At the suggestion of Canadian Reader I tried The Bookseller's Tale, by Martin Latham. (He also wrote Londonopolis: a Curious History of London, see post of April 9, 2016). I agree with the comments on the back ... it is about our love of books! Read books, with weight and heft, smell, touch ...) The first chapter is all about comfort books, those we love (often for no particular reason). Some from our childhood, some we found when times were bad, but those books that make us feel good, often by just holding them. Learning about those who read, when they weren't supposed to read (think times past) ... women, servants, slaves made me want to cheer. There are chapters on collectors (they might go on a bit too much) and chapters on wonderful places to find books in street markets in cities around the world. I found I was smiling often while reading. :-)

Reading Hermit With Dog