Carla Cohen, one of the two co-owners of Politics & Prose, passed away early this morning. She was 74 years old and suffering from a rare form cancer.

The owners of Politics & Prose have been seeking new owners to buy them out for some time now. Carla Cohen and Barbara Meade turned the bookstore into a nationally recognized bookstore and a DC institution. Even as Barnes & Noble and Borders have struggled, Politics & Prose has, according to all reports, remained solidly profitable. It is believed that there are a number of would-be buyers, but that they were looking for someone they could count on to maintain the store’s cultural, as well as business, legacy.

Like Sylvia Beach, we should recognize the contributions to modern literature of people like Ms. Cohen, who provided a place where books where properly and respectfully flourish.