About the Author

Oliver Darkshire is 28, and his life as a struggling bookseller and writer is exactly what his careers instructor warned him would happen if he didn't pay attention. He lives in Manchester with his husband and a house full of books he actively tried not to collect.

Reviews

Seeking a Christmas present for that bibliophilic relative who has seemingly read everything? It's right here.
*Financial Times*

Peculiarly hilarious and/or hilariously peculiar!
*William Gibson*

An enchanting billet-doux to an arcane and eccentric world. Every page is a pleasure.
*Lindsey Fitzharris, bestselling author of The Facemaker*

A wonderful, eccentric love letter to books and the people who love them... A must read for anyone who has ever lost a few hours in a second hand bookshop or been tutted at by a strangely dressed proprietor.
*Fergus Butler-Gallie, bestselling author of A Field Guide to the English Clergy*

Utterly charming
*Tom Holland, bestselling author of Dominion*

Darkshire is an exciting new voice brimming with self-effacing charm. If you consider yourself a book aficionado, this is your Coachella.
*Caitlin Doughty, author of Smoke Gets in Your Eyes*

I love bookseller memoirs, and this is a laugh-out-loud exemplar... A very entertaining journey into the dimly lit heart of rare bookselling.
*Garth Nix, award-winning author of The Left-Handed Booksellers of London*

Sirs, thank you for your extremely entertaining book, which I have enjoyed most heartily. The anecdotes about the bookselling profession were as enlightening as they were amusing. Unfortunately I have mislaid the book in question as there are honestly too many books here. I mean, they're everywhere. Teetering piles of the things. If ever I see it again I'll try and say something nice about it, but by then it will undoubtedly be too late. Yours apologetically,
*Neil Gaiman*

A book lover's delight
*Irish Examiner*

He writes very engagingly and extremely honestly... His sardonic wit runs through the book in a similar fashion to Shaun Bythell... But here there's more of a mischievous Terry Pratchett tone... Uproariously funny
*Fine Books Magazine*

Beneath the bemusement and occasionally explosive irritation, there is a very kindly book here, about unlikely friendships and little epiphanies.
*The Scotsman*

Once Upon A Tome is an utter treat for those of us who prefer books and reading to any other activity - the oddballs and obsessives who, like waggish Oliver Darkshire, never easily mixed with other children at school; who loathed compulsory games and sport; who have never 'texted' or 'tweeted'; and who require a lot of floor space, 'an indecent amount of square footage', to house our ever-expanding hoard.
*Daily Mail*

With its mixture of exaggerated misanthropy and eloquent surrealism, Once Upon a Tome calls to mind the cult television sitcom Black Books, albeit with more emphasis on matters of genuine interest to bibliophiles.
*Times Literary Supplement*

Mr. Darkshire is a witty observer .... All of this-the craft and customs of an esoteric enterprise; the delights and irritations of buying and selling-is conveyed in charming short chapters with titles like "Kerfuffles," and in a prim tone perfectly suited to Mr. Darkshire's subject.
*Wall Street Journal*