Friday, January 26, 2007  Bookseller Mnemonics  All right,
enough of this easing into the new year. It's nearly February.
Robert Gray writes an article for Shelf Awareness about the
strange kind of free-association booksellers have to hone when
finding books for customers.  You must be able to play "the
game" to work in a bookshop, and here's the first rule: When a
customer has a specific title request, assume (but never let the
customer know you assume) that the information provided is
flawed. In any three-word title, at least one word will be
incorrect; sometimes two; sometimes all three. I've heard titles
that were close (Snow on Shingles for Snow Falling on Cedars)
and not so close (Peggy Sue and the House of Hair for Patty
Jane's House of Curl).  It's one of those skills that sets good
booksellers apart from great booksellers. It's not a matter of
figuring out the right title in the blink of an eye, or even
getting it right every time, but being willing to give it a shot
in the first place.  When you're