The Seven Stairs: A Memoir of Literature, Chaos, and the Human Spirit by Stuart Brent

The Seven Stairs is a deeply personal and highly engaging memoir by Stuart Brent, chronicling his quixotic journey from an idealistic young man determined to sell “real” books to a complex figure navigating the intense pressures of commerce, cultural poverty, and personal life in mid-20th century Chicago. The book is an impassioned defense of the literary life, detailing the chaotic founding and tumultuous survival of his iconic Rush Street bookstore, The Seven Stairs Book and Record Shop. Brent illuminates his encounters with literary giants, the absurdity of business logistics, the spiritual sustenance found in books and music, and the eventual struggle to maintain integrity against the relentless, dehumanizing forces of the mass market. Ultimately, this is a story of self-discovery, fueled by an unwavering faith that the human spirit must assert itself, no matter the odds.

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Who May Benefit from the Book

• Aspiring booksellers and entrepreneurs.
• Bibliophiles and literary advocates.
• Readers interested in 1940s–1960s Chicago arts and literary life.
• Anyone seeking philosophical inspiration in work.
• Individuals interested in the intersection of culture and commerce.

Top 3 Key Insights

1. Bookselling is a Calling, Not Just Commerce: True success stems from ministering to the deficiencies of people’s inner lives and sharing a total enthusiasm for ideas, regardless of profit.
2. External Evil Requires Inner Fortitude: Financial threats, corrupt systems, or malevolent landlords cannot triumph if one achieves inward security and refuses to operate from a place of fear.
3. The Publishing Dilemma: The industry’s shift toward mass distribution and “junk” aimed at the “communications industry” actively undermines the viability of selling thoughtful, meaningful literature.

4 More Lessons and Takeaways

1. Survival in a difficult enterprise requires rejecting logic—if an idea is psychologically sound, one must make it economically feasible through will and innovation.
2. Continuous self-creation, driven by an inherent desire to be good, is the individual’s most basic task in life.
3. Personal integrity often demands resisting the temptation of vast wealth when it threatens one’s values, marriage, or quality of life.
4. In an era of cultural poverty, profound reading provides a vital leverage to prevent humanity from becoming totally dehumanized.

The Book in 1 Sentence

A bookseller’s passionate memoir of spiritual struggle and commercial chaos while building Chicago’s unconventional Seven Stairs Book Shop.

The Book Summary in 1 Minute

Stuart Brent opened the Seven Stairs Book and Record Shop in Chicago in 1946 with almost no money, driven solely by a love for good books and music. Despite initial solitude, financial chaos, and surviving the cruel tactics of his landlord, Brent refused to fail. Through the help of literary “guardian angels” and his own relentless enthusiasm, the shop became a vibrant hub for Chicago authors and intellectuals, including Nelson Algren and Jack Conroy. A pivotal moment arrived when he specialized in psychiatric books, boosting his business. Faced with self-limiting economics, personal tragedy, and a subsequent move to Michigan Avenue, Brent financed the shift through customer support. His later ventures into early television amplified his unique ability to generate immense sales for profound works. Brent concludes that the quest to nourish the soul through literature must continue, defending civilization’s cultural outposts against indifference and the mass market.

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Chapter-wise Book Summary

1. And Nobody Came

“Maybe there just isn’t enough innocence left to join with the howl of the stricken book dealer upon barging into the trap. Not just a howl of self-pity, but the yap of the human spirit determined to assert itself no matter what.”

Stuart Brent details the initial, painful reality of opening his Seven Stairs Book and Record Shop in a run-down, converted brownstone on Rush Street in August 1946. Armed with just three hundred dollars worth of books and a used record player, he poured his vision into the decaying room, dreaming of a glamorous world filled with “fine people”. Despite setting up shop and waiting long hours, no one visited. His first customer was a “daring” woman who asked for the ubiquitous bestseller, Peace of Mind, a book Brent personally disdained. In a moment of total capitulation, he ran four blocks to the wholesaler, bought the book for $1.62, and ran back to complete the $2.50 sale, realizing he was utterly unprepared for the practical aspects of business, even feeling “upsetting” embarrassment taking anyone’s money.

