Founder of Olsson's books has died

John E. Olsson, who was the founder and proprietor of Olsson's Books and Records, the venerable Washington-area institution that once dominated the local bookselling market, died Oct. 28 at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring of a heart attack. He was 78.

At its height, Olsson's was the go-to neighborhood bookstore - and music shop - for much of the Washington region. It boasted nine branches in the city and surrounding suburbs, anchored by a location in Georgetown where shoppers navigated aisles made tight by overflowing books, records and compact disks.

Read more about Mr. Olsson at Post Mortem.