CIROBE co-founder Marshall Smith died yesterday, November 10, 2009, in Franklin, Indiana, according to CIROBE officials who sent out an email Wednesday evening. Smith was traveling back from CIROBE to his bookstore in Key West, Florida. He had stopped for the night in a hotel and passed away Tuesday.
 
Smith has been in the remainder, bargain book industry for many years. He early days included stints as a traveling remainder sales person covering the Southeast and Midwest territories for Outlet Book Co., Texas Bookman, Assorted Book Company, Marboro, and other remainder firms.
 
In 1991 he and Bradley Jonas founded CIROBE, the Chicago International Remainder Overstock Exposition which just wrapped up this past weekend. Since the late 1990's he has also owned and operated Key West Island Books to share his love of Hemingway and pirate books with book lovers in the Florida Keys.
 
Smith is survived by three siblings and their families, by many friends both in and out of the book business, and by his beloved Ohio State Buckeyes.
 
He will be greatly missed by the Bargain Book World.