The Paperback Guy

Words from the Sidewalk

by Kurt Brokaw

"Manhattan's street seller of vintage pulp." Kiwai Media, Paris. 2020. Trade sized paperback. 88 pages.

This is the review I posted on Amazon.com:

I've always collected books. As a retired airline pilot, I've visited used bookstores nestled in the four corners of the U.S., and everywhere in between. Most of them are gone now, of course. To Kurt, I was just another visitor to NYC, but I certainly remember him (from his cover photo); and I remember talking to him (and a very few others who displayed their fascinating collectible wares on the busy sidewalks).

This book is a captivating collection of thoughts and observations, not only from a bookseller's point of view about the business and the people he has met, but also from the perspective of a scholarly expert. The numerous books he discusses are accompanied by color cover illustrations, and his history of those volumes is accurate, astute and captivating.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys reading or collecting vintage paperback books and pulps, or for anyone with an interest in the culture and literary history of New York.