Jen Johnson dove into the rare book trade headfirst in 2006 when she purchased The Book Shop in Covina with her husband and partner Brad Johnson. She quickly learned on the job and through some trial and error, daily mentoring by Brad and other legends of the Southern California book trade, found ways to bring her background as a former journalist and public relations executive into the business. Jen’s specialty is sifting through archives to find order and tease out the stories percolating under the surface. The growth in the archive portion of the business sparked the new business name: johnson rare books & archives. In 2019, Jen & Brad also founded Rare Books LA, a book fair production firm that has produced more than 10 regional rare book fairs. Jen is a member of the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America and past chair of the Southern California chapter and its book fair planning committee. She collects California travel posters and is passionate about the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. She is a native of Nebraska (Go Big Red!), and graduated from Pepperdine University with a BA in journalism and minor in art.

Courses Taught Previously

Postmodern Bookselling, 2023