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The January 13 Culture Club presented the continuing saga of William Rickman, president of the increasingly irrelevant Kroch’s & Brentano’s bookselling empire. Once again we hear of Mr. Rickman’s wrenching decision to lay off more employees because he’s unable to compete with the new philistines on the block. Meanwhile, his job remains secure (but perhaps if Kroch’s management had been shaken up years ago, they wouldn’t be in their present state).
Now I do most of my book shopping at Barbara’s, Powell’s, and Booksellers Row, as do many of my other friends who have soured on Kroch’s. It’s no coincidence that the versatile Barbara’s has thrived while Kroch’s has withered. If Rickman wants to pin the blame on someone for the decline of a local institution, I suggest he find himself a mirror.
