The Story Of… Book Soup In West Hollywood

Exclusive Interview by Karen Beishuizen
Photos courtesy of Book Soup

Book Soup is an independent bookstore founded by Glenn Goldman in 1975 in West Hollywood, and is the largest general interest independent bookstore in Hollywood. They have something like 50,000 titles and access to many more. Their key genres are literary fiction, art & photography, architecture, interior design, film and music. Hunter S. Thompson, apparently, had his final appearance in the store with Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro present. Popular with many in the entertainment industry, the store hosted events featuring a variety of famous people: Geddy Lee, Chuck Palahniuk, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Sammy Hagar, Billy Idol, Annie Lennox, Alfonso Curon, Annie Leibowitz, Muhammad Ali, David Lynch, and Carl Reiner. The store appeared in movies and series like “Bewitched”, “Californication”, “Behind the Candelabra”, “The Morning Show” and Anthony Bourdain’s “The Layover”. The Book Soup is an essential stop for literary folks when visiting Los Angeles.

KB: Describe to the RSR readers when and by who Book Soup was founded?

Book Soup was founded by Glenn Goldman in 1975. Our original space was one block west on Sunset Boulevard. A much smaller space.

KB: How many books do you have in your store and which genres?

We have something like 50,000 titles and access to many more. Our key genres are literary fiction, art & photography, architecture, interior design, film and music.

KB: What events do you organize?

We host roughly 225 events in-store, and offsite each year. It’s a great mix of local writers, famous musicians and actors, and touring authors with an emphasis on fiction and biography/memoir.

KB: Hunter S. Thompson had his final appearance at the store. How did that go?

I don’t know that it was his last public appearance, but it certainly has a mythology to it. He did sign for a long line of people. Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro were almost definitely here. I’m not sure if he left early, passed out, or puked. That seems like a stretch but not impossible.

KB: Which famous people have visited the store over the years?

We’re pretty protective of our celebrity clientele and want to keep that discretion so I’ll just mention some of the famous people who have done events here – Geddy Lee, Chuck Palahniuk, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Sammy Hagar, Billy Idol, Annie Lennox, Alfonso Curon, Annie Leibowitz, Muhammad Ali, David Lynch, and Carl Reiner. Honestly, many, many more. We have been very lucky.

KB: In which series and movies has the store appeared in?

Our old bistro cafe had a brief appearance in the “Bewitched” movie, back in the early 80s. We’ve been in “Californication”, “Behind the Candelabra”, and most recently, “The Morning Show”. Anthony Bourdain had a travel show called “The Layover”, and we were a stop on his LA visit.

KB: Describe to the RSR readers what they can expect on a visit to Book Soup?

From outside you’ll see one of the last great outdoor newsstands in Los Angeles, with a vast selection of fashion and culture magazines. When you step into Book Soup you’ll see floor to ceiling black bookcases, crammed with a rich history of modern literature, art, and design. You’ll see staff recommendation tags hanging from every shelf with our favorite books. We read a lot! You’ll probably see a dog. We love dogs! You might see someone you think was in that one show. They probably were.

KB: Why should people visit Book Soup?

We are small but mighty. We have excellent booksellers with a wealth of opinions about books and enthusiasm for them. We know our stuff and we are deeply rooted in our neighborhood community. We are an essential stop for literary folks when visiting Los Angeles.

For more information, check out Book Soup’s website: HERE

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