Bookstore Guide

Shakespeare & Company, Vienna

2009-11-29T16:14:00.008+01:00

Where? Vienna, Austria

Visited in November 2009

Although the primary goal of our recent trip to Vienna has been the Vienna Book Fair (Buchmesse), we were equally looking forward to paying a visit to a local independent English bookstore by the name of Shakespeare & Company, which was yet to be added to our Guide. We were contacted by the bookstore's owners a while ago, and instead of seeking recommendations from their regular visitors, we used this opportunity to see it for ourselves. And after a short stroll from the crowded Stephansplatz and a retreat to surprisingly silent side streets, we found ourselves in front of a bookstore bearing the famous name Shakespeare & Co. completely submerged in a world of its own.

As we were informed, this is actually the oldest part of the Austrian capital, called the Ruprechtsviertel and it has been inhabited since the year 14BC. The silent legacy of different times and different cultures this place has witnessed is a great setting for Shakespeare & Co. One of the first questions we've asked its owners was related to the tradition associated with this name, and we were told, that although there are no direct links between this bookstore and the notorious Shakespeare & Co in Paris, they share the same ideals and philosophy. However, the peaceful atmosphere of the bookstore and its location are in striking difference to its French counterpart.

It's kind of symbolic that during the time of our visit the bookstore was undergoing a rather important alteration - the sign hanging above its entrance was being changed (photo documentation of this event in Report from Vienna). However, you can't really call it a modernization, as the owners actually decided to put back an older picture of the booktsore's patron - William Shakespeare. On the other hand, Shakespeare & Company is surely not stuck in the past, as the modern open minded approach of its owners is reflected in the bookstore's stock and interior, but also in a touch of eccentricity, usually associated with all the true independent bookstores. We could mention that the books lack price tags (so in order to find out the price you need to ask) or that smoking in the bookstore is permitted (at least for the owners).

The selection of books in Shakespeare & Company turned out to be a most pleasant surprise. The stock, neatly divided into numerous sections (some of them with great names such as 'funky literature'), spreads over two rooms and it covers pretty much everything. All in all, Shakespeare & Company in Vienna is a unique place where indeed it is very likely that 'you'll let yourself be found by a book' as the bookstores motto suggests.

Shakespeare & Company
Address:
Sterngasse 2
1010 Vienna

Website: http://www.shakespeare.co.at

Phone and Email:
0043 1 535 50 53
booksellers@shakespeare.co.at

Working Hours:
Mon-Sat 9-21

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The Bookcase, Lowdham

2009-11-17T11:10:00.010+01:00

Where? Lowdham, Nottingham, UK

Recommended by: Abigail Rhodes

Abi said: "I notice there is nothing on bookshops in Nottingham, not surprising as most of them are big business ones! There is a lovely little shop called The Bookcase, which is in Lowdham, and here is my recommendation for that too: The Bookcase in the small village of Lowdham is a beautiful little independent book shop on the outskirts of Nottingham. They have books by local Nottingham authors, a wide range of gifts (such as cards and candle holders - I bought a candle holder from there years ago and it still looks lovely on my bookshelf!), supply schools with resources and have a partnership with the Lowdham Festival held every year."

The Bookcase is a very nice example of how an independent bookshop can become an integral part of the social life of the community and for the village of Lowdham near Nottingham, it definitely stood up to its slogan - "more than a bookshop". The owner of this bookstore is Jane Streeter who has been the key figure in The Bookcase since its opening in September of 1996. Along with a team of dedicated employees, she managed to bring the bookshop of her dreams into life. In its 13-year existence, The Bookcase has profiled as a respected independent bookshop and also as a steady pillar of the local community.

When it comes to the stock, the main ambition of the owner is to keep it as varied and attractive as possible and it reflects both the taste of their customers and the staff. A wide range of other products (cards, stationary, gifts) can also be found at the bookshop. The Bookcase also has its own publishing branch called the Bookcase Editions. Although it has published only six titles so far, we recommend that you check their selection, as we really appreciated their very wide and open-minded scope and their decision to publish local authors.

The bookshop's special activities include supplying books at discounted prices to over fifty schools. Authors' readings and other book-related events are held throughout the year at the bookshop's premises. Besides bringing authors with an international reputation to the small village of Lowdham, the Bookscase closely cooperates with the local Nottingham writers. For a decade now the bookshop has held annual book and film festivals which enjoy a high popularity among the locals.

The Bookcase

Address:

50 Main Street

Lowdham

Nottingham, NG14 7BE

Website: http://www.thebookcase.co.uk

Phone and Email:

0115 9664143

janestreeter@thebookcase.co.uk

Working Hours:

Mon-Wed 9-17

Thu 9-19:30

Fri 9-17

Sat 9-16

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Okian, Brasov & Bucharest

2009-11-08T14:45:00.007+01:00

Where? Brasov & Bucharest, Romania

Recommended by Alexandra Craciun

The following bookstore makes for another addition to an area of South-Eastern Europe already rich in bookstores with English titles on stock - Romania, namely Bucharest. Operating for around 15 years, Okian is a Brasov based bookstore (these being their main premises), although they do have another location in the country's capital (opened in 2008). The Brasov based Okian can be found in the historical part of the town, in an old, sophisticated building, reconstructed for the bookstore's needs: large spacious rooms for various conferences, cultural activities, reading corners and even galleries where regular exhibitions are held.

Among the bookstore's large stock of some 6000 books (out of which one third is in the English language), various categories of books can be found. These are mainly psychology, law, marketing and management, biographies as well as books on various school subjects such as physics, chemistry or geography. Okian has been the exclusive distributor of Pearson Longman ELT in Romania, thus it isn't a surprise that many of Longman's publications can be found within their walls. Thus, Okian makes a perfect resource for those who want to study English. However, the scope of this bookstore reaches way past quality study materials for the students of English, as Okian is generally considered as a great option whether you're looking for non-fiction academic titles or you feel like browsing through a selection of British and American fiction literature. What's more, if Okian doesn't have a book that you need in their stock, they are most likely going to be able to order it for you via their on-demand service.

Okian is truly a great mixture of a local bookstore, an art gallery and a cultural institution which is definitely greatly appreciated by the growing number of expats in Romania but also by all the locals, as it grants them unrestricted access to English language titles.

Website: http://okian.ro

Phone and Email:
0268.547.367
email via form on website

Okian (Brasov)
Address:
Str. Muresenilor 1
(in Piata Sfatului)
Brasov

Working Hours:
Mon-Fri 10-18
Sat 9-13

Okian (Bucharest)
Address:
Str. Vasile Lucaciu 2,
Sector 3, Bucuresti

Working Hours:
Mon-Fri 10-18

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The Watermill Bookshop, Aberfeldy

2009-11-02T19:46:00.014+01:00

Where? Aberfeldy, Scotland, UK

Recommended by: Karey Shane

Karey said: "I just spent a lot of time on your website and realized that The Watermill, in Aberfeldy, Scotland has the same feel as the bookstores you show pictures of. The basement has a delightful café. I just went to their website and noticed they were voted the best independent bookshop in Scotland. The owners are Jayne and Kevin Ramage. My husband and I were there in 2008 and had a wonderful time there. We purchased To Kill a Mockingbird from Mary and read it out loud to each other in the nearby B & B, Aillean Chraggan."

There are so many aspects which make the Watermill Bookshop special and well worth all the praise and recognition it has received that it's difficult to choose which one to start with. Beginning from the name - this independent bookshop is housed in a former watermill in Abefeldy in the Pertshire Highlands of Scotland. The transformation of the watermill into The Watermill wasn't an easy task and it hasn't gone unnoticed as it received appreciation from the architectural and design community.

