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Ben McFall, the longest-tenured bookseller in the history of New York City's legendary bookstore the Strand, "who for decades peered above his spectacles at a line of acolytes, tourists and young colleagues for whom he incarnated the store's erudite but easygoing spirit," died December 22, the New York Times reported. He was 73. Store owner Nancy Bass Wyden said the prospect of the bookstore without McFall is "ungrounding.... He's the heart of the Strand."
In a Facebook tribute the Strand posted: "It is with great sadness that we share the news that long-time bookseller Ben McFall passed away.... We cannot begin to count the number of lives touched by Ben's wit and knowledge in his 40+ years working at the Strand. His desk on the main floor, just beyond the cooking section, was a familiar space that fellow booksellers and customers alike visited often seeking his singular advice. We feel honored to have known him, and hope you will join us as we celebrate Ben's life."
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| Memorial to Ben McFall at the Strand (via) | |
McFall "enjoyed duties and perks not given to any other Strand employee," the Times wrote, adding that for much of his career, he was the only person in charge of an entire section (fiction). With used titles, he determined the price of each hardcover "and then affixed a Strand sticker to the dust jacket.... Pricing was one of many fields in which Mr. McFall's experience enabled him to make quick, intuitive pronouncements. Without checking a computer, he would say he knew how many years it had been since he had last seen an obscure old novel, the number of days it had remained in stock, and its current value online."
In addition, he could name the books in the fiction section, and cite the number of copies of them, at any given moment. "It seems like a feat, but if it were your house, you'd know where things are, too," he told the Times for a 2013 profile.
McFall did not, however, "trade this adroitness for a position in management," remaining instead on the ground floor, "where he became the only employee to have a desk designated specifically for his use," the Times noted. Often a line of people would form waiting to speak with him. His partner, Jim Behrle, who also once worked at the Strand, said he would approach the line and ask if anyone needed help, but "people would decline. They waited for Ben."
Lisa Lucas, publisher of Pantheon Books, visited the Strand to chat with McFall every Saturday when she was in town. "He'd always be sifting through a pile of used books," she recalled. "A Barthelme book, a DeLillo book, Colson Whitehead, Murakami--we'd have conversations about whatever he had in his hands."
McFall will not have a successor as head of fiction. His duties, like most others at the Strand, will be shared. "Ben never had an official position," said Paul Secor, a retired Strand book buyer. "Ben's title was 'Ben.' "
The Times noted that for the sake of his safety during the pandemic, McFall "was moved to corporate offices away from the public and his usual spot on the ground floor. There was no more line of fans. Yet Mr. McFall, who was so attached to his Strand name tag that he sometimes wore it around his apartment, chose to keep it on even though he no longer spoke to customers. It read: 'Benjamin. Ask me.' "