In Montreal, journalist Louis-Philippe Messier travels a lot, his desk in his backpack, looking for fascinating subjects and people. He talks to everyone and is interested in all areas of this town's history.
In order to liquidate his deceased brother's personal library of 40,000 books, a Montrealer temporarily converts the deceased's apartment into an improvised second-hand bookstore.
During his brother Normand's funeral, Michel Leduc promised his nephew that he would take care of his father's books.
“My nephew didn't want to do that and I wanted to serve him,” said Mr. Leduc, an 81-year-old retiree.
“I thought it was 2000 or 3000 pounds, not 40,000, but I gave my word…”
Due to an old family feud, Michel Leduc did not visit his brother Normand's home for several decades.
What did he find in house number 4?e An avenue near rue Masson in Rosemont surprised him: “It's a mess!” exclaimed the former French and catechism teacher at Édouard-Montpetit high school.
“Stacks of books everywhere, between the dryer and the washer, on the appliances, between the furniture and the furniture, in every room, everywhere.”
In the basement, buildings of stacked books form narrow corridors.
“To insert, you have to walk sideways like a crab,” he explains.
“Library of Ages”
Many books have never before been removed from bookseller's bags.
“Normand spends almost all of his free time reading, but he doesn't have time to go through all of them,” explains Michel Leduc.
A former library technician at the University of Montreal bought at least 1,000 books a year and kept everything.
Normand Leduc, represented in this portrait, was a popular customer of Montreal booksellers.
Photo by Louis-Philippe Messier
“If he found a book interesting, it was beyond his control: he bought it.”
“Looks like he wants to replicate the public library in his home.”
His bibliomania reduced his living space.
Some of the cluttered rooms have been without floor washing for years.
Old living room and old bedroom.
Photo by Louis-Philippe Messier
Orphan of Duplessis
“Normand and I were orphans of the former Duplessis, it was not easy for us, and my brother quickly took refuge in books,” said Michel Leduc.
“He used to lock himself in a room and study. He has been doing this all his life. “
Exclamations of wonder escape me from room to room as I constantly discover new shelves of books.
All the walls in the basement are bookshelves.
Photo by Louis-Philippe Messier
“It took me three years to sort things out,” sighs the retiree, who swapped his walk-Sudoku-Scrabble routine for an improvised bookseller.
“I'm here 20 hours a week, it keeps me busy!”
From the start, Michel Leduc cut 10,000 books he deemed unsellable by donating them to second-hand bookstores.
So that leaves about 30,000 people.
It took three years to sort it all out…
Photo by Louis-Philippe Messier
“At the current rate my nephew and I go, if each of our visitors leaves with a book, we'll finish liquidating our brother's library in a hundred years,” he says with a laugh.
Does this column direct Mr. Leduc to customers as eager for books as his late brother? I wish him that.
This exceptional estate sale address is 5175, 4e Avenue, in Montreal.
Michel Leduc is (usually) on site Thursday through Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.
More Stories
Russia imposes fines on Google that exceed company value
Historic decline in travel in Greater Montreal
Punches on the “Make America Great Again” cap: Two passengers kicked off the plane