The Watermill's rise to stardom was a fast one - opened in May 2005, it was recognized as the Scottish Independent Bookshop of the year for 2006 and in 2008 it was selected as the best Independent Bookshop in the entire UK. The bold decision to start a project like this in a less populated location has obviously paid off. The stock of the bookshop comprises about 5000 titles and is of highest quality as well. The children's section is one of its highlights, books on Scotland, but also on art and design belong to its other strong points. Books for the youngest occupy a special room and reading groups for kids are also held in the bookshop on regular basis.

However, the old mill houses more than the bookshop - the underground floor was turned into a fairtrade cafe which offers the finest coffee far around, quality tea and even some pastry, organic sandwiches and soups. As if all this wasn't enough, there is an art gallery at the top floor which offers a collection of prints and a program of contemporary art exhibitions which you can follow on their website, and you can also browse through a small collection of music CDs. To get a better idea, we recommend a personal visit, however if you're too far away and don't feel like waiting, take a virtual tour on their website.

The Watermill Bookshop
Address:
Mill Street
Aberfeldy, Perthshire, PH15 2BG

Website: http://www.aberfeldywatermill.com

Phone and Email:
01887 822896
info@aberfeldywatermill.com
bookshop@aberfeldywatermill.com

Working Hours:

Mon-Sat 10-17 (17:30 in summer)

Sun 11-17 (17:30 in summer)

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Housmans, London

2009-10-29T21:21:00.008+01:00

Where? London, UK

Recommended by Abi Rhodes

Abi said: "Housmans is one of London's oldest radical, independent bookshops. Open since 1945, it has the feel of a bookshop that knows what it is talking about and with regular events it keeps itself up to date. On the 14th November 2009 Housmans' celebrate their 50th anniversary"

Housmans bookshop is indeed one of a radical sort - a bookshop with both a good reputation and a long tradition. It opened its doors over 60 years ago - the official date of opening being October 26th 1945 although the concept and its roots go back as far as 1930s and the great upsurge of the British pacifist movement. During those years, young people would gather at what used to be a temporary bookshop. They would debate and listen to the lectures of Dick Sheppard - the founder of the Peace Pledge Union. The following period of its operation is characterized by working on and off and constantly changing locations pre- and during the Second World War. During these turbulent years, writer and a playwright by the name of Laurence Housman suggested the bookshop found a permanent location and tried to promote pacifist ideas and human rights. Thus, in 1945, in the honor of his name, Housmans Bookshop started its long voyage. Throughout the bookshop's long history, many interesting events have taken place - perhaps the most shocking ones to mention would be the IRA bomb which blew up the pillar box outside the shop in 1974, the letter bomb of 1978 which caused burns to a staff member's hands and other, luckily, not so successful attacks on this radical little place.

Naturally, the bookshop of such calibre specializes in politics, political theory, peace studies and world affairs (even those very hard-to-track publications). Furthermore, various materials promoting peace, the environment, sexual freedom, equality can be found within the store, as well as various zines and periodicals, newspapers and magazines, and even fiction and non-fiction - both new and second-hand (and for the price of £1!).

Located near the edge of London's very center - just a few minutes from the famous King's Cross, Housmans prides in both being the first and one of the last remaining radical bookshops, its main goal being to promote peace and human rights and it has undoubtedly managed to stay true to its strong political stance. And although the bombs shattered the bookshop's walls, they never succeeded in shattering the ideas behind them, so we have all the reasons to believe that the people of London will be able to enjoy its presence for a long time to come.

Housmans
Address:
5 Caledonian Road
London N1 9DX

Website: http://www.housmans.com/

Phone and Email:
020 7837 4473
shop@housmans.com

Working Hours:
Mon-Fri 10-18:30
Sat 10-18

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Goga Bookshop, Novo Mesto

2009-10-25T09:39:00.009+01:00

Where? Novo Mesto, Slovenia

Recommended by: Matic Bobnar

Matic said: "Goga Bookshop is located in the town of Novo Mesto in the south-east of Slovenia, and it is basically an NGO. What makes it special in our country is the fact that it is specialized in selling only high quality books (most bookshops in Slovenia also sell office material such as pencils, paper clips...), it also offers a small collection of CDs (namely jazz and world music) and off course coffee. Goga bookshop is an integral part of Goga publishing house."

Goga bookshop most definitely belongs to that rather rare and precious category of bookshops which deserve to be called an institution. The scope of Goga's cultural activities is really impressive Judge for yourselves: it is a publishing house, focused mainly on out-of-mainstream titles, but it also publishes music - jazz and world music being its specialties. The publishing house preceded the bookshop by 2 years as it started operating in December of 1998. The publishing of their first book in the early 2000 was soon followed by the opening of the bookshop, which started welcoming customers in its modest premises in the old town part of Novo Mesto in 2000. The millennium year was very busy for Goga, as it also witnessed the launching of the Goga Music record label.

Besides this, the bookshop also works as a café and it houses a wide range of cultural activities. An important part of the bookshop is its atrium, which you can see in one of our pictures. This space is often used for exhibitions, performances or discussions organized by Goga, which is known for supporting young artists. Saying that Goga Bookshop is an integral part of the local cultural scene is definitely not an exaggeration as the bookshop organizes or participates in more than hundred events every year. And although Goga is active in many fields, it's still primarily a bookshop and the vast majority of its activities have to do with the literary scene.

As of now, Goga doesn't pay any special emphasis to English books, and its English stock consists mainly of editions distributed or published by Slovenian editors. However, if you're interested in finding out more about Slovenia, its culture, nature, history or literature, you'll surely be able to choose. If you'd like to discover a country through its literature, you'll surely appreciate English translations of selected Slovenian authors such as France Prešeren, Srečko Kosovel, Vladimir Bartol and others.

Goga Bookshop
Address:
Glavni trg 6
8000 Novo mesto

Website: http://www.zalozba-goga.si/

Phone and Email:
+386 7 3930801
goga@zalozba-goga.si

Working Hours:
Mon-Fri 9-19

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Bergli Bookshop, Basel

2009-10-15T20:21:00.013+02:00

Where? Basel, Switzerland

Recommended by: Martin Hirsch from Basel

Martin said: "All I ask of any city I live in is a few cozy cafés, some nice restaurants, a good record shop and a book store that feels like a second home. As an expat New Yorker living in Switzerland, I've found the latter in my adopted home of Basel, where Bergli Books quickly became a regular stop on my Saturday jaunts through town. It has a homeyness and hospitality that I've always found wanting at the larger English bookstore a few blocks away. And despite its miniature dimensions it houses a wonderful, well-organized and diverse selection of the latest novels and nonfiction from America and around the world, along with classics, self-help and language books and everything you could ever want to know about Switzerland. And if they don't have it, they'll order it, in a flash. Anything I've ever sought, from Paul Auster to Elmore Leonard, Philip Roth to Italo Svevo - Bergli's proprietress Dianne Dicks or her staff have found for me on the shop's shelves or quickly looked up online and had in my hands within a few days to a couple of weeks for really difficult-to-find selections. Add to that the shop's extraordinary calendar of special events - book discussions, writers' evenings and poetry readings - and you've got much more than a book shop: you've got a little cathedral of enrichment in the middle of a quaint, central European city. Basel may not have a decent record shop, but I hope it always has Bergli."

The name Bergli is associated with the publishing house Bergli Books and the independent bookstore Bergli Bookshop. Both of these institutions were founded by Dianne Dicks, an expat living in Switzerland, and the story behind it is definitely an inspiring one. As Dianne was unable to find a publisher for her collection of stories about life in Switzerland entitled Ticking Along with the Swiss, she decided to take matters into her own hands and in 1990 she founded her own small publishing house - Bergli Books. Even today, the titles published at Bergli are focused on the specifics of the Swiss way of life. Twelve years later, in 2002, Bergli became involved in selling books as well. Bergli Bookshop in the very center of Basel at the Rümelinsplatz has slowly become known as a place which offers a pleasing collection of English titles but also a very diverse selection of (mostly) book-related events - just to illustrate, we even found a report describing a whiskey tasting evening held at Bergli.

