NAHANT — Kenneth Gloss, proprietor of the Brattle Book Shop in Boston’s Downtown Crossing and frequent book appraiser on PBS’s Antiques Roadshow, will be giving a virtual presentation via Zoom for the Nahant Public Library Thursday at 6:30 pm.
The topic of the presentation will be the value of old books and how they increase in worth. Gloss will discuss some of his favorite books that are part of his collection and will also offer suggestions for those interested in starting their own.
There will be a question-and-answer session before the end of the discussion and a free verbal book appraisal from Gloss himself.
Gloss says that one of the reasons he wants to visit libraries is that he loves to tell stories to visitors. He says that whenever he wishes to discuss a certain book or manuscript, he would extract a word or phrase from them and describe its importance.
“One of the things I like to do at these talks is telling stories,” Gloss said. “I don’t collect a lot of books anymore, but I have 10-15 pages tacked onto a wall with words and phrases on them from writings that I can tell stories about.”
His reason for picking Nahant was because of the town’s historical significance as one of the first tourist attractions in the United States. Gloss also teases that he will bring in old manuscripts of The Bill of Rights and Paul Revere’s Ride.
When asked about what sort of message he wished to convey to listeners, Gloss simply said, “I want them to know that books are cool.”
Gloss’s family has owned the centuries-old Brattle Book Shop since 1949, and he began working full-time in 1973. He attended Boston Latin School and graduated from the University of Massachusetts – Amherst. In addition to being the proprietor of the shop, Gloss sits on the Associate Board of the Boston Public Library and has made appearances on PBS’s Antiques Roadshow, where he appraises books for their value.
During the first three months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gloss said it was challenging to maintain a steady business. He managed to sell books online and said he still ran the store during all hours of operation. According to Gloss, customers and tourists are slowly returning to the store this year.
Gloss says that he wants to continue to hold these events, eventually doing them in person once again.
“I used to be talking and doing these events live,” Gloss said. “I love it, but right now the world is what it is.”
To watch Gloss speak at the Nahant library, go to https://teamup.com/event/show/id/CGx9UqqYiroTipbvbRksWx2TpVMHr8 for information regarding the Zoom meeting info.
