The Bookshop For Boys & Girls
It does not seem possible that there can be any profession with greater satisfactions, a higher daily excitement or a more vital sense of the surging tides of life than that of a bookman in a bookshop.
— Bertha Mahony, qtd. in Ross, 1973.
The Bookshop for Boys & Girls opened in the beginning of October, 1916. It originally displayed only children’s literature of various kinds. The bookshop held all kinds of children's programs, including reading contests. In 1917, Mahony published Books for boys and girls: suggestive purchase list, another first of its kind. In the summer of 1920, Mahony reached out to the community and started the first-ever traveling bookshop. The Book Caravan was a branch of The Bookshop for Boys & Girls, which traveled all around New England. However, it was not able to turn a profit and was disbanded shortly thereafter, despite Mahony’s pleas to her backers.
The Bookshop for Boys & Girls was also given a second look due to profit. In 1921, the bookshop moved down the street into a larger area. The wrap-around balcony displayed children’s books, while the ground floor contained adult literature. The new sign read ‘The Bookshop for Boys and Girls--With Books on Many Subjects for Grown-Ups.’ The hope was to bring children in by adding an adult presence.
Read more about this topic: Bertha Mahony
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