Bergli can be translated from German as a "little mountain" and this little mountain of English language literature surrounded by the tall peaks of the Swiss Alps deserves to be noticed. Whether you're a Swiss native wishing to perfect your English skills, an expat keen on staying in touch with the latest events on the English language literary or someone eager to find out more about Swiss culture, cuisine or even humor, if you pick the Bergli Bookshop as your starting point, you certainly won't be disappointed.

Bergli Bookshop
Address:
Rümelinsplatz 19
CH-4001 Basel

Website: http://www.bergli.ch

Phone and Email:
+41 61 373 27 77
info@bergli.ch

Working Hours:
Mon-Fri 18:30
Sat 9-17

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Top 5: Travel Bookstores

2009-09-30T20:03:00.027+02:00

Putting together Europe's best travel bookstores and limiting them by a certain number (in our case: 5) was certainly a difficult challenge. For one, bookstores specializing in travel literature are certainly not a rarity and - although our wish to have more of these remains - it was definitely effortful to pick the best ones - and still, some may argue with our choice as there probably are bigger and/or better travel specialized bookstores somewhere out there, in Europe, of course. Thus, we welcome you to counterargument if you know of any bookstores we were yet not aware of and we'll do our part of adding the additional readers' picks.

Before we move on to the very Top5, perhaps we should say a word or two about travel bookstores per se. What makes them stand out among your ordinary bookstores is the fact that many of them carry very little Sci-Fi novels, no school textbooks, nor chicklit. As a matter of fact, they carry very little fiction altogether - apart from some travel related novels which may be useful as they depict a certain area - although these themselves usually border with non-fiction (perhaps it's also important to note that these represent a special genre in English literature). What travel bookstores have is literature related to countries, peoples, cultures, histories, customs: maps, travel guides, stories recording travelers' experiences and travel journals (together known as travelogues), various phrase books, dictionaries, encyclopedias, anthologies, etc.

And while many people today prefer to find all the information about the place they're going to online, there are, thankfully, still those who prefer to have a more comprehensive and binded paper edition of their favorite Lonely Planet, Frommer's, Fodor's, DK Eyewitness, Rough Guide or whichever they fancy.

Daunt Books, London

As always, the most difficult task when compiling a Top5 is to pick the number one. No matter how excellent nr.1 is, there are always those who could argue or dispute its lead. Nontheless, guided by our previous experience, we've decided to remain a tad subjective and thus award the title of 'the best' to Daunt Books of London. Oh, needless to add, most of our travel specialized bookstores are located in the capital of the United Kingdom, which is sort of natural considering that most of the books are even printed there and that English is the official language of the country. However, we have tried to include other (continental) travel bookstores in the Top5.

Daunt Books in Marylebone High St. is often given the attribute of being THE travel bookstore or even London's finest bookshop and judging by the number of positive comments on the web, these might well not be overstatements by any means. The enormous stock is organized in a rather interesting way: by countries and thus it makes it easier for browsing. What about the stock's quality? Well, you certainly won't feel like something is missing since Daunt Books indeed has it all: travel guides, hotel guides, maps, phrase books, travel writing, hist ory, biographies, various recipes and books on cooking, books on flora and fauna, coffee table books, photography books and even fiction, poetry, holiday reading, books for children. Besides the new stock, Daunt also holds a considerable amount of second-hand books. What more could you ask for from a travel bookstore?

Stanford's, London

Although in the second position in this highly subjective Top5, Stanford's is definitely worth all the praise. Established in 1853 by Edward Stanford, it is one of the oldest travel bookstores in Europe. With such a top location (Stanford's is located in the center of the kingdom's capital) this bookstore is easily located by millions of tourists who come to London daily. The visitors to Stanford's have a unique bookbrowsing experience - you can browse through their stock while literally walking on maps - from the map of London to the huge National Geographic world map on various floors.

As for the bookstore's stock, Stanford's probably has everything you need: maps and books on Western Europe occupy one whole floor, while the rest of Europe resides above it. Furthermore, there are various globes of all sizes, travel lit, world music and film accompanied by travel accessories. The whole deal is organized by countries and thus easy to locate. However, if you have trouble finding the book you want or want to see if Stanford's has it in advance, their fabulous and easy-to-use online catalog will help you find the book you're looking for. Also, remember to check their fantastic monthly offers, such as 3 for 2 or the book of the month at 10 pounds off and many more.

Altair, Barcelona

A travel, anthropology and nature bookstore - as stated on their website - Altair, with their two locations (one in Madrid and the other in Barcelona) is Spain's foremost travel literature paradise. The Barcelona based store is by far larger than the Madrid one, more known and better stocked (still, the one in Madrid is not that far behind any of the bookstores present in this Top5). Altair's amazing stock surpasses 60.000 publications - the most extensive selection of travel guides, maps of almost any imaginable place in the world - and all that not just in Spanish and Catalan but also in over a dozen different languages. What's more, Altair specializes in Europe as a region so it is not a surprise that most of their stock comprises of European related travel lit. The Barcelona bookstore itself was opened long ago, in 1979 and it has built a reputation of being a cultural place for idea exchange, a meeting spot for all the travelers in the world and for people of ubiquitous interests.

Stanley & Livingstone, The Hague

It's not very common to open English bookstores which are specialized in one specific field of the book market in continental Europe. For this simple reason, this Top 5 is quite understandably dominated by bookstores from the British capital. The amazing Altair in Madrid managed to squeeze in the top three however and although this may come as a surprise, one more place was snatched by bookstore in a smaller (compared to the likes of London or Madrid) Dutch city of Den Haag - Stanley & Livingstone. And it's not only the original name, although we like it very much, that has earned this bookstore a spot among the selected few. The satisfaction of the multinational and multilingual clientele of this bookstore is the best evidence that Stanley & Livingstone deserves to be noticed by all those who have a passion for discovery and new destinations.

Travel Bookshop, London

If someone gave the guys (and/or gals) of the Travel Bookshop a penny every time they mentioned the infamous bookshop with regards to Hugh Grant (playing the sales assistant opposite a movie star, played by Julia Roberts, in Notting Hill), they'd be billionaires (or at least full of pennies in jars). But however it may seem, the Travel Bookshop has (unconsciously perhaps) built its fame on it. Still, the bookstore is well worth all the praise and deserves a firm spot in our Top5. Founded in 1979 (the same year as nr. 3 on this list), the Travel Bookshop had nested itself among various galleries and affluent and fashionable stores and restaurants of one of London's most cosmopolitan areas. Still, they have persevered and retained their independent feel to carry on distributing various travel related literature to their readers. Within the bookstore you'll find an immense offer of guide books, travelogues, travel literature, photographic titles, maps, atlases, biographies, histories - all arranged by countries. Furthermore, you'll find a (more than a) neat range of rare, second-hand and antiquarian books definitely worth paying attention to.

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Check out our other Top5s:

Top 5: Oldest Bookstores on the Continent
(with an Additional Reader's Pick)

Top 5: Central Europe

Top 5: Impressive Appearance

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Back to the list of all Top5 categories

An Interview with an Antiquarian Bookseller: The Caretaker

2009-09-16T21:53:00.021+02:00

By guest blogger Sheila Markham

The article you are about to read is a great treat for anyone with a passion for books and an interest in the art of bookselling. The UK based author Sheila Markham has undertaken a demanding but rewarding project of offering a deeper insight into the lives of people behind the counter of selected second-hand and antiquarian bookstores. A series of her interviews with these booksellers started appearing in a booktrade magazine The Bookdealer in 1991 and in 2004 a selection of 50 among them was published in a book entitled A Book of Booksellers: conversations with the antiquarian book trade. This collection presents an exclusive behind-the-scenes testimonial of the dramatic transformations the booktrade has undergone since the early 1990s. Through their ambitions, successes, struggles, dreams and tons of experience in bookselling, we get to know a whole assemblage of unique and peculiar individuals with a shared love of books as a common link.The piece she has selected for our series of articles on independent bookselling is with Sabrina Izzard of Hall's Bookshop in Tunbridge Wells, a long-established independent bookshop selling antiquarian and secondhand books.

