About

In Memory of Joe W. Bratcher III

It is with heavy hearts that we must let you all know about the loss of Malvern Books’ owner and founder, Joe W. Bratcher III. Joe passed away on Thursday, July 28th, 2022, due to complications from Covid. We are all devastated by the loss of our dear friend, and we can’t believe he is gone. We miss him beyond words and our hearts go out to his family.


Now closed, Malvern Books was a bookstore and community space for literary enthusiasts in Austin, Texas. It was open for just over nine years, from October 2013 until the end of 2022. We specialized in visionary literature and poetry from independent publishers, with a focus on lesser-known and emerging voices the world needs to hear. Our inventory was lovingly curated and delightfully idiosyncratic, with one common thread running from shelf to shelf: we sold books we love to read and were proud to press enthusiastically into your hands. As long-time Austinites, we were also thrilled to provide a community space for book lovers. We hosted book and poetry readings and musical performances, and provided a friendly meeting space for book clubs.

Piers PlowmanAnd if you’re wondering about the name, Malvern was chosen in honor of the great Medieval poet William Langland and his epic “The Vision of Piers Plowman.” It doesn’t get as much love these days as The Canterbury Tales or the chivalrous (but slightly behead-y) adventures of Sir Gawain, but it’s one of the most significant works of Middle English, and well worth a read if you like that sort of thing, i.e. mad quests, spiritual visions, and a trio of allegorical characters—Dowel (“Do-Well”), Dobet (“Do-Better”), and Dobest (“Do-Best”)—who could teach those wise monkeys a thing or two about proverbial threesomes.

Contact us: Malvern Books is now closed, but if you’d still like to reach us, please email becky@malvernbooks.com.