In Spain, it’s Circulo de Lectores; in Germany, it’s Der Club; but in America, it is no more. An international book club operated by Bertelsmann that uses door-to-door salesman to deliver catalogs and books to members’ homes has decided to sell its American branch. Many of the clubs have operated virtually unaltered since the nineteen-seventies, but the Internet and the widespread availability of cheap books have eaten into profits. It’s not all bad news, though: the clubs are increasingly popular in Ukraine.—Macy Halford

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