• Key Points:
  • The shop was opened in Chicago in 1946 with a passionate vision but minimal stock.
  • Brent initially sold nothing, despite his preparation and enthusiasm.
  • The first sale was a bestseller Brent had to purchase quickly from a wholesaler.

2. “Read Your Lease. Goodbye.”

“He taught me that the world requires people to take abuse, lying, cheating, duplicity—and outlast them.”

The Seven Stairs was situated in a volatile Near North Side area, bordered by wealthy homes and a strip teeming with broken souls, artists, drug addicts, and call girls. Brent was surrounded by colorful neighbors, including a hat maker who ran a call girl blind. Ruling over them was the landlord, whom Brent saw as Mephistopheles, delivering his devilish edicts with the simple incantation: “Read your lease. Goodbye”. When a water pipe burst during a bitter February night, threatening his books, the landlord refused help. Brent frantically dug through snow and ice outside to find the water cut-off, inadvertently shutting off a neighboring restaurant’s water, leading to a violent confrontation. Through subsequent landlord-initiated harassment (fire and electrical inspections), Brent learned that he had to confront reality and acknowledge that running a bookstore was a business, overcoming his fear to gain inward security.

• Key Points:
  • The shop was located in a diverse and chaotic urban environment.
  • The oppressive landlord used inspections to harass Brent constantly.
  • Facing the landlord’s malice taught Brent resilience and confirmed the existence of real evil.

3. How to Get Started in the Book Business

“The plain fact is, the kind of business I wanted to immerse myself in does not exist.”

Brent admits he started bookselling solely because he loved good books, ignoring the reality that to earn a living, he needed an annual gross of around $100,000. He was initially denied direct accounts by large publishers and had to buy $300 worth of serious literature (Mann, James, Cather) for cash from a wholesaler. Similarly, he struggled to obtain record company franchises. His luck shifted due to “guardian angels”: Vincent Starrett, a bibliophile, gave him vital publicity in the Chicago Sunday Tribune. More significantly, Ben Kartman, Associate Editor of Coronet Magazine, gave him hundreds of books from his personal library to fill the empty shelves, making the store look “more prosperous”. Brent found immense joy in sharing ideas, like selling Ibsen’s Peer Gynt alongside Grieg’s music. The visit of Katharine Hepburn and Luther Adler, who bought multiple books including Modern Woman: The Lost Sex, showed Brent the possibility of bringing “strength and joy of the spirit” to everyone. However, he laments that modern publishing, driven by mass distribution and textbook demands, no longer supports the true personal bookseller.

• Key Points:
  • Brent struggled to acquire inventory and distribution rights initially.
  • Publicity from Vincent Starrett and donations from Ben Kartman were crucial to the store’s survival.
  • Encounters with major celebrities validated his dream of sharing literature and ideas.

4. Building the Seven Stairs

“If an idea is psychologically sound, it must be economically feasible.”

The growing business necessitated expansion, leading Brent to take over the adjacent room. Despite believing the “dream was working,” the bank refused him a loan without collateral, demonstrating that banks only lend money to those who already have it. Ben Kartman stepped in, using his house as collateral to co-sign a $2,000 note, enabling the expansion. The expanded shop gained book shelving from Dorothy Gottlieb’s moving bookstore. Brent cultivated business by sending out targeted postcards and making delicate phone calls to customers. The shop became a significant gathering spot for Chicago’s literary circle, including Nelson Algren, Jack Conroy, and Studs Terkel, sharing strong coffee and intellectual conversation. Brent became a zealous promoter of Algren’s work. The peak of success came with the chaotic but brilliant autograph party for Algren’s The Man with the Golden Arm, where 1,000 copies were sold in a single night. This success, however, introduced new struggles, as people reacted differently to his “winner” status.

