Carlos Goez
Carlos Goez | |
|---|---|
 Pomander Book Shop, 1979 (Alex Finlayson) | |
| Born | December 13, 1939 Medellin, Colombia |
| Died | December 25, 1990 (aged 51) New York City |
| Occupation | Bibliophile and Classicist |
Carlos Goez (December 13, 1939 – December 25, 1990) founded the Pomander Book Shop. The Pomander, as it was known, was "a rather unprepossessing, Dickensian storefront”[1] located at 252 West 95th Street, on Manhattan's Upper West Side next to the Thalia, one of New York's first repertory movie theatres. Goez opened the Pomander in 1975, first running it with bookseller Timothy Mawson and then with William Hamilton.[2][3][4] He named the shop for Pomander Walk, the 1920s Tudoresque apartment complex hidden on West 95th Street where he lived.[5]
A native of Colombia who came to New York to be educated at Columbia University, Goez sold fine and rare volumes in impeccable condition, sponsored readings, and mended and cleaned old books. His standards were exacting, as was his English, and he did not hesitate to tell customers what they must buy or "offer trenchant commentary on politics and the passing scene."[6] His tiny store attracted a large following, counting among its patrons writers and bibliophiles such as Eric Bentley, Susan Sontag, Adrienne Rich, and Robert Payne. It was a "kind of Upper West Side salon that drew literary giants, earnest scholars, and neighborhood eccentrics."[7][8] William Hamilton remembers Susan Sontag remarking to Goez, during a sale, that only 11% of New Yorkers actually read the books they buy. Hamilton also remembers Carrie Fisher being a valued customer. Critic and New Yorker writer Louis Menand cites the Pomander as a personal favorite, "...it featured British and American literature and philosophy—my kind of collection."[9] In 1986 Goez sold the Pomander to poet Suzanne Ostro, who eventually was forced to relocate the shop when developers reconfigured West 95th Street.[10][11] Carlos Goez died in 1990.[12][13]
References
[edit]- ^ Dennis, Everette E., Pease, Edward C. & LeMay, Craig L. (1997) Publishing Books. Transaction Books, Edison, New Jersey ISBN 1-56000-905-5
- ^ Dunlap, David W (9 February 1987). "Column One: Literary Tenants". New York Times. New York. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
- ^ "Timothy Mawson, A Bookseller, 54". New York. 2 August 1995. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
- ^ "William L Hamilton". New York Times. New York. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
- ^ David W. Dunlap (25 December 1990). "Carlos R. Goez, 51, Bookshop Founder And Classics Expert". The New York Times. p. 1 36. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
- ^ David W. Dunlap (25 December 1990). "Carlos R. Goez, 51, Bookshop Founder And Classics Expert". The New York Times. p. 1 36. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
- ^ Dunlap, David W. "COLUMN ONE: Literary Tenants." New York Times, 9 February 1989
- ^ Pinckney, Darryl (20 Dec 1984). "Sweet Evening Breeze". The New York Review. Retrieved 14 Feb 2025.
- ^ Menand, Louis (19 August 2024). "Are Bookstores Just a Waste of Space?". The New Yorker. New York. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
- ^ Fulman, Ricki (13 May 1987). "The Last Picture Show". Daily News. New York. p. 95.
- ^ Dunlap, David W (2 Feb 1987). "Column One: Literary Tenants". New York Times. New York. p. B1.
- ^ "Carlos Goez, Founder of Noted New York Book Shop". The Miami Herald. Miami. 26 December 1990. p. 27.
- ^ "Carlos R Goez". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Honolulu. 26 December 1990. p. 38.