Mitch Kaplan
Photo by Emiliano Granado
In the age of Amazon.com and the muchhyped “death of print media,” Mitch Kaplan, proprietor of Books and Books, continues to defy doomsayers. His bookstore’s status as a cultural hub and bibliophile destination has caused countless A-list writers to brave the humid and unlivable depths of Florida to read their work and mingle with the last wealthy bastions of American literacy. Kaplan, who has served as the president of the American Bookseller’s Association and co-founded the Miami Book Fair International, has been described by Publishers Weekly as “one of the nicest and smartest people in bookselling.” Last year, he opened his newest location on Grand Cayman, because even corporate criminals deserve something good to read on the beach.
