A modern take on a rare book seller (set in Ecuador)

The Bookseller

Peter Briscoe

Former academic library administrator at the University of California, Riverside. Specialized in collection development, acquisitions, rare books and manuscripts.

SOME MEN STEAL BOOKS WHILE OTHERS WONDER WHY THEY BOTHER. A theft of rare books in a distant Ecuadorian library cannot be solved without uncovering the motives of the perpetrators. Some steal to eat, others, oddly, to save the past, vanishing as the world rushes into a digital, post-literate future. Four intriguing stories of men and women living literately, on journeys of the mind.

People who enjoy literature, people interested in the world of books, libraries, book selling, book collecting. While solving a crime provides a framework for the main story, it's not a crime novel per se. It considers the library as idea, the conflict of print and digital culture, the decline of reading, and delves into the personalities of librarians, rare book dealers, scholars and scientists. People interested in Latin America would also probably like this book.

Paperback

I used Vellum to design the book's interior (their Meridian style using Palatino as the body font). 5 x 8 format. 76 pages. I would like a clean looking cover, no hokey antique or quaint look. Not cluttered. Could tend toward abstract and modern. Should include an image of books, and possibly in background a hint of the Andes (as the main story is set in Ecuador). I do not want my name as author set in tiny type. It should be clearly readable at a glance. The draft cover I am attaching contains an image I rather like but am not committed to. The book on display with the title "Vocabularium Bibliothecarii" adumbrates much of the story. I WOULD PREFER THAT AT LEAST ONE DESIGN OPTION USES MY DRAFT BUT MAKES IT LOOK GREAT WITH COLOR, ETC. However I am completely open to other images and styles. I will be very interested in the color scheme your designers come up with.

No stock imagery, unless it's outstanding and rarely used. No pictorial clichés. One of my other books has a beautiful royal purple cover, but I would prefer not using it here. Blue or yellow, maybe a little red or orange. Font must be the same or quite compatible with Palatino.