BookPeople

This article is about the Austin, Texas bookstore. For the defunct California distributor, see Bookpeople (distributor).

BookPeople is an independent bookstore in Austin, Texas, and the largest bookstore in the state of Texas.^[1] It was founded in 1970 and has been voted the best bookstore by the Austin Chronicle every year since 1995 as of 2010^[update].^[2]

BookPeople store at Sixth & Lamar

BookPeople was voted Publishers Weekly's "Best Bookstore in the US 2005".^[3] It is a member of the Austin Independent Business Alliance. It is also a member of the American Booksellers Association.^[4]

History

BookPeople's Teen Literature section

BookPeople was founded in 1970 by Michael Nills and originally named Grok Books in reference to Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein. The book store eventually fell into the hands of Philip Sansone, who renamed the store BookPeople in reference to Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury in 1984 when the store moved locations. In 2018, the store formed a union, BookPeople United, under the auspices of the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 277. Their first contract was ratified in January 2021. ^[5]

See also

• List of companies based in Austin, Texas