B Street Books' Genevieve McNutt on Margaret Oliphant, Tauchnitz Editions, and CABS

Our Bright Young Booksellers series continues today with Genevieve (Gena) McNutt of B Street Books in San Mateo, California:

How did you get started in rare books?

I completed a PhD in English Literature at the University of Edinburgh, when the combination of the pandemic and the end of my student visa led to me returning home to San Mateo, and left me at a loose end. Lewis Cohen had begun B Street Books in downtown San Mateo 15 years previously, combining an established general used bookstore with a growing antiquarian trade and an online catalog, and was looking for someone who could be trained to help with research and cataloging. 

My research had focused on the work of the antiquary Joseph Ritson, who edited and published collections of medieval romances, Robin Hood ballads, songs and poetry at the end of the 18th century, touching on both the materiality of the early print and manuscript culture he studied and the challenges of printing and publishing in his own period. This gave me some background to begin. A wonderfully eclectic range of books come in to B Street Books, and I'm always learning something new. One day I'm counting the plates in a 17th century treatise on witchcraft, the next I'm looking at recent science fiction, the next I'm tracking down a bibliography that will help make sense of a collection.

Recently we came to the end of our lease, and secured a new location in nearby Burlingame. The move has consumed the past month, but we should be re-opening shortly.

What is your role at B Street Books?

I generally do a bit of everything, focusing on research and cataloging.  

What do you love about the book trade?

The books, and the people. I've been continuously impressed by the knowledge and expertise by the members of the book trade, and their generosity in sharing that expertise. Lew has given me a great deal of support. Attending CABS last summer was a wonderful experience. 

Describe a typical day for you:

The demands of the retail store impose a rhythm upon the week, with portions of the day spent behind the register or answering the phone. Five days a week we have book buying appointments scheduled, and it is often a surprise what walks in the door. I am generally doing research on possible purchases, cataloging and photographing new material, and shipping online orders. 

One challenging aspect of the move is that for 16 years books and ephemera that might be interesting have been accumulating in the basement to be looked up at a later date. I've managed to consolidate it into an enormous pile of boxes that have been moved to the new space, and I anticipate that any spare moment will be spent pulling a box from the stack to investigate. I'm excited!