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Abstract
New York-based Brentano's Bookstore (1850-1996) demonstrated growth and resilience when the economy or their business went up or down, but Brentano's never adopted the deep discounting that became a modus operandi for American booksellers and book clubs from the 1930s onwards and especially after World War II. Resistance to deep discounting spelled doom for Brentano's, particularly when Barnes and Noble became a competitor in the 1980s. Over many decades, Brentano's experimented successfully with innovative retailing techniques, including bookstores on ocean liners plying Atlantic routes, serving upscale, multi-lingual, international readers. The on-land bookstore chain, in several cities, peaked at 28 stores in the 1980s and was known for its well read, impeccably dressed, courteous staff, setting a model of effective handselling. Tension between appealing to rarefied tastes of elite consumers vs. meeting practical demands of ordinary shoppers manifested in Brentano's bookselling tactics. Conglomeration in US publishing eventually dissolved Brentano's publishing operation as well.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]