Ken Gloss, Antiquarian Bookseller, Boston, Massachusetts
Family lore has it that Ken Gloss’s first spoken word was “book.” How could it be otherwise? His father, George Gloss, made the Brattle Book Shop, in business since 1825, a local landmark. But Ken has put his own stamp on the place, too. With his frequent appearances on Antiques Roadshow, he’s today’s most recognizable […]
Family lore has it that Ken Gloss’s first spoken word was “book.” How could it be otherwise? His father, George Gloss, made the Brattle Book Shop, in business since 1825, a local landmark. But Ken has put his own stamp on the place, too. With his frequent appearances on Antiques Roadshow, he’s today’s most recognizable authority on used and rare books. While inside the three-story building the Brattle’s shelves groan with books, outside tables are packed with thousands more, and people spend hours searching for special bargains. I once asked Ken’s wife, Joyce Kosofsky, what his father would say if he could see the Brattle now. “His chest would swell,” she says. “‘My son!'”
Brattle Book Shop,9 West St. 800-447-9595, 617-542-0210.
Mel Allen
Mel Allen is the fifth editor of Yankee Magazine since its beginning in 1935. His first byline in Yankee appeared in 1977 and he joined the staff in 1979 as a senior editor. Eventually he became executive editor and in the summer of 2006 became editor. During his career he has edited and written for every section of the magazine, including home, food, and travel, while his pursuit of long form story telling has always been vital to his mission as well. He has raced a sled dog team, crawled into the dens of black bears, fished with the legendary Ted Williams, profiled astronaut Alan Shephard, and stood beneath a battleship before it was launched. He also once helped author Stephen King round up his pigs for market, but that story is for another day. Mel taught fourth grade in Maine for three years and believes that his education as a writer began when he had to hold the attention of 29 children through months of Maine winters. He learned you had to grab their attention and hold it. After 12 years teaching magazine writing at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, he now teaches in the MFA creative nonfiction program at Bay Path University in Longmeadow, Massachusetts. Like all editors, his greatest joy is finding new talent and bringing their work to light.
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