Paul Hogan, 77, manager at Robin's bookstore
Paul Hogan, 77, a longtime manager at Robin's bookstore, Philadelphia's oldest independent bookseller, died Wednesday, Nov. 11, after a two-year battle with esophageal cancer.
Paul Hogan, 77, a longtime manager at Robin's bookstore, Philadelphia's oldest independent bookseller, died Wednesday, Nov. 11, after a two-year battle with esophageal cancer.
A Center City resident, Mr. Hogan was well-known to book lovers who flocked to Robin's not only for books but also to experience the place as a community center, counterculture magnet, and performance space for artists, poets, musicians, and teachers - many of them iconoclasts.
Beset by consolidation in publishing, online mail-order houses, and e-books, the store closed in 2012.
"This was a place to hang out, meet people, talk about ideas," Mr. Hogan had said, "and that's what I'll miss the most."
Mr. Hogan was born and educated in Philadelphia. After a stint in the Army, during which he earned the ire of his sergeant by reading highfalutin books such as Dostoyevsky's The Brothers Karamazov, Mr. Hogan joined the bookstore founded by the grandfather of his friend Larry Robin.
Mr. Hogan and Robin met as teenagers when Mr. Hogan dated the sister of Robin's friend. They were several years apart at Central High School.
Starting in 1964, Mr. Hogan ran a satellite store at 1837 Chestnut St. The shop sold new books. But as its fortunes dimmed, he switched to used books.
When the store closed, Mr. Hogan brought his expertise to secondhand-book sales at the main store at 108 S. 13th St. Adding rare books, he presided over both areas until Robin's shut forever in December 2012.
"We've kept it going mostly through Larry's stubbornness and commitment to the community," Hogan said in October 2012 as the closing was announced. "I've been working without a salary for a long time, and so has Larry. It may be time."
Mr. Hogan reveled in the eclectic mix of customers who visited Robin's, ranging from tattooed factory workers to lovers of African American literature (in which the bookstore specialized) to Philly conventioneers to Kurdish filmmakers.
The pianist Yuja Wang sold him her used music textbooks when she was a student at the Curtis Institute of Music. The store then resold them.
Robin, Mr. Hogan's working partner in the book business, described him as open, friendly, and easy to talk to. Robin brought an analytical quality to the duo; Mr. Hogan "was a little more towards humanity."
"The wonderful thing about the book business is you talk about ideas and books and language," Robin said. "Lots of people became friends, and these discussions were meaningful."
When not working, Mr. Hogan enjoyed reading, vacations on Cape Cod, overseas travel, and riding his bike in Center City without a helmet, said his wife, Inquirer columnist Trudy Rubin. He could also draw and write.
Besides his wife, he is survived by sons Seth and Chris, a grandson, and several nieces and nephews. His first wife, Jacqueline Noel Hogan, died in 1993.
Mr. Hogan's family chose cremation. Plans for a memorial service were pending.
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