• Key Points:
  • The store expansion was made possible by Ben Kartman co-signing a loan.
  • The Seven Stairs flourished as a literary hub attracting major Chicago writers.
  • Brent sold 1,000 copies of Algren’s The Man with the Golden Arm at a single party.

5. The Day My Accountant Cried

“I still believe in people, in myself, in my work. Sometimes I wake up in the morning feeling joyous and sometimes I go to bed feeling wretched, but that’s life.”

Brent’s small, perpetually nervous accountant arrives one day to deliver the news that the bookstore is bankrupt based on the figures. Brent dismisses the pronouncement, stating his “complete contempt for figures” and refusing to file for bankruptcy. His staunch resistance breaks the accountant, who bursts into tears, confessing his allegiance to the rigid truth of numbers and his own wealthy yet unfulfilled life. Brent gives him The Little Prince, leading to the accountant’s reformation—he returns without his vest and abandons his hypochondria. Shortly thereafter, Ric Riccardo, a magnetic local restaurateur, asks Brent to help establish a new publishing house, BrentR Press, dedicated to Chicago talent. Riccardo, who had unconventional access to money (keeping currency in an army footlocker), backed the venture. Following a period of illness, Riccardo returned to life with increased gentleness, but died one week after the successful launch party for their first art book, ending the BrentR Press dream.

• Key Points:
  • Brent’s refusal to accept bankruptcy shocked his accountant, leading to the accountant’s emotional reckoning.
  • Brent partnered with Ric Riccardo to establish BrentR Press to publish local Chicago authors and artists.
  • Riccardo’s death brought a swift end to the publishing venture.

6. The Man with the Golden Couch

“I was ashamed of living in a midnight of fear. At the same time I felt privileged to know this gifted and, so often, generous man, who understood the human soul as few others have.”

Now married to Jennie, Brent continued his financially limiting practice of refusing to sell or special order “junk” books. An introduction to Dr. Lionel Blitzsten, a gifted, wealthy, and temperamental psychoanalyst, changed his fortunes. Dr. Blitzsten convinced Brent to specialize in psychiatric books, promising to direct his colleagues’ business, a move that quickly generated 90% of the Seven Stairs’ sales. This professional success dragged Brent into Dr. Blitzsten’s exclusive coterie—a superficial, demanding social circle where people observed a rule to say “nothing fundamental about anything”. Brent grew enraged by the despotism and the expectation to participate in rituals like fluffing the Doctor’s huge couch pillows on command. The internal conflict stemming from this forced conformity led Brent to seek psychoanalysis himself, recognizing his need to stop running from his difficulties and continuously give “birth to myself”.

• Key Points:
  • Brent entered the psychoanalytic book market based on Dr. Blitzsten’s guidance, which became his primary business focus.
  • He became trapped in the analyst’s shallow social coterie, which caused inner turmoil and rage.
  • The experience ultimately compelled him to seek analysis to resolve his fears and define his identity.

7. Farewell to the Seven Stairs

“The plain fact of the matter was that my situation was economically self-limiting in its scope and its momentum.”

Brent writes a letter to his clients announcing the move from Rush Street to 670 North Michigan Avenue, rebranding the business as Stuart Brent: Books and Records. He frames the move as necessary for growth, but acknowledges the real factors were economic self-limitation and the need to provide for his growing family. The lawyer, Jack Pritzker, ensured Brent’s survival in the new location. Financing was secured through a brilliant idea from a banker: an Advance Purchase Plan asking his best customers to send $100 in advance for a 20% future discount. All 125 people Brent solicited responded with a check. After successfully breaking his lease with the old landlord (whose successor opened a “Thought Factory”), Brent planned a rousing farewell party featuring jazz great Louis Armstrong and pianist Max Miller. The party climaxed dramatically when the aging second-floor toilet broke, sending water and plaster crashing down onto the crowded shop, freezing the water on the stairs as a final chaotic farewell.

• Key Points:
  • The business was moved from Rush Street to Michigan Avenue to escape economic limitations.
  • The expansion financing came entirely from 125 customers investing $100 each for a discount.
  • The farewell party turned into a legendary “wake” when the ceiling caved in on Louis Armstrong and the guests.

