Issues → July/August 2008 → Features → 25 People You Must Meet This Summer! →
Ken Gloss, Antiquarian Bookseller, Boston, Massachusetts
by Mel Allen
Credit: Carl Tremblay
Family lore has it that Ken Gloss's first spoken word was "book." How could it be otherwise? His father, George Gloss, made the Brattle Book Shop, in business since 1825, a local landmark. But Ken has put his own stamp on the place, too. With his frequent appearances on Antiques Roadshow, he's today's most recognizable authority on used and rare books. While inside the three-story building the Brattle's shelves groan with books, outside tables are packed with thousands more, and people spend hours searching for special bargains. I once asked Ken's wife, Joyce Kosofsky, what his father would say if he could see the Brattle now. "His chest would swell," she says. "'My son!'"
Brattle Book Shop, 9 West St. 800-447-9595, 617-542-0210.
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