James Daunt - 233 - Alain Elkann Interviews

A REMARKABLE BOOKSELLER. James Daunt is the founder of the Daunt Books chain in the UK, and has been managing director of Waterstones, the bookshop chain of more than 300 stores, since 2011. In 2019 he also became CEO of Barnes & Noble, the American bookstore chain of some 650 stores. An Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, Daunt was appointed Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2022 Birthday Honours for services to publishing. “The real joy of a bookstore is that it does curate and it does the job of ensuring that readers and customers are browsing the best that’s available.“ “The book is ultimately the most satisfying way in which to educate oneself and to illuminate around the issue of interest“ “There are booksellers up and down, particularly in Europe, who are espousing the same principles, which is let the booksellers in each shop run their own bookstores“