The 56th issue of Cometbus is a loving ethnography of New York City’s wild, weird, and bearded used book trade. Aaron writes about his fellow book dealersand their tribeswith all the unflinching and generous powers of observation that he’s applied to every subject.

As he writes in chapter one, “A book saleisa competition, after all, where knowledge, physical endurance, and speed all count. But like an early eighties hardcore show, it only looks violent and chaotic from a distance. Up close, where the action is, everyone is helping each other out.”

This Cometbus zine is also a love storyabout books and about people. Full of wordplay, dusty houses, and animals of all species.