***

Nobody grows up saying that they want to be an antiquarian bookseller. It is not one of the established career options. My father was a journalist and my mother was Molly Izzard, whose books included A Private Life, in which she recounts her experiences as the wife of a foreign correspondent, trying to raise a family of four children in some of the trouble spots of the world. My oldest brother was born in Delhi when my father was reporting on the partition of India, and I was born in Egypt just before the Suez Crisis. In 1958, we returned to this country and settled in Tunbridge Wells.

I spent quite a lot of my childhood at home due to ill health, and passed the time reading a huge amount. I was omnivorous in my tastes, though I always had a special interest in travel books. As a family, we were very travel-oriented and my father, who was by that stage working on adventure films, would pack us into his Land Rover and we would go off somewhere. Hall’s Bookshop was an important part of my life from an early age. It was my Saturday afternoon outing to walk down into the town and buy books from Harry Pratley at Hall’s. The shop is in Chapel Place behind the Church of King Charles the Martyr, and is an institution in Tunbridge Wells. Reuben Hall had opened it in 1898 in 18 Chapel Place on the site of Knight’s Lending Library.

In 1919 Harry Pratley began his apprenticeship at Hall’s at the age of fourteen on seven shillings a week. In 1922 he was ‘sold’ with the business to Charles Avery, a friend of Hall’s who had a small bookshop in Maidstone. Harry completed his apprenticeship and, when Mr Avery died in 1936, was able to buy the business on the very generous terms offered to him by the family. An important tradition had begun of passing the shop on to those who had worked in it. In 1938 Hall’s moved to its present location in 20 and 22 Chapel Place, where many devoted customers helped him to put up the shelves. Nothing has been changed in the appearance of the shop since that date. Elizabeth Bateman became Harry’s assistant in 1955, and in turn took over the business in 1967, which she ran until her death in 1983.

My first experience of secondhand bookselling was with John Thornton in the mid-1970s. He was dealing in antiques at the time, and had The Chair Shop in Tunbridge Wells, which also had a room of secondhand books. I worked for John for around seven years, and during that time the book side of his business expanded to fill eight rooms. While John was out buying furniture, and at the same time picking up lots of books, I would spend my time in the shop, where I met all the dealers. Mr Howlett, the famous ‘runner’, was a regular visitor and the most wonderful person. He had had a bookshop in pre-War Bromley, where Richmal Crompton had been one of his customers. When I knew him, he was living nearby in Hildenborough, where his wife was kept busy fostering Nigerian babies for the GLC.

Elizabeth Bateman would visit John Thornton’s shop almost every day. I used to put aside books that I thought would be suitable for Hall’s. It was a very convenient arrangement for her - John found fantastic material on his private calls, and Elizabeth was not a driver. She was also in very poor health. One day she asked if I would come and work at Hall’s. I started in 1981 on a pitiful salary, and I was only able to manage because I was living with my mother. All the books were priced in pounds, shillings and pence – Elizabeth having refused to go decimal. There were piles of books hidden under brown paper, slowly accumulating, because Elizabeth was not well enough to price them. She would rather not sell a book than make a mistake. Failure of any kind was not tolerated, and the power of her personality was such that some of her assistants were terrified of her. But essentially she was a very kind person, and felt a tremendous sense of responsibility toward the shop.

Elizabeth had recruited me with the view of training me to take over the bookshop. She had expected to have another four years of active bookselling instead of which she died within eighteen months of my joining Hall’s. I was given the chance, much sooner than I might have expected, to buy the business. I bought it for £10,000, which I paid off within the first eighteen months. In the early days I deliberately copied Elizabeth’s handwriting when pricing books, so that customers might not notice the change of ownership. However word got around that Elizabeth had died, and the shop was extremely busy – no doubt some people thought that the ‘apprentice’ was bound to make mistakes, but most people came to show their support for the shop.

When Harry Pratley heard that I was taking over Hall’s, he immediately sent me a cheque for £1,000. However the ABA demanded the return of our membership plaque, which upset Harry terribly, as a former President of the Association. Actually it was one of the best things that could have happened – it made me feel determined to make it on my own. Harry used to come in to the shop every week and we would discuss what I had bought since his last visit. He kept bringing in good books for me to put in the window and sell. I resisted doing this because I was afraid that these sales would distort the true picture of how the shop was doing. It was essential for the business to be able to survive on what I was able to buy and sell. I can honestly say that I did not relax for the first ten years.

***

Harry Pratley died on 5 May 1987, and the residue of his fine collection of books – he had given most of them away – was sold by Sotheby’s in a three-day sale in January 1988. I spent £1,000 in each day’s sale, as I felt that I needed to be seen to be there and buying books. The following year the local branch manager of Lloyds Bank, which owned the premises of Hall’s Bookshop, came round in person to deliver some very bad news. The bank owned the entire block in which the shop is situated, and they had plans to redevelop it. We were on very friendly terms – indeed he had lent me the money to buy the business. He explained that the decision had been made by the bank’s property people and that, while he personally was on my side, there was nothing he could do to help. When a local journalist heard that Hall’s Bookshop was under threat, he launched a publicity campaign which quite simply snowballed.

There was a public outcry, at first local, then national and finally international. Local people moved their bank accounts away from Lloyds. Tunbridge Wells Borough Council threatened to do the same. Finally a television crew wanted to come down, and I think it was at that stage that Lloyds Bank took an enlightened attitude and relented. The bookshop is so much part of the life of the town, as the publicity storm had so forcefully demonstrated.

In his time Harry Pratley had done an enormous amount to promote good will in the community. He was a prominent figure in the Rotary Club and a great supporter of local charities. The shop always took and continues to take advertising space in the newsletters and publications of the various local clubs, societies and places of worship, and we also display their announcements in the shop. As another gesture of good will, Harry never charged for valuations, and I have followed his example.

I rely almost entirely upon local connections for my stock. When people tell me that the shop is well stocked, I reply that it is thanks to my customers who sell me their books. It surprises me that a lot of book dealers do not like buying from the general public. The nicest part of the job for me is going out on house calls. There is something fascinating about going through someone’s collection of books, and the glimpses that it offers into their life and interests. Buying privately is all about establishing a relationship of trust. I have learnt that it is important to accept the offer of tea or coffee, and to take a little time for everyone to relax. It does not always work. On one occasion I had to deal with an eccentric old lady who wanted her books valued, but would not let me in the house. She kept me standing at the back door, and showed me one book at a time.

It is very rare to go out on a completely wasted house call, although I have been known to suggest that they contact the local dump, which always prompts the response, ‘ we couldn’t possibly throw books away’. I try to explain that there is nothing unique about their books, or indeed most books, and that they will not destroy civilisation by throwing them away – to which they sometimes respond that they would rather give them to me than dump them. I have learnt to say thank you and take them.

***

I depend entirely on part-time assistants to run the shop, because I cannot afford to pay a full-time salary. My best assistants tend to come in, aged fifteen or sixteen, looking for a Saturday job. I have learnt not to employ ex-librarians – they always want to impose order, when the shop requires greater flexibility. I usually hang on to my assistants until they have been through university, and perhaps for a little longer while they are looking for a full-time job. Customers are very indulgent with them if they do not know everything, as long as they show interest in their work. Harry taught me never to be frightened to ask if you do not know something – the customers will teach you, because they are steeped in their subject and like talking about it. Hall’s is a very good training ground and a number of bookmen have begun their careers here. Tony Smith of Heywood Hill worked at Hall’s until John Saumarez Smith spotted his talent and pinched him!

