August 2017 | Rebecca Rego Barry

A Subscription Service ... "For the Booknerd"

jane stack.jpgWe've written about First Editions Clubs for hypermodern collectors (e.g. in Brooklyn, and in Raleigh, NC), but here's a plot twist: a subscription service geared toward readers with a serious case of bibliophilia. Page 1 Books, a family-run book selection service, offers a 3-, 6-, or 12-month subscription called "For the Booknerd" featuring our favorite category: books about books. So what's inside each hand-picked package? "I like to provide a combination of what I call new hits and deep cuts," said founder Brandy O'Briant. "There is a variety of titles from classics like 84 Charing Cross Road to more recent like The Book of Speculation, and everything in between."   

O'Briant, who currently works from Evanston, Illinois, calls her business Page 1 Books in "homage" to the independent bookstore she visited as a child in Corpus Christi, Texas. She said she hopes to have a storefront location one day. As a passionate and cross-genre reader, O'Briant would often be asked for recommendations. That sparked the idea for Page 1. "The concept for Page 1 was to combine that warm, friendly, feeling of an indie bookstore with a proprietor whose recommendations you trust with the convenience of a regular delivery personalized to your tastes. We like to say, 'You are more than an algorithm,'" she said.  

packaging.jpgWorried about having to return a book? Don't be. O'Briant explained, "We don't ever expect anyone to send a book back. If they dislike it, or already have read it, we ask they pass it along and we will send a replacement ASAP. We think sharing books is good karma!"

Page 1 offers several other genre subscriptions as well. Check them out at https://page1books.com/collections/all.

Images courtesy of Page 1 Books