I think you might have hit it with the &quot;intellectual&quot; aspect.  Which is curious, in some respects because booksellers are mere merchants rather than producers (artists) one might stretch it and say they are curators (but any merchant is a curator).<p>With regard to knives, there are some people who do sit down and discuss process and knifemaker and tradition, history of a particular blade, provenance, etc.  So it does happen.  Chefs tend to have favorites.  Swordspeople tend to have favorites.<p>But I have to admit, I think your point about perceived &quot;intellectualism&quot; might have merit (and explains the book part, but not the bookstore part but perhaps it&#x27;s social aspect of the bookstore as you imply.