If customers ask us to look for a specific title, we record it in our book and let them know if a copy comes in. We have never advertised for books wanted. Actually I am more likely nowadays to suggest that they ask a grandchild to look for it on the Internet. I am aware of a small number of people buying books from us in order to put them on the Internet. In many cases I think that they misjudge the effort required in packing and processing an order, when you consider what they can add on to my perfectly good price. Sometimes people offer me a book and show me a list of eBay prices for it, completely unaware of the effect of condition, binding or even edition on the value of a book. There is also the trap of being guided by Internet prices if there is only one copy listed. My mother’s book, A Private Life, turned up at the local Oxfam shop priced at £49.50. It is not disloyal of me to say that it certainly is not worth that much. At the same time there was a single copy on ABE, and it was priced at £55. The Internet has a lot to answer for in some of the mad pricing that one comes across.

In the old days, customers would come in to the shop, and you would acknowledge them and then carry on with what you were doing. Nowadays there are so few secondhand bookshops that you have to assume that it might be their first visit to such an establishment. I will now approach them, if they are new to the shop, and offer my assistance. This pro-active method seems to be working. A lot of young people have no affinity with books, referring to them as ‘so last century’. I am sure that books will survive, but the next few years will be critical.

Hall’s is a unique shop and it should have a future. It is firmly based in a town which has been extremely loyal to it, and the fundamentals of how the business is run are sound. When we were threatened with closure, I wondered if it would be possible to make a go of it in another location, but there is something about Hall’s that simply can not be reproduced elsewhere. The shop is all-absorbing and intellectually stimulating – a lifestyle rather than an occupation. I think of myself as the caretaker. I did not create it; I just took over the responsibility for running it. The rent review came up recently and I committed myself to another three years, by which time I shall have given thirty years of my life to the shop. It is easy to stay on too long – you start to get stale, your information is out of date, your health deteriorates. Hall’s deserves to be passed on in good shape. It has the potential to be the last bookshop standing.

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Notes:
This article first appeared in the Bookdealer magazine in December 2008, © Sheila Markham

Several other interviews from this collection can be read online at Sheila's website - www.sheila-markham.com
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Images used:
All images in this article belong to Sheila Markham's private collection
_ _
More articles from this series:
An Insight into the Current State of Independent Bookselling – An Introduction

Independent Bookstores in Danger of Extinction – Who is to Blame?

Independent Booksellers and the Fixed Book Price: a Horror Story?

Chain Bookstores: The Rise, Struggle and Downfall?

Independent Booksellers: What Can Be Done to Help?
_ _
Back to the full list of Articles

Independent Booksellers: What Can Be Done to Help?

2009-09-06T12:17:00.018+02:00

By guest blogger Abigail Rhodes

The second guest blogger to contribute with an article to our growing series focused on independent bookselling is Abigail Rhodes from the UK. Abi has worked for the publishing imprint of the Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation, Spokesman Books, for six years now. She is involved in selling and marketing their books to independent booksellers throughout the UK and the world, alongside developing their website. She also keeps abreast of developments in the book trade within her job and a keen eye on the progress of eBooks technology. She writes regular book reviews for the journal The Spokesman and also happens to be an avid reader in her spare time. Besides her work at Spokesman Books she works as a freelance proof reader and copy editor for other independent book publishers in the Midlands. Her background in the publishing business has enabled her to approach the topic from a unique perspective and to offer noteworthy insights on the indies situation.

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It is a gloomy time at present as the economic crisis takes its toll on all businesses, but, according to research, independent booksellers have been facing a hard time for the last 10 years, with official figures showing a 22% decrease in independent bookshops open in the UK.[1] Big conglomerates have been squeezing out smaller businesses on the high street for years by discounting their stock at ever decreasing prices and the independent shops have simply been unable to keep up with these reductions. So, it seems, there must be a reduction in their presence.

But we really shouldn’t lose heart. According to Valerie Glencross of Sevenoaks bookshop in an interview with Stephen Moss for The Guardian[2], the big chains are eating each other up. The huge discounts given to the most recent popular piece of fiction by supermarkets and online retailers are undermining big high street chains, such as Waterstone’s. By and large, bigger stores are finding themselves in difficulty as they fail to keep up with low prices offered elsewhere. However, the independent bookshop is still the smallest of the group and so will be eaten by the big shops even if they, in turn, are being eaten by bigger businesses. So what can be done? In this article I discuss my experience of how independents, like me, are staying afloat.

I work for the publishing imprint of the Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation, Spokesman Books, which is predominantly a publisher, but we sell our own products too. Currently we have no high street presence in the form of a bricks and mortar building but we do have a good online retail shop. “Online shop, how shocking!”, I hear you gasp. During my research for this piece I came across many voices citing the internet as one of the causes of the demise of the independent bookshop. Yet the more research I did, the further it became apparent that when the internet is mentioned what people are actually referring to is Amazon.co.uk.

This internet giant, which probably offers some of the biggest discounts in the market, is becoming a by-word for (book) shopping online in the same way Google has for search engines. When the average Joe thinks, “I need to buy a book” they will invariably head for Amazon (online) or Waterstone’s (in the high street). So what can be done about the situation? How can independent booksellers overcome these enormous retail powerhouses?

The first way is to join them, because it’ll be difficult to beat them. As an independent publisher, Spokesman Books is in a position to supply many wholesalers. However, they require big discounts that are only just sustainable. We no longer supply Waterstone’s directly because we are a small publisher and therefore the administration costs they incur far exceed the sales our titles generate. So in order to continue to make our books available to the public we go through Gardner’s to stock them. This does mean, however, that we are unable to determine exactly how many of our titles are adorning the shelves of Waterstone’s, because we simply supply a wholesaler with our titles and not any individual store. Recently we joined The Amazon Advantage programme, which is a good way for us to provide our titles directly to Amazon.co.uk, but once again the discount required is pretty hefty.[3]

However, what I have described above isn’t possible for those who are selling books published by others, so my second suggestion is one that is already underway. Independent booksellers need to find a niche in the market, one that enables them to stand out from the big, indistinctive chain stores. If the average Joe’s mindset is to shop only in the big high street or online bookstores then independent shops need to break this habitual thought process and wake the average consumer up.

Our books here at Spokesman had a rare outing to stall at a local book festival held this June in Lowdham, Nottinghamshire. During the course of the day I spoke with the other stallholders, some of whom were local writers and publishers and some were bookshop owners. I asked these people how they were coping in the economic climate and how they are getting customers into their shops. The majority of replies focussed on similar themes – events and atmosphere. By holding regular book signings, readings, talks by authors and an annual small local festival the independent booksellers, in this small area of the Midlands, are grabbing people’s attention.

During my research for this article I discovered that this is endemic amongst independent booksellers across the UK. Some smaller shops, such as Mr B’s Emporium in Bath, have trading hours that suit their clientele and by opening late for ‘pre-dinner browsing’ on Thursdays and Fridays, they are attracting customers. Housman’s in London have a range of events that continue into the early evening and actively seek suggestions “from authors, artists and campaigners who want to use the shop for evening events.” News from Nowhere has a “free online community notice board”, which encourages local organisers to add their event to the website of Liverpool’s “radical and community bookshop”. I could list many, many more, but I want to consider the inclusive nature of these events.

Independent bookshops want customers to come to the shop, but not simply to buy the books they sell. They are encouraging an active participation by their local communities within their local communities, so the shops themselves become an integral part of the neighbourhood. In today’s individualistic society people look for a place to belong; they enjoy being a part of something alongside those that live around them. The big chains provide a service – they make it possible for people to purchase books – but do they enable the members of a community to interact with each other? My local big chain does have events and a coffee shop for their customers, but I always feel it is an anonymous place. The café is bland, expensive and exactly the same as all the others branches I have been to and, apart from the ‘local history section’, the shop tends not to encapsulate the essence of the place it trades in.

