Receipts From the Bookshop
A Bookseller's Year
Published on 4. June 2026
Book
Hardback
304 pages
978-1-3996-2950-8 (ISBN)
Description
'ABSOLUTE HEAVEN' INDIA KNIGHT
'WARM AND UPLIFTING' AJ PEARCE
'THE PERFECT ANTIDOTE TO THE WORLD RIGHT NOW' JENNIE GODFREY
Many of us dream of owning a bookshop, but for Katie Clapham it happened by accident, when she moved back to the seaside town she grew up in and went into business with her mum.
Once a week, Katie sits behind the counter and chronicles the day's comings and goings - mostly people who were actually hoping to catch her mother. The triumphs here are small but hard won: a tea crisis averted, a book title correctly identified from a cryptic clutch of clues. Not to mention the emotional rollercoaster of being named the Seventh-Best Bookshop in the Country by The Times on a day where takings came to around GBP16.98.
Customers appear for a browse and a chat, in search of a recommendation or the perfect gift. Others enter the shop for more unexpected reasons ? to borrow a screwdriver, locate a priest or simply to ask if there's 'a nice place for an omelette around here'. Each day brings its own joys and frustrations, though not always in equal measure . . .
Funny, surprising and affectionate, here is a bookseller's year in all its weirdness and wonder - a life-affirming celebration of bad weather, good books and the irreplaceable role of a local bookshop.
'WARM AND UPLIFTING' AJ PEARCE
'THE PERFECT ANTIDOTE TO THE WORLD RIGHT NOW' JENNIE GODFREY
Many of us dream of owning a bookshop, but for Katie Clapham it happened by accident, when she moved back to the seaside town she grew up in and went into business with her mum.
Once a week, Katie sits behind the counter and chronicles the day's comings and goings - mostly people who were actually hoping to catch her mother. The triumphs here are small but hard won: a tea crisis averted, a book title correctly identified from a cryptic clutch of clues. Not to mention the emotional rollercoaster of being named the Seventh-Best Bookshop in the Country by The Times on a day where takings came to around GBP16.98.
Customers appear for a browse and a chat, in search of a recommendation or the perfect gift. Others enter the shop for more unexpected reasons ? to borrow a screwdriver, locate a priest or simply to ask if there's 'a nice place for an omelette around here'. Each day brings its own joys and frustrations, though not always in equal measure . . .
Funny, surprising and affectionate, here is a bookseller's year in all its weirdness and wonder - a life-affirming celebration of bad weather, good books and the irreplaceable role of a local bookshop.
Reviews / Votes
Receipts from the Bookshop is the book I didn't know I needed. The perfect antidote to the world right now. Warm, funny, sharply observed and captures the magic of bookshops perfectly. From one bookseller to another, thank you! I loved it -- Jennie Godfrey Katie's lovely, warm-hearted book is a celebration of the books that adorn the shelves of her inviting shop and its loyal customers. -- Eithne Farry * THE SIMPLE THINGS *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Orion Publishing Co
Product notice
Trade binding
Dimensions
Height: 218 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 26 mm
Weight
386 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-3996-2950-8 (9781399629508)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
06/2026
Phoenix
€11.99
Available for download
Person
Katie Clapham is the co-founder, with her mother, of independent bookshop Storytellers, Inc. She was named a Bookseller Rising Star in 2011 and Young Bookseller of the Year in 2012, and Storytellers, Inc. has been nominated for Bookseller industry awards seven times. Katie is also the author of several books for children and young adults. She lives in Lytham St. Annes with her family.