8. On the Avenue

“Brent’s complaint against the booksellers may well have been justified, from his point of view, but a visitor wouldn’t expect to find that any large professional group was marked by his combination of interest in persons, interest in the cultural welfare of the community, and abounding energy.”

Brent opens his new shop on Michigan Avenue, surprised to find he is in direct competition with established Chicago booksellers like Kroch’s and Main Street Book Store. To meet the high overhead, he reluctantly starts selling greeting cards and “how to do it books,” compromising his earlier standards. Despite this commercialization, the shop maintained its distinctive character, a point affirmed by distinguished critic Malcolm Cowley, who visited and praised Brent’s deep interest in his customers’ problems and his ability to sell hundreds of copies of demanding books, such as Harry Stack Sullivan’s An Interpersonal Theory of Psychiatry. Brent attempted to use the new basement room for cultural enrichment, hosting lectures, art exhibits, and concerts. He describes the memorable chaos of hosting violist William Primrose for a concert, which included near-riots, technical failures, and a bill for a torn dress. Though the psychiatric mail-order business dropped due to price cutting, Brent successfully developed industrial accounts, selling corporate gifts like encyclopedias. He also detailed his first brief, financially disastrous television foray.

• Key Points:
  • The move forced Brent to stock commercial items like greeting cards and “how to do it books”.
  • Critic Malcolm Cowley validated the shop’s unique focus on intellectual titles and customer engagement.
  • Brent’s psychiatric mail-order business declined due to market price cutting.

9. Bark Point

“It is a land of beauty and plenty, but nature is not soft.”

Brent recounts the “accident” of finding his spiritual sanctuary at Bark Point, a remote fishing outpost on Lake Superior in Northern Wisconsin, while lost driving to Canada. He impulsively bought a small, primitive house, feeling his soul stirred with new purpose. Bark Point is cherished not only for its rugged natural beauty but for the strength and honesty of its few neighbors, like the master fisherman John Roman and the philosopher-builder Bill Roman. Bill Roman’s philosophy centers on living simply, avoiding greed, and not fighting abilities. Brent finds the elemental life restorative, contrasting sharply with the city’s continuous competition. He shares a terrifying story of traveling to Bark Point in early spring with his children, only to be trapped by a massive snowstorm that buried their house for three days, forcing him to consider burning furniture for fuel before being rescued by neighbors. Brent believes these civilized outposts, where human dignity still exists, must be protected from crass invaders who bring noise and havoc.

• Key Points:
  • Bark Point, Wisconsin, became Brent’s remote spiritual refuge where he owned a simple house.
  • He values the community’s honest conversation, self-sufficiency, and lack of material ambition.
  • He was trapped for three days by an early spring snowstorm, highlighting nature’s harsh reality.

10. Hope and I

“The plain fact is, it calls for an act of consummate heroism to withstand real hostility from one’s family.”

Brent reflects on his childhood on the West Side of Chicago, defined by his father’s reverence for greatness and his own passionate, all-consuming reading habit. His education was vast and self-directed, culminating in a teaching career and a legal name change from Brodsky to Brent, suggested by a professor concerned about career advancement. Following the sudden death of his first wife, Jennie, Brent struggled as a widower raising three small children while managing the store. He met Hope, a Junior League girl working temporarily at the shop. Their love grew rapidly, but their relationship faced “violent shock and bitter protest” from Hope’s socially conservative family due to Brent’s background (Jewish, older, widower with children). Hope was advised to find counsel; she consulted an analyst who confirmed she was not neurotic, throwing the decision back to her. Through great struggle and “consummate heroism”, Hope chose love, and they married, later having three more children, bringing the total to six.

• Key Points:
  • Brent (originally Brodsky) changed his name for pragmatic career reasons.
  • He married Hope after his first wife’s death, navigating the extreme difficulties of raising a family while running the business.
  • Their relationship overcame immense social hostility and family pressure, requiring both partners to be brave.

