The current Levenger catalog (subtitled “Tools for Serious Readers,” whatever that means) devotes half of its outside back cover, plus the entire inside back-cover spread, to pricey, upscale bookends. Giving the bookends that much space is new, from which I infer that sales of Levenger bookends are on the rise. If so, I personally am not surprised. It’s only a question of time before I order the Jack London wolf. The Winston Churchill pig is pretty cool, too.
Want to know what’s selling? Subscribe to a popular catalog and watch it change over time. Just be sure to choose a catalog from a company that tests and tracks. There are clueless catalogers who, thanks to a popular product line, succeed despite themselves. Imagine what they could accomplish if they woke up.
—Steve Cuno