Chris Aldrich

I won't go so far as to say the literary world won't live on past him, but the last of the truly great gentleman booksellers is gone, and the world is far worse off as a result.

February 23, 1928 - August 4, 2015 Long time local book store owner, Jerome Joseph, 87, of Los Angeles, passed away peacefully early on Tuesday after a protracted series of illnesses.

Jerome was born and raised in Woodriver, Illinois, a small town of some 25 miles south of St. Louis and then practiced law for several years in southern Missouri after which he moved back to Woodriver and joined the family business at its Ben Franklin Dime Store. He was married for a short time. After a while, he became restless, pulled up stakes, and came to sunny Southern California.

In the early 1980, he established a used book store in Fullerton in collaboration with Larry Mullen, who taught him the book business. Subsequently, he opened his own used bookstore, Brand Bookshop, in Glendale in 1985. The store was closed in October 2014. Jerome was an avid fan of the Baltimore Orioles even when they were the Saint Louis Cardinals, and, in fact, he owned shares in that club.

He is survived by his adopted son, Noriaki Nakano of Los Angeles, and one brother, Howard, of Glendale. Neptune Society is handling arrangements. Jerome specifically asked that there not be a memorial service but he is nevertheless remembered and missed.

Originally appeared in the <a href="http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/latimes/obituary.aspx?pid=175534520">LA Times</a>