Stuart Brent

Best known as one of Chicago's great independent booksellers, he ran the influential shop Stuart Brent Books for about fifty years. Sources available here describe him as a central figure in the city's literary culture and note that he became closely associated with authors, readers, and the long tradition of serious bookselling in downtown Chicago.

He attended the University of Chicago, and later wrote about his life in books in The Seventh Shop. A University of Chicago Press remembrance from June 26, 2010, marked his death at age 98 and remembered him as someone who had come to personify independent bookselling in Chicago.

Remembered for his wit, taste, and devotion to literature, he stands out as more than a shop owner: he helped shape a reading community. For listeners drawn to book history, literary cities, or the personalities behind great bookstores, his story has a lot of charm.