288:. She first conceptualised The Second Shelf in 2014. In particular, she was inspired to create it when she felt there was special emphasis on men's literature among book fairs, sellers, and collectors. Devers commented, "I loved the books and was captivated by the trade, but sometimes I'd read a beautiful auction catalogue and there wouldn't be a single book by or about a woman So I had this whimsical idea that if I were a rare-book dealer, I would sell books by women."
237:: this includes "work by LGBTQ+ women, women from outside Europe and North America, and women of colour." Among their stock, they attempt to provide books that are affordable for people with a low budget. Describing the catalogue in 2019, the shop's founder stated: "The prices on rare books command a certain amount of seriousness, but we have books from ÂŁ6 ÂŁ20,000 with everything in between. The ÂŁ20,000 book is
353:. They shifted to a more online-focused business model for the time being, with the brick-and-mortar location used as "basically an online shipping and receiving area". As of October 2021, the shop was planning to relocate due in part to the lack of space.
338:. A letter signed by over 1,500 individuals in the literary industry was published by The Second Shelf in September 2020, intended as "a message of love and solidarity for the trans and
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The Second Shelf has since sold to museums and libraries seeking women's literature to diversify their collections. The shop was named "Indie
Bookstore of the Month" by
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for March 2020. Since its founding, the shop has initiated campaigns supportive of the transgender community: In 2020, they donated proceeds from sales of
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The magazine was launched in spring 2018. It "showcases photographs of rare books, in addition to essays, poems, interviews, and profiles by women".
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311:, Devers received a discounted leasing offer for physical shop space. The Second Shelf obtained some of its initial funding through a 2018
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The shop's owner described it as a "fashion magazine for books to read in your tub." Some contributors to the magazine have included
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campaign, which yielded about ÂŁ32,000. The bookshop opened on
November 20, 2018. Shortly after opening, the bookshop
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1302:"This bookshop is making a donation to trans children's charity Mermaids every time they sell a JK Rowling book"
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198:. Some few books sold are written by men, about women. Examples of authors featured by the shop include
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with an accompanying online storefront. Though the shop was originally conceptualised as merely an
755:
Women's
Periodicals and Print Culture in Britain, 1940s-2000s: The Postwar and Contemporary Period
458:
590:
234:
230:
187:
1354:"Letter Opposing J.K. Rowling's Transphobia Signed by More Than 1,500 Publishing Professionals"
1245:
1276:"'It was devastating – no-one was in central London': how do you sell rare books in lockdown?"
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131:
1380:"More than 200 writers and publishers sign letter in support of trans and non-binary people"
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1328:"Feminist bookstore will donate to Mermaids whenever someone buys a JK Rowling book"
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139:
979:"A Fresh Crop Of Feminist Bookshops Is Transforming London's Literary Landscape"
233:, "in its stock and perspective". As such, they take efforts to stock works by
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1462:"Balance the books: one woman's fight to keep great female writers on shelves"
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863:"Why an arts journalist became a rare books dealer of female-authored works"
649:"With The Second Shelf, Women Writers—And Collectors—Finally Get Their Due"
273:
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248:
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143:
1529:"Die Londoner Buchhandlung "The Second shelf" – Seltene Bücher von Frauen"
728:"The Second Shelf: A Tiny Bookshop Tucked Away In A Secret Soho Courtyard"
564:"Shelf Love: How A.N. Devers Created a Feminist Paradise for Bibliophiles"
284:
A. N. Devers, the founder and owner of the shop, had previously worked at
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women's literature they view as undervalued. Many books in the shop are
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316:
1406:""It was emotional": booksellers celebrate the reopening of bookshops"
703:["We don't deserve to be at the bottom of the bookshelves"].
300:
1191:"Q&A: Alumna's New Rare Book Business Focuses on Female Authors"
620:"Inside the Bookstore That Wants to Gender-Balance Our Bookshelves"
183:
30:
1575:
1531:[The Second Shelf London Bookshop - Rare Books by Women].
102:
1008:"This London bookshop specialises in rare books by women writers"
1509:"Feminist bookstore in London aims to redress gender imbalance"
127:
66:
889:"Art Books Dispatches from the Brooklyn Antiquarian Book Fair"
701:""Wir verdienen nicht, in den BĂĽcherregalen unten zu stehen""
428:"Second Shelf campaign helps Peters to bumper Bookshop sales"
123:
57:
949:"Una segunda oportunidad para los libros raros de mujeres"
499:"Second Shelf: the shop unearthing rare books by women"
1094:"The Second Shelf, Rare Books, and Women's Literature"
459:"The Cause: 'Why I'm putting women back on the shelf'"
421:
419:
142:. The name "The Second Shelf" comes from the title of
1218:"How This Book Dealer is Fighting for Female Authors"
1552:[Female authors are in the front row here].
342:
community." In 2021, they ran a campaign to promote
174:
The bookshop specialises in rare, rediscovered, and
416:
1128:"The Bookstore That Became the Face of a Movement"
951:[A Second Chance for Rare Women's Books].
1582:
1246:"The Second Shelf - Indie Bookshop of the Month"
918:"The triumphant return of the feminist bookshop"
782:Why Women Read Fiction: The Stories of Our Lives
591:""The Second Shelf" Is Fighting Literary Sexism"
562:Potts, Dianca London Potts (21 February 2019).
