1825 is the oldest continually operating bookstore in the nation.
Gloss, who is also a regular contributing appraiser with the popular PBS television program “Antiques Road Show,” will visit the Nantucket Atheneum Sunday for a lecture entitled “Treasures in Your Attic: Old and Rare Books,” where he will share some of his experiences in the used and rare book trade over the years and give free assessments of audience members’ own books in a session afterward.
Named for the street on which it was originally founded in 1825, the Brattle Book Shop has operated in seven different locations over the years, and even burned to the ground once. More
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