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| John Chandler | |
Legendary bookseller John Chandler, who operated a used and rare bookstore in Chicago for more than 40 years, died November 14, 2022. Born, raised and educated in Michigan, he moved to Chicago more than 50 years ago.
In the early 1970s, Chandler opened a secondhand bookshop in Lakeview's North Southport, and a few years later moved the store to its iconic location at North and Wellington, renaming it Bookman's Corner ("Books: used, rare, well done" was stenciled on the window.)
Chandler "was one of the last old-time used- booksellers: a familiar face at library and estate sales, house calls, second hand and charity shops, and he was even known to dumpster dive at other bookstores," his obituary noted. "His store was a book-hunter's paradise: bursting bookshelves (some of the bookcases dangerously leaned against the shop's windows), stacks of books crammed the almost impenetrable aisles, and John squeezed into his desk by the register, holding court and regaling customers with endless bibliophile banter. He had a wry sense of humor, a quick wit, and was one of the uncanniest purveyors of hilarious non-sequiturs. Despite various health issues and dependency on a cane, he operated his shop until shortly before his passing."
Chandler's customers delighted in his bookshop's various handwritten signs: "Effective immediately: no more two-bit deals"; "One dollar charge per book for why I'm not buying it"; and "a photo of an unpopular local antiquarian dealer with an X across his face, strategically placed on the door to the shop restroom," according to the obituary. "He was truly one of a kind. He will be missed, but his memory will live on in the affectionate anecdotes of his colleagues and customers."