260:The Second Shelf: Rare Books and Words by Women
1535:(in German). SĂĽdwestrundfunk. 29 November 2019
1403:
186:related to women's literature, as well as the
182:written by women. They also sell objects and
1550:"Hier stehen Autorinnen in der ersten Reihe"
837:"Sylvia Plath's kilt is on sale for ÂŁ12,500"
1591:Independent bookshops of the United Kingdom
1216:Stoodley, Sheila Gibson (23 October 2018).
1601:Bookstores established in the 21st century
758:. Edinburgh University Press. p. 38.
1611:2018 establishments in the United Kingdom
1351:
303:— The Second Shelf launched in 2017 as a
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811:"Bright Young Booksellers: A. N. Devers"
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785:. Oxford University Press. p. 231.
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456:
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349:The shop was negatively impacted by the
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1404:Peirson-Hagger, Ellen (14 April 2021).
1299:
1100:. Society for U.S. Intellectual History
1068:"The Rare Women in the Rare-Book Trade"
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299:location, the shop staff sold books at
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752:Forster, Laurel (21 September 2020).
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534:"New feminist bookshop opens in Soho"
509:from the original on 3 September 2022
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258:The shop publishes a magazine called
130:with a focus on rare or rediscovered
887:Liberty, Megan N. (September 2019).
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861:Hampson, Laura (2 September 2018).
835:Rodgers, Daniel (28 October 2021).
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1154:"Who Bought Sylvia Plath's Stuff?"
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469:from the original on 21 April 2022
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1352:Mackelden, Amy (3 October 2020).
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1300:Parsons, Vic (13 February 2020).
779:Taylor, Helen (5 December 2019).
699:Haeming, Anne (9 November 2019).
647:Aylmer, Olivia (2 October 2018).
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457:Finnigan, Kate (1 October 2020).
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229:The Second Shelf is aligned with
1430:Smith, Robbie (1 October 2021).
1189:Newman, Caroline (5 June 2018).
947:Rosete, Erika (20 August 2020).
674:"March 8, 2019: Full Transcript"
497:Browne, Malika (13 March 2020).
1480:Wolitzer, Meg (30 March 2012).
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295:in 2016. Prior to opening as a
1486:The New York Times Book Review
1152:Bolick, Kate (21 April 2018).
1098:U.S. Intellectual History Blog
1006:McCabe, Katie (5 March 2019).
977:Lister, Kat (10 August 2019).
618:Nugent, Ciara (5 March 2019).
582:
397:Ashby, Chloë (22 April 2019).
169:
149:The New York Times Book Review
134:. It was founded in 2018 as a
1:
1460:Devers, A. N. (18 May 2018).
426:Chandler, Mark (4 May 2021).
378:
1250:Damian Barr's Literary Salon
1197:. The University of Virginia
1066:Mehta, Diane (5 July 2018).
1046:Poets & Writers Magazine
324:Damian Barr's Literary Salon
291:Devers moved to London from
7:
809:Pedersen, Nate (May 2018).
399:"The Second Shelf Bookshop"
356:
10:
1627:
279:
247:. It's got her signature:
16:Women's bookshop in London
373:Gay's the Word (bookshop)
368:Bluestockings (bookstore)
241:'s best friend's copy of
138:. It also operates as an
97:
89:
79:
52:
44:
36:
26:
589:Shepherd, Katie (2018).
235:underrepresented groups
231:intersectional feminism
156:. It is a reference to
85:1 (September 2022)
1554:Deutschlandfunk Kultur
678:Amanpour & Company
244:Sense and Sensibility
152:about sexism towards
1513:Agence France-Presse
1436:The Evening Standard
1040:Rosen, Lynn (2019).
867:The Evening Standard
272:, Lucy Scholes, and
255:'s skirt for sale."
120:independent bookshop
1596:Feminist bookstores
1280:The Daily Telegraph
815:Fine Books Magazine
463:The Financial Times
81:Number of locations
63:City of Westminster
23:
1482:"The Second Shelf"
1432:"Londoner's Diary"
1158:The New York Times
1042:"The Second Shelf"
164:Simone de Beauvoir
132:women's literature
56:14 Smith's Court,
21:
1606:Online bookstores
1410:The New Statesman
893:The Brooklyn Rail
792:978-0-19-256266-1
765:978-1-4744-6999-9
726:Reynolds, Laura.
538:Westminster Extra
351:COVID-19 pandemic
344:transgender women
336:transgender youth
146:'s 2012 essay in
136:feminist bookshop
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1576:Official website
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540:. 17 August 2018
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363:Persephone Books
334:, a charity for
297:brick-and-mortar
204:Gwendolyn Brooks
116:The Second Shelf
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40:20 November 2018
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22:The Second Shelf
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1454:Further reading
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286:Ruminator Books
282:
251:. We also have
212:Elizabeth David
172:
154:women's fiction
140:online bookshop
105:.thesecondshelf
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1570:External links
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1515:. 8 March 2019
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1558:. Retrieved
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1466:The Guardian
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1252:. March 2020
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955:(in Spanish)
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684:3 September
658:3 September
653:Vanity Fair
629:3 September
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1166:0362-4331
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