Editor’s Note: This is an installment in the series “The Art of Business,” which highlights the works of art found in the Spencer Fox Eccles Business Building and will be featured regularly on the Eccles Extra blog.
The Poisoned Pen Bookstore opened its doors in Scottsdale, Ariz., 25 years ago. It specializes in fiction, and prides itself on its robust author speaking series, often hosting more than 250 events a year.
While the bookstore staff serves its local audience in Old Town Scottsdale’s Art District, they also have global reach with livestreaming of their events and worldwide shipping.
Founder Barbara G. Peters and her husband Robert Rosenwald founded the Poisoned Pen Press in 1997 to publish works in the mystery genre. In 1995, the Poisoned Pen hosted the Left Coast Crime Conference, and nearly every year the bookstore hosts a themed mystery conference of its own in Scottsdale.
What’s your favorite mystery novel or author?
About the Artist
Gibbs M. Smith is an alum of the University of Utah, earning both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in history. He is the founder and president of Gibbs Smith Publishing, and the art he has loaned to the Eccles School demonstrates his passion for books and bookmaking. He has spent the past 35 years painting the bookstores he has visited around the country. Some have since closed, but many still thrive today. Hopefully, these paintings conjure up fond memories of your favorite bookstore.