11. My Affair with the Monster

“I cannot hesitate or make erasures. So I plunge on, hoping that some one significant thought may emerge clearly—some thought perhaps as vital as that which animates the pages of The Phenomena of Man, calling on us to recognize the eternal core of faith and courage.”

Brent, who initially despised television as a medium designed to destroy human incentive, accepted an audition secured by Ben Kartman and won a 15-minute program. This first venture was non-profitable and saturated with commercials. His connection with executive Red Quinlan (whom Brent helped publish) led to a serious, long-running show, Books and Brent, starting in 1958. The grueling five-day-a-week format required intense nightly reading and preparation. When Brent jokingly expressed doubt on air about whether anyone was watching, hundreds of letters poured in, confirming a substantial, devoted audience. A national syndication attempt backed by promoter Pete DeMet failed because publishers refused sponsorship, believing TV didn’t sell books. After three years, Brent’s show was cancelled due to low ratings. In his final weeks, he reviewed profound literary works like Mann’s The Magic Mountain and du Chardin’s The Phenomena of Man, triggering sensational sales, proving his unique cultural influence.

• Key Points:
  • The Books and Brent TV show ran daily and was financially demanding, requiring intense reading preparation.
  • National syndication failed because publishers were unconvinced of TV’s ability to sell books.
  • Brent’s final broadcasts generated phenomenal sales for intellectual titles, such as 2,300 copies of The Phenomena of Man in under a month.

12. Life in the Theatre

“No wonder you have to be virtually insane to pursue a career in the theatre!”

Brent details a three-week descent into the “Kafka nightmare” of summer stock theatre, where he was hired to play a lead opposite Linda Darnell in The Royal Family. Rehearsals were plagued by chaos, screaming, missing actors, and a complete lack of professionalism. The dressing rooms were filthy, harboring rats and cockroaches. The opening night performance was a disaster, filled with forgotten lines and ad libs. Brent publicly criticized the toxic backstage environment during a television interview. The financial outcome matched the chaos: for a week of rehearsals and a week of performance, his check totaled only $18.53 after deductions for union dues, ticket purchases for his family, and hidden fees. Despite the experience, Brent gained respect for those who take the theatre seriously, and won the friendship of Linda Darnell.

• Key Points:
  • Brent acted opposite Linda Darnell in a chaotic, hostile summer stock production.
  • The experience was characterized by extreme unprofessionalism and miserable working conditions.
  • His final net check was $18.53, making the entire venture an intellectual, but not financial, success.

13. Writing and Publishing

“A good book stirs your soul. You find yourself lost, not in an imaginary world (like the encyclopedia), but in a world where everything is understood.”

Brent reflects on the numerous aspiring authors who sought his help, often desperate, delusional, or victims of persecution. He observes that most unsolicited manuscripts suffer from two fatal flaws: they are badly written and their philosophical content is borrowed rather than distilled from genuine experience. Brent, who refuses to act as an agent, sometimes served as a catalyst, successfully placing books by columnist Paul Molloy and securing a monumental project for Dr. Franz Alexander, the history of psychiatry, with Harper and Brothers. He notes that true writers are defined by their discipline in handling the craft of words, regardless of their personal character or wealth. Brent argues that the current publishing climate, driven by corporate structure and the need for guaranteed profits, favors “non-books” and is failing to take chances on enduring literature or genuinely new talent. He urges writers to persist, never pay for publication, and recognize that reading is essential for self-renewal and cultural vitality.

• Key Points:
  • Aspiring writers frequently approached Brent, but most lacked the discipline and original content required for publication.
  • Brent successfully placed Dr. Franz Alexander’s work after pitching the idea to Harper and Brothers.
  • The commercial book industry prioritizes “non-books” and guaranteed successes over nurturing genuinely difficult, original literature.

14. Books and Brent

“My knowledge, they assured me, was coming out of my head. And I told them this was not funny at all.”

