WASHINGTON — Jim Toole, the well-known and beloved former owner of Capitol Hill Books in Southeast D.C. has passed away.
The store announced Toole's death on X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram Monday morning.
"[Toole] will be dearly missed," the store account said. "He was one of a kind."
Toole, also known as The Admiral, owned the used book store from 1995 to 2018. He continued working at the store after selling to employees, according to reporting from the Washington Post.
Many on social media shared their stories of the curmudgeonly man who often made their day when walking into the store.
"Jim helped my husband propose to me," said Instagram user kclynngurley. "Together they picked out The Essays of Michel de Montaigne which Jim thought was a perfect book to hide a ring both because of its size and content. And then Jim did some improvisational acting when we came to the store to pick up the book I didn't know would play a part in the proposal later that day. It was the only time I saw Jim nervous. Many years later, I introduced Jim to our son and said they shared a mutual love of poetry and on the spot Jim recited Yeats from memory and it was every bit as good as if we'd been sitting at The Lewisham Theatre. Just a truly special, legend of a man. ❤️"
On X, Emily Dufton shared a photo of a copy of The Phantom Tollbooth with a handwritten note from Toole.
"In 2013 I asked him to hold onto “The Phantom Tollbooth” for me if he came across a copy," Dufton wrote. "This is how he saved it. I’ve kept that card in the book ever since. RIP Jim ❤️"
"Jim Toole belongs among the pantheon of great people in the history of our town for his famously acerbic wit and his knowledge + understanding of literature and our wider world. He was a classic," said Instagram User robvonschneider. "I hadn't seen Jim in years, but whenever I did, he was a favorite person to be around."
Some called Toole a "fabric of the community," while others shared stories but all agreed that The Admiral will sorely be missed.
Targeted books increasingly center around characters and issues "of people who are gay, trans, Black, Indigenous, people of color, immigrants, and refugees."