[Arukashira Shoten] Shinsuke Yoshitake (Poplar Publishing)
If there is one type of book I can't resist, it’s a book about books. I enjoy books filled with book reviews, of course, and I also enjoy humorous books about books such as 90 Classic Books for People in a Hurry by Henrik Lange.
Then along comes this book, a comic essay about a particular bookstore which is located on the edge of town. The title translates to Do You Have This Bookstore. Customers of all ages come in and ask the manager if the store if he has a book on "_____" He answers "Of course" and disappears into the back of the shop to bring out a few titles that might interest the them.
The customers ask, "Do you have some interesting rare books?" and the owner/manager disappears and bring back titles such as How to Raise a Writer's Tree. The book explains that first you must put a seed in one of your favorite books and bury it in the ground. You must read to the planted book tree every day. At the end of the year, the tree will sprout books. If you raise the book tree properly, a great book is sure to ripen. However, if you praise one book more than the others, the tree will have a high chance of dying.
Any book lover will enjoy the books about working with books. One of my favorite chapters featured books with titles like A Day at the Charisma Bookseller's Training School or Investigator of the History of All the Books that Have Been Read. The titles and summaries are humorous and will make you think about what kind of book you would be looking for at this store. There are so many other fun and unusual books carried in this shop that I truly wish there were a store like this in the real world. However, there is one type of book that the store does not carry. But that's something I can't tell you. You will have to find out for yourself. ~by Ernie Hoyt
(Available in Japanese text only)
「あるかしら書店」ヨシタケシンスケ （ポプラ社）
長年本屋で勤めた私はどうしても本にまつわるはなしが気になる。それはブックレビューの特集や、本屋と図書館の写真集。この間職場の近くの書店に行ったら凄い気になる本が見つかりました。子供も大人も楽しめる一冊のコミックエッセイ。ポプラ社が出版した「あるかしら書店」。著者はヨシタケシンスケ。
町のはずれにある書店のはなし。この店は”本にまつわる本”の専門店。毎日の様にいろんなお客様が来店し、「○○についての本って、あるかしら？」と聞きます。店主がたいてい、「ありますよ！」と答え、店の奥からお客様希望の本を出してくれます。たとえば、”ちょっとめずらしい本”とか”本にまつわる道具”や、”本にまつわる仕事”等。
一冊のちょっとめずらしい本を紹介します。店主が出したのは『「作家の木」の育て方』。本によると①好きな本の間にたねをはさんで土に埋めます。②毎日いろんな本を読みきかせて大事に育ってます。③毎年「読書の秋」になると本が実ります。④とても手間がかかりますが、上手に世話するといい本ができます。⑤注意することは他の本をほめるとスネて実をつけなくなる。
自分も一番面白いと思ったのは「本の仕事にまつわる本」。特に気にったのは”読書履歴捜査官”と”カリスマ書店員養成所の１日”。本の説明とイラストがユーモラスで可愛いく描かれてる。こういう書店実際に存在してたら嬉しいな。でも一つだけ答えられない本がありますが、それはこの一冊を読んで、自分で調べるべきです！