Brent concludes by reflecting on his profound, lifelong addiction to non-systematic reading, which began in youth, consuming everything from mystery serials to Kant. This passion for books ruined his chances of conventional success but saved him from becoming a “killer in the jungle of material ambition”. He credits teacher Jesse Feldman for opening the doors to literature and instilling in him the belief that indifference to the human spirit is the worst sin. Brent recalls memorizing poetry (like Shelley’s Ode to the West Wind) and deeply engaging with authors like Melville, realizing that his own “development has been all within a few years past”. His attempts to enter the teaching profession were thwarted by mandatory “Education Courses,” which he denounced as a moral outrage and an “organized racket” run by “walking zombies”. He asserts that we need teachers who stimulate and challenge, not those who offer crutches and easy directions. The Seven Stairs, now closed and bricked up, remains the symbol of his unending inward quest and continuous “ascent” for understanding.

• Key Points:
  • Brent’s passionate reading saved him from material ambition but led to an unusual, disjointed education.
  • He strongly condemned the required college Education Courses as a wasteful “racket” lacking intellectual life.
  • The Seven Stairs symbolizes Brent’s continuing, inward, personal quest for spiritual fulfillment.

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Notable Quotes from the Book

1. “The tragedy is that so few seem to know or really believe it. Maybe there just isn’t enough innocence left to join with the howl of the stricken book dealer upon barging into the trap.”
2. “The realization overwhelmed me that I was totally unprepared to sell a book.”
3. “The arts are being bereft of their purpose through a horrifying operation known as ‘the communications industry,’ an industry geared for junk eaters.”
4. “Reading remains a positive leverage to keep us from becoming dehumanized.”
5. “Banks only loan money to those who already have it.”
6. “He jests at scars who never felt a wound.” (Quote attributed to Nelson Algren)
7. “I have a complete contempt for figures.”
8. “What is happening? Who are these people? Are they, indeed, people? But am I? Have I an identity?”
9. “This I believe is what he was—a ‘chulum mensch.’ It contained everything a dream could and should, good and bad.” (Referring to Lionel Blitzsten)
10. “If we wait for a popular growth in ‘cultural maturity’ to justify making more widely available the sustenance men need, it will come too late.”

About the Author

Stuart Brent is the author of The Seven Stairs, a memoir detailing his experiences as a passionate Chicago bookseller. Born Stuart Brodsky on the West Side of Chicago, he was the youngest of six children. Driven by a lifelong, non-systematic addiction to reading, Brent funded his diverse education through various odd jobs. A professor once suggested he change his name for career reasons, leading to him legally adopting “Brent” at age nineteen. During World War II, he served in the Army, rising to Master Sergeant. After the war, he established The Seven Stairs Book and Record Shop in 1946. He taught at Chicago Teachers College and lectured at the University of Chicago. Brent was married to Jennie, with whom he had three children, until her death. He later married Hope, facing intense social resistance, and they had three more children, including Joseph Peter, named after Brent’s father. Brent gained fame locally through his high-impact television program, Books and Brent, where his enthusiastic reviews drove sensational sales for intellectual titles. The book was first published in 1962.

How to Get the Most from the Books

Embrace Brent’s philosophy: read non-systematically and with total passion. Allow the text to challenge you, underlining passages and writing thoughts in the margins to engage fully with the author’s ideas.

Conclusion

Stuart Brent’s The Seven Stairs is more than a chronicle of a successful Chicago bookstore; it is a testament to the unyielding power of the human spirit when anchored by love for ideas and commitment to purpose. The memoir beautifully illustrates the deep conflict between the idealism required to nurture culture and the brutal economic realities of business, showing that the publishing world often works against, rather than for, the unique bookseller. From battling a demonic landlord to navigating social barriers and surviving the “Monster” of television, Brent’s life confirms his belief that inner security and dedication to one’s calling—the “personal search for the Holy Grail”—will always sustain the soul, even if the figures on the ledger sheet scream bankruptcy. Though the original Seven Stairs is gone, the principles of passion, resilience, and the defense of meaningful literature remain as an enduring challenge to the reader.