The heart of a shop is its customers – the real people that come in to chat and spend time, as well as money – and the independent booksellers know this. In my experience each small shop is unique because the owner/customer dynamic is unique, but the overarching atmosphere is always homely. The independently owned shops care about their customers in a more obvious and genuine way than their big chain rivals. By providing great customer (not consumer) service a sense of being cared for pervades the high street.

Whilst we at Spokesman Books don’t have a high-street shop in which to provide this atmosphere, we do share the ethos of great customer service and one patron was so happy he left us an amiable message on the wall of our Facebook group. As a publisher supplying books to both big chains and small independent shops I find the latter more accommodating and willing to communicate the ideas generated within the titles we sell.[4] There is always a sense of ‘closed shop’ whenever I’ve approached my local branch of Waterstone’s with our book lists, yet when I contact shops like the London Review Bookshop or Bookmarks I always get an inclusive response.

I believe that the public also get more of a ‘come in and browse at your leisure’ invite from their local bookshop and I get the impression that people really do want to be a part of something stimulating, to belong to something that captures the imagination beyond the books themselves and beyond the banality of the chain. So, by providing an inspiring and caring environment within their bookshops the independents draw people in, and by creating a culture, or identity, independent bookshops are not only becoming a part of everyday life for shoppers, they are also creating a space for people to enjoy books outside of their own homes.

My final answer to the question ‘what can be done?’ is framed by the need to raise awareness of the situation in which small bookshop owners find themselves. In late January this year The Guardian ran the article, “MP calls on government to protect struggling independent booksellers”[5], which outlined the response by Nigel Evans, Conservative MP for the Ribble Valley, to the closing of Kaydee, a local bookshop in his constituency. He tabled early day motion 493 ‘Small Businesses’, which called upon the Government to, ‘ensure that small and medium-sized businesses get the support that they both need and deserve in order that they may survive the recession.’ It received only eight signatures. However, it has renewed the interest of the media and sought to elucidate the plight within Parliament.

Much more can, and should, be done to keep small, independent bookshops alive and when I saw The Bookstore Guide’s decision to write a series of articles looking into the current predicament of independent book selling I was inspired. Ivan and Sonja have begun an invaluable discussion that in itself is helping to raise awareness, and which might just be the beginning of a positive turn for us independents.

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References:
[1] Information taken from ‘MP calls on Government to protect struggling independent booksellers’ by Alison Ford, The Guardian, 22 January 2009.
[2] Stephen Moss on Independent Bookshops, The Best Sellers, The Guardian, May 22nd 2006.
[3] Please note that we also supply many independent bookshops across the UK and internationally with our titles.
[4] We supply philosophical, political, economic, peace and human rights and nuclear disarmament titles.
[5] Alison Flood in The Guardian, January 22nd 2009.

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Images used:
1: http://adairjones.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/bookshelf.jpg
2: Waterstone's in Brussels (Bookstore Guide archive)
3: The Red Wheelbarrow in Paris (Bookstore Guide archive)
4: Village Voice Bookshop in Paris (Bookstore Guide archive)
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More articles from this series:
An Insight into the Current State of Independent Bookselling – An Introduction

Independent Bookstores in Danger of Extinction – Who is to Blame?

Independent Booksellers and the Fixed Book Price: a Horror Story?

Chain Bookstores: The Rise, Struggle and Downfall?

An Interview with an Antiquarian Bookseller: The Caretaker
_ _
Back to the full list of Articles

Boekie Woekie, Amsterdam

2009-09-05T13:08:00.013+02:00

Where? Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Recommended by: Cralan Kelder

Cralan said: "Being a poet/writer in Amsterdam, I wanted to draw your attention to Boekie Woekie who carry the only availability to small press and literature in Amsterdam, carrying, for example all the Coracle books, Wild Hawthorn, actually too numerous and microscopic to mention. Boekie Woekie is a store which houses small press books, they have been open for 23 years, many artist books, many of which are works of art themselves. There are journals and literary magazines there from all over the world. There are also many books which are impossible to categorize, increasingly so as visual art and poetry continue to blur (publication) lines."

Amsterdam is one of few European cities where an underground bookstore like this can hope to gain some support and recognition and probably the only city where it could thrive for almost a quarter of a century. Boekie Woekie bookstore was founded by six artists who found their living spaces to be increasingly occupied by books. As the legend goes, the bookstore was born in order to free some space in their apartments but they were also looking to promote their own books (the six of them had around 150 published titles). The shop officially opened on the 1st of January 1986 and for the following five years, the bookstore occupied a tiny room which could hold no more than two people and it only offered books by the six artists who had founded it. The beginning of the 1990s marked big changes in the bookstore's existence as three of the original owners along with one new partner decided to take things to the next level.

This meant moving to a bigger place which enables the owners to stock about 8000 titles and also host small exhibitions. The main mission of this unique bookstore is to provide support and presentation space to self-published authors. The original idea behind the bookstore was to celebrate the love for art shared by the founders and so they decided to sell books only by artists. However, since art is a very subjective and personal matter, the stock of this bookstore reflects all its different forms and variations. In order to give an equal chance to every artist who brings his or her book to the store and also to make up for the lack of financial backing the bookstore uses the consignment sale system.

Another thing that is specific for Boekie Woekie is that it has functioned as a traveling show on several occasions. Within the past 15 years the bookstore has had temporary branches in different cities around Europe. Throughout its whole existence the bookstore's owners held on to their complete independence and their ambition to offer an alternative to the mainstream world of art, which is too often ruled by money. Boekie Woekie is the ultimate proof that an independent bookstore defying all the business trends, market analyses and other managerial tools can survive even in the 21st century, thanks to the passion of the people who stand behind it.

Boekie Woekie
Address:
Berenstraat 16
1016 GH Amsterdam

Website: http://www.boekiewoekie.com

Phone and Email:
31-(0)20-6390507
boewoe@xs4all.nl

Working Hours:
Mon-Sun 12-18

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Chain Bookstores: The Rise, Struggle and Downfall?

2009-08-30T12:13:00.021+02:00

There aren’t as many issues which lead to such contrasting reactions as the question of the influence of chain bookstores on the general condition of the bookmarket. While some praise their contribution in bringing a vast selection of books to places which were previously left blank on the imaginary bookstore map, others identify the chain bookstore with the undertaker of the independent booksellers and blame it practically for every single inconvenience the independents had to face in the past few decades.

Although Bookstore Guide is a blog aimed at supporting independent bookstores, this article is not meant as a crusade against chain bookstores, rather it’s an attempt to offer a balanced stance on this issue and to highlight the most interesting aspects of the chains’ effect on the indies. The topic we’re dealing with is complex and controversial, and we’re fully aware that we won’t be able to cover all its aspects within this article. On the other hand, this opens up the possibility to return to this topic and discuss more specific issues related to chain bookstores in one of the future articles of this series.

To begin with, it is important to clearly state that the local independent bookstore and the (inter)national chain simply cannot be compared in a fair way. Beside the fact that they both sell books, their position on the market is radically different. The independent bookstore prides itself in being a part of the local community and also of the local economy. The chains wish to play on a lot bigger playground and, it’s important to add, often by quite different rules. This ambition becomes evident through their attempts to dominate or at least to secure a strong presence in separate sectors of the bookselling industry. The consequences are obvious – if one actor within the system manages to gain control over several or all of its functions, the whole system will work in its favor. The series of merges, acquisitions and deals gave birth to a reshaped version of the book industry, which offers much better conditions to the powerful chains.

Independent bookstores often work as a sort of testing ground for the chains – if a certain title by a previously unknown author manages to slowly attract a considerable number of readers, only then can it aspire to get some attention from the chains which recognize and attempt to fully use its bestseller potential. To be fair, especially in recent years, many aspiring authors have reported a more open and supportive approach from the local branch of one of the huge chains than from the local independent bookstore. However, one must take into consideration that during the past two decades, indies were pushed into a position where they can’t afford to make any more mistakes, or in other words, to take any risks.

