Modern Book Shop
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The Modern Book Shop was a book store operated by Mary Boggs Southard. She opened the shop in 1940 in the former Jane Speed's Book Store space at 1907 5th Avenue North.
In a letter published in the Birmingham Post on July 11, 1940, Southard described harassment ordered by Birmingham City Commissioner Bull Connor, which included her arrest and release without formal charges, and a public pledge by Connor to question and arrest anyone frequenting "Communist places", which she interpreted as an attempt to frighten away customers.
By 1941 she had moved the shop to the Clark Building at 404½ 20th Street North. The store closed by 1942.
References
- "Mary Southard's Comment on Connor." (July 11, 1940) The Birminghanm Post, p. 4