John Smith’s: historical perspectives and historical precedence.

Abstract

This companion piece to ‘Bespoke Bookselling for the twenty-first century: John Smith’s and current UK higher education’ (also in this issue of Book 2.0) provides a historical narrative of the bookshop chain John Smith’s. From its emergence in Glasgow in the 1750s, through its negotiation of the Net Book Agreement around 1900 and its strategies for survival and growth after the agreement’s collapse in the digital era, the article provides the only comprehensive history of this unique book retail business up to the present day. What is apparent is that its current diverse business model has a clear historical precedence. Their business involvements have included publishing, circulating libraries, library and learning material supply, creation of cultural events, transitioning from local to global and, especially, cooperation with higher education. John Smith’s is a perfect example of how bookselling was and is far more than simply the activity of selling books