Book Brothers

Zubal Books

Michael and Tom Zubal have been in the used book business their entire lives and love to share their experiences of buying books around the country as well as discuss the pitfalls of selling books online at sites like Abebooks.com and Amazon.com

  • 28 minutes 47 seconds
    Name Dropping...Zubal Books and celebrities over the years
    Episode 15 of Book Brothers is all about "name dropping" as Michael and Tom recount their interactions with various celebrities and luminaries in their respective fields. Stephen King, Drew Carey, Philip Glass, Dennis McNally (author and Grateful Dead publicist) are among some of the names that the Zubals have had the good fortune to meet and work with. 
    10 January 2026, 9:05 pm
  • 25 minutes 41 seconds
    Police, mathematicians, and BIG book jobs
    In episode 14 the Zubal brothers discuss the synchronicity that runs through just about every interaction when doing a deal. Also, Michael details a run-in with the start-struck New Jersey police and Tom waxes philosophical about booksellers as glorified moving companies. 
    12 May 2025, 11:55 pm
  • 20 minutes 16 seconds
    The Best Laid Plans....
    Michael and Tom discuss a HUGE book collection in Virginia as well as a book aquiring trip up to Muskegon. Both trips share in common a few unforeseen obstacles. The brothers also discuss how they market books to various clients and other aspects of the used book world in the 21st century
    19 December 2023, 12:16 pm
  • 39 minutes 49 seconds
    Art + books = Love / Treachery on the East Coast / Digital Book Piracy...
    Tom recounts a 14 course meal with book artist Amanda Love, Michael almost loses a load on the East Coast, the brothers discuss the scourge of digital book piracy, and more!
    25 November 2022, 3:21 pm
  • 25 minutes 37 seconds
    The biggest book deal (conclusion) / What makes a book valuable?
    3 December 2021, 2:49 pm
  • 37 minutes 43 seconds
    Our BIGGEST Book Purchase (to date!)
    In our 10th episode Michael and Tom discuss the biggest book purchase of their lifetimes, what makes a book rare or valuable, and the challenges of entering the used book business in the 21st century.
    18 August 2021, 9:38 pm
  • 26 minutes 25 seconds
    Book tripping into disaster
    In episode 9, Michael recounts his near-death experience in a wintery maelstrom with a van full of books and Tom provides a breakdown of his recent book trips to St. Louis and Los Angeles.
    25 April 2021, 7:00 pm
  • 30 minutes 33 seconds
    Michael Zinman discusses his legendary NY Public Library story
    Michael and Tom Zubal (The Book Brothers) veer from their usual path and bring on special guest renowned book collector Michael Zinman to set the record straight regarding an important 1990s rescue of tens of thousands of printed artifacts from the New York Public Library. Aside from sharing rare insight and first person experiences with The Brothers, Zinman appears in the recent film "The Booksellers"
    22 February 2021, 11:46 pm
  • 39 minutes 11 seconds
    The art of the book deal in the 21st century - Rock n' Roll, leather, and movies
    Michael and Tom Zubal discuss 2 local deals that involve rock n' roll lifestyles and several trips hauling the goods as well as a major purchase of several thousand pristine Easton Press books on the East Coast. They also share their thoughts on the movie "The Booksellers"
    29 November 2020, 3:16 pm
  • 35 minutes 17 seconds
    50,000 Books on an Island
    Michael and Tom Zubal discuss a purchase of 50,000 books on a remote island and chat about scholarly, rare and collectible books
    14 April 2020, 11:06 pm
  • 36 minutes 38 seconds
    Book Brothers Episode 5
    Michael and Tom Zubal discuss their recent adventures buying and selling scholarly and rare books. Among other topics, Michael recounts a horrific episode in San Francisco, and Tom discusses the Easton Press market as well as Amazon's refusal to remove the millions of fake, duplicate book pages which deceive customers into spending more than they should
    10 January 2020, 10:48 pm
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