The Great Wall of Franklin

Landmark Booksellers curates a unique display: four shelves brimming with the greatest works of fiction and non-fiction, meticulously arranged to guide you through the history of literature.

The Great Wall of Franklin at Landmark Booksellers in Franklin, Tennessee.

In 2018, I was scouring the lower rows of bookshelves looking for a rare find at Landmark Booksellers in Franklin, TN. My wife, daughters, and I had recently moved to Tennessee and were enjoying this quaint bookstore. It had the feel of other wonderful bookstores I’d visited in my life.

The owner of the store, Joel Tomlin, came by and asked where we were from. We talked a bit and my wife put in a plug for my business of website development, letting Joel know I was available if the bookstore needed an enhanced web presence. Joel took me up on it and after revamping the website, I began taking on more roles until I became the business manager in 2021.

As the business manager, I’m continually assessing actual customer behavior and considering ways to better position the bookstore into the future. Most bookstores do not survive by books alone but sell other merchandise like socks, install a coffee corner, or attempt to make money from author events. Yet even these strategies don’t appear to be working as it seems like a new bookstore files bankruptcy every week.

One thing that surprised me early on was that we were selling a lot of classics. Yes, we carry new books and have all of the latest releases, but there was this continual deep hunger for books that had stood the test of time. Whether these were aspirational purchases, decoration choices, or books meant to be read, I was intrigued.

There are nearly limitless numbers of books but a very real limit in retail space for any given bookstore. Choices must be made to determine what books will line the shelves. In 2023, we started toying with the idea of removing a couch and installing 4 shelves instead. Here’s a photo of the area before the Great Wall:

Pre-Great Wall of Franklin. A large couch lining the wall.

The idea was that these four shelves would house books located throughout our store but would consolidate them in an area dedicated to the greatest books ever written. The question of organization then came up and the decision was made to place them in chronological order. The reason for this is that books come from books. Ideas Homer proposes are picked up by the Greek Tragedy writers, then Aristotle, Hegel, Nietzsche… This presentation would allow one to visually trace this great conversation.

Here is a video of us arranging the shelves in chronological order. The first book on the top left, the Hymns of Enheduana, was likely compiled around 2200BC. The latest books on bottom right come from the 1970s. Attempts have been made to avoid placing anything written within the past 50 years on these shelves.

Our official notice for this wall is as follows:

This curated collection showcases the most essential fiction and non-fiction books across genres, offering readers the best insights into various subjects, times, and minds throughout history.

These timeless volumes, representing humanity's most influential works, will echo in themes and passages you'll encounter throughout your life - in books, movies, and countless conversations.

If you are in the Nashville area, please come by and visit us and see this Great Wall. The hope is that it inspires you to see the intellectual progression of mankind through the greatest works ever composed.