A person who deals in books, especially a bookseller or publisher; sometimes used disparagingly for someone who trades in books for profit.
Compound of 'book' and 'monger' (from Old English 'mangere', meaning trader or merchant). The suffix '-monger' often carries negative connotations (like 'fearmonger'), suggesting someone dealing in something for base profit.
The word 'monger' is fascinating because it automatically implies commercialization—a bookmonger sells books for money, which medieval scholars might have viewed as degrading the sacred act of preserving knowledge.
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