The question of taking risks or of having the luxury to make seemingly bold moves without any actual risk at all plays an important role in the whole debate and clearly shows how the chains enjoy privileges the indies can only dream of. An important factor that contributed to the unprecedented spread of the chains is the policy of returning unsold copies of stocked titles in exchange for credit for different tiles by the same publisher. This practice dates back to the years of the Great depression in the 1930s, when publisher Alfred Knopf invented it in order to encourage the weary booksellers. However, some 60 years later, it enabled to fill the vast spaces of the freshly-built chain bookstores with tons of books at practically no risk. Needless to say, the publishers didn’t protest. Until at some point, the balance has shifted, and suddenly more books were being returned as overstock and less and less new titles were being bought.

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To provide this debate with some relevant and more up-to-date perspective, lets take a look at the period which is most commonly associated with the expansion of chain bookstores – the 1980s and even more so 1990s. A brief excursion into the history of the biggest US chain - Barnes & Noble - should help illustrate the quick rise to stardom in the last decade of the previous century and also the causes of the current struggle.

Barnes & Noble secured its position as a major player at the national level through a series of acquisitions during the 1970s and especially 1980s, coined by the purchase of B. Dalton Bookseller (the second biggest chain in the US at that time) and its 798 bookstores in 1986. Early 1990s marked the beginning of the era of the massive openings of the so-called „superstores“ all over the country. This period was characterized by an unprecedented steroidal growth of large bookstores all over the United States (in reaction to the activities of Barnes & Noble, other chains also decided to enlarge their existing stores and to open new ones). The question arose, how many more bookstores would the market be able to support. However, several other chains decided to ride the same wave and follow the example of Barnes & Noble. The recipe was simple enough – expand, expand and, you guessed it, expand.

Although the superstores proved to be very popular with the public early on, the initial costs were still a heavy burden (each and every one of them cost more than 1 million USD) and the debt of the company began to grow. The next decision of the CEO Leonard Riggio was to take the company public, which became a reality on the 28th of September 1993. This was the time when chains flooded the bookmarket and literally invaded every territory. This was also the time, when independents were forced to wage a war of David against Goliath. For the mainstream audience, the indies’ struggle has been brought to the silver screen in the 1998 romantic comedy You’ve Got Mail with Meg Ryan (as David of course...) and Tom Hanks. Meanwhile, the bookmarket was already undergoing much deeper changes, which were giving both the indies and the chains a hard time to cope with. The end of the 90s marked the beginning of a whole new era with the emergence of a new superforce, which reshaped the reality of bookselling once again – Amazon.com.

However, the future doesn’t seem so bright for the chains anymore as it is becoming quite obvious that these giants aren’t immune to the ongoing transformations of the book market. After a longer period of seemingly unstoppable strengthening of their position on the market, they are facing their own struggles which are calling for a new business strategy. Bestsellers can now be easily bought in supermarkets and usually at a lower price, when it comes to the rest of the stock, many people tend to prefer the vast choice available at online retailers, or the eclectic qualities of independent bookstores. One of the visible results is that chains are slowly changing their stock in an attempt to give more space to products or services, which can be sold at a higher margin. This explains the DVDs, CDs, magazines, all sorts of notebooks, pens, video games and toys, or the offer of drinks, coffee, cakes or other snacks.

It is not uninteresting to draw a parallel with the publishing industry at this point, which has been equally characterized by the merger trend in the same period and paradoxically, it has provoked a backlash in the form of the emancipation of authors. Many independent publishing houses were the victims of the various merging processes, but although the vast majority of mainstream titles is published by a small number of huge publishing conglomerates, independent publishing as such is on a rise. Grass roots publishing initiatives are spreading especially in the United States and self-published authors are becoming more and more common. We would like to return to this topic in one of our future articles. Perhaps radical changes in the structure of the bookselling business will have similar positive effects on independent bookselling, although putting your hopes into this sort of shock therapy is more than questionable.

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So is there any single objective way to interpret the impact of chains bookstores on the book industry and book culture in general? We would say that this task is quite difficult and it depends on your unique personal experience. From the point of view of someone who has lived in a city lacking a decent bookstore, the arrival of a huge chain store is definitely an event worth celebrating. Making books available to a wider audience, that’s the main argument the advocates of chain bookstores bring to the discussion. On the other hand, if you were used to having the opportunity to browse several independent bookstores in your neighborhood, while now you’re left with staring at the window display of the only bookstore left – and its irresistible 3for2 offers and the complete Chicken Soup for the Soul series.

To make the matters a bit more practical, lets imagine the dilemma that those readers who are more aware of the whole problem have to face before entering a bookstore. Does buying a book at a chain bookstore make you a traitor of the whole independent bookselling scene? Does this mean that you should be really careful not to be spotted sneaking out of one of the enemy’s air-conditioned lairs with a plastic bag with a B&N logo tucked under your shoulder in order not to end up condemned and despised by your friends? Our answer is negative as we think that choosing a bookstore, just like choosing a book, is a matter of personal preference and values. It’s perfectly ok for someone who enjoys the atmosphere or the offer of chain bookstores to buy his or her books in the chain of his choice. As long as the act of choosing is involved.

In our opinion, every avid reader thrives in an environment where several bookstores compete for his or her attention with a different selection of titles on their stock. If the chain bookstore would be able to accept this position and function in an environment like this, it would be just one of the legitimate options for the reader/customer and no one would complain. The problem is that more often than not, this is not the case. In the end, the main point of the whole discussion boils down to this, and the arguments like who has a more knowledgeable staff or who has a better selection of contemporary fiction become irrelevant.

Judging the issue from this perspective, it is an undisputable fact that the spread of chain bookstores lead to a narrowing of the reader’s choices and it has left the book market damaged and impoverished. Although the overall number of bookstores has grown, their variety has been significantly reduced. The chains have attempted to realize a rather dull version of the bookmarket, with huge bookstores resembling one another like clones, claiming to be able to satisfy the wish of every single reader with their complete offer. Today, it is already clear that they haven’t succeeded.

The often-quoted statistic proving the ongoing eradication of indies is the dramatically falling membership of the American Booksellers Association which went down from around 5 200 bookstores in 1991 to some 1 700 in 2005. (Collins 2006) But it’s precisely those independents which survived and are still in business which matter the most and make the crucial difference. And more than anything else they prove their ability to survive and even thrive during the difficult times. Although we have focused primarily on the latest chapter of the struggle of independent bookselling, the fact that indies have to fight hard for their bare survival is nothing new and it has been so during the better part of the 20th century.

This also leads us to the perhaps surprisingly optimistic conclusion of this article – there have always been individuals who supported the indies and secured their survival, though the odds were often stacked against them. But these people are devoted to their mission and feel comfortable that they can make a change, instead of giving in to frustration and lethargy. This feeling is strengthened with each happy and content customer leaving their shops. And as long as these people are able to find some sense in what they’re doing and keep their passion alive, independent bookstores will very likely continue to lighten up the bookselling business for some time to come.

References:
Allen, B. (2001): Two—Make That Three—Cheers for the Chain Bookstores, The Atlantic, July/August 2001.
Collins, P. (2006): Chain Reaction - Do bookstores have a future?, Village Voice, May 16th 2006.
Hamilton, A. (2008): Big Chain Bookstore Death Watch
Holt, P. (2008): Holt Uncensored: The Beginning
Independent Bookstores Face Chain-Store Threat, San Francisco Chronicle, 11/29/98.
Company histories: Barnes & Noble
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Images used:
1 & 2: collage made by Bookstore Guide team
3: http://www.ilovebooks.com.mt/shbooks/
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More articles from this series:
An Insight into the Current State of Independent Bookselling – An Introduction

Independent Bookstores in Danger of Extinction - Who is to Blame?

Independent Booksellers and the Fixed Book Price: a Horror Story?

Independent Booksellers: What Can Be Done To Help?

An Interview with an Antiquarian Bookseller: The Caretaker
_ _
Back to the full list of Articles

Words' Worth, Munich

2009-08-26T22:05:00.006+02:00

Where? Munich, Germany

Recommended by: Thomas Ruddy

Thomas said: "I was in Munich last week. A friend recommended that I go by Words' Worth (pun intended), which proved to have been a good tip. It is an unconventional place; see also the relocation warnings on their website. Apparently a sole proprietor has put together a unique collection of books with an emphasis on philosophy, human rights and media studies in the midst of his improvised stacks and sales desk. At least it is a good counterbalance to the commercial emphasis of its large-scale Munich competitor Hugendubel."

The fact that the selection of books on offer in Words' Worth is a matter of highest importance to the owners is expressed in the bookstore's motto - "Fine books for Munich since 1985". Words' Worth was created with the intention to be different than just any bookstore and to provide its visitors with something special. Through the years the name of this bookstore has come to symbolize a true haven with an exquisite selection of titles to all those who prefer to read in English. And we also have to add that it's not common for a bookstore to demonstrate the sense of humor of its owners just by its name.

The stock of the bookstore comprises around 10 thousand titles. The fiction section holds classics from the English-speaking world as well as newly released titles. Books for children, Sci-Fi or mystery novels are also to be found. The non-fiction section is equally strong. You can find books in the field of social sciences (politics, current affairs, history, sociology, psychology or philosophy) as well as books on art (cinema, photography, painting) or a wide selection of biographies. In addition to books, Words' Worth also sells DVDs, audio books and lots of different gift items. British Christmas pudding or brandy butter are on offer during the holidays.

The story of Words' Worth begins in November 1985 and during almost quarter century it has stayed in one street in Munich. It's been originally housed at Schellingstrasse 21, in the backyard of a 19th century building. Words' Worth has opened its second location in the spring of 2003 on the premises of Munich University's Department of English and American Studies at Schellingstrasse 3. This store was originally meant to focus especially on academic titles, but when the owners were forced to give up the original location due to financial issues in November 2006, the whole stock was moved to Shellingstrasse 3, where the bookstore resides to this day.

Words' Worth
Address:
Schellingstrasse 3
80799 Munich

Website: http://www.wordsworth.de/

Phone and Email:
(089) 280 9141 and 283 642
info@wordsworth.de

Working hours:
Mon-Fri 9–20
Sat 10–16

August & September
Mon-Fri 9–19
Sat 10–16

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Books and Beans, Aberdeen

2009-07-30T22:23:00.014+02:00

Where? Aberdeen, Scotland, UK

Recommended by Amy Orr

Amy said: "I wanted to let you know about a fantastic bookstore in Aberdeen that I think deserves some recognition... I am just a big fan of it having shopped there many times before. It is called 'Books and Beans', and is just off Union Street in Aberdeen, UK. It has a huge collection of fiction and non-fiction, far more than you ever see displayed (they have databases for searching what they have in their stock room, retrievable at any time). My particular favourite part of this bookshop is the sci-fi section, which is excellent and far bigger than you'd expect from a normal, non sci-fi orientated bookstore."

This addition to our Guide from Aberdeen in Scotland is a rather hip secondhand bookstore slash café, located in the very center of the city. Books and Beans kicked off in 2003 and, with the help of their excellent service and unique setting, has gained quite a reputation among the locals and tourists alike. It is also the fist independent fair trade café in the city (besides their flavorful coffees and hot drinks, the menu also offers hot homemade soups, salads, sandwiches and various baked goodies).

The ground floor of Books and Beans is occupied by beans i.e. the café itself, while the books are stocked upstairs. To make your bookbrowsing experience more pleasurable, the upper floor is furnished with cozy armchairs, where you can take your coffee with you. Furthermore, the bookstore/café is equipped with 6 personal computers with internet access.

And the stock? Well, we're certain that Books and Beans will not leave you feeling aloof: 15 000 titles selected on the basis of quality of the book and popularity of the author, yet also selected to suit everyone's taste. They are praised for having a collection of books on anything from comics through fiction to law. Their database is searchable, so you can find any title you are interested in immediately. Or you can simply take your time and browse for your pleasure.

Also important to note is the fact that Books and Beans holds readings (seems that poetry readings by Aberdeen's Dead Good Poet's Society are quite popular with their visitors) on a regular basis. Oh, if you thought that's it, you're wrong: the bookstore is also child-friendly - with high chairs, crayons, various games, a children's section of books and even a children's menu in the café. Seems like they've thought of everything.

Books and Beans
Address:
22 Belmont Street
Aberdeen AB10 1JH

Website: http://www.booksandbeans.co.uk/

Phone and Email:
01224 646 438
sales@booksandbeans.co.uk

Working Hours:
Mon-Sat 9:30-16:30
Sun 10:30-15:45

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CEU Bookshop, Budapest

2009-07-30T12:48:00.021+02:00

Where? Budapest, Hungary

Recommended by: Agi Paszabi

Agi said: "The name refers to the Central European University, which is in the next building, and which housed the shop too until a couple of years ago. The shop is an all English, mostly non-fiction and academic book shop, not that big, but definitely well-stocked. They have books on: Philosophy, History, Cultural and Media Studies, Linguistics, Sociology, Law, Political Science, Economics, Anthropology, Business and management, Finance, and Hungary and Eastern Europe. They have Hungarian literature translated to English. And the books of CEU Press (mostly on obscure and not very popular topics of Eastern and Central Europe...). And some literary fiction. They accept orders. Quite helpful in that respect. Prices differ, from around 3 euros to 36-38, but academic books sometimes can be rather expensive. Like Black's Law dictionary for example... They also have some newspapers (Economics, Newsweek, Frankfurter, People, Budapest Sun etc..) and postcards and calendars too. Mostly about Hungary. All in all, friendly place."

The fact that Budapest is a city with a surprisingly extensive and diverse offer of English language bookstores is nothing new to those of you who took a look at our Report from Budapest. Still, the newest addition to our list for this city covers a different field of the book market - the academic books. And as Agi's recommendation suggests, it does so pretty thoroughly.

According to the information available online, this bookstore has the same owner as another bookstore with a great selection of new titles - Bestsellers. It is also closely affiliated with the Central European University founded by George Soros and it is the primary vendor of the titles published by the CEU Press in the city of Budapest. The titles published by CEU Press are especially focused on the history, politics, economy and social issues of the Central, South-Eatern and Eastern Europe, or generally the countries which were under the influence of the Soviet Union during the Cold War years.

All in all, the CEU Bookshop seems like a great place for all the students in the city in search of academic titles in English, as well as for those visitors who are interested in getting their hands on translations of Hungarian authors or academic publications dealing with various issues of the region.

CEU Bookshop
Address:
Zrínyi u. 12
1051 Budapest

Website: none

Phone and Email:
+36 1 327 3096
bookshop@ceu.hu

Working Hours:
Mon-Fri 10-19
Sat 10-14

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Independent Booksellers and the Fixed Book Price: a Horror Story?

2009-07-22T18:08:00.019+02:00

By guest blogger Kim Heijdenrijk

We are glad to introduce the first contribution to our series of articles focused on the current state of independent bookselling by a guest blogger – Kim Heijdenrijk. Kim is the author behind Kimbooktu, a blog on miscellaneous book related subjects, cannily subtitled 'Gadgets for book lovers'. The Netherlands based and born, Kim has had an interest in Dutch, English and American lit ever since her teenagehood, making her into an avid book collector. As for her professional background, she has worked as a journalist for an extended period of time, but she has also been directly involved in the bookselling business through her affiliation with one of the biggest independent booksellers in the Netherlands. Presently, she has switched to the field of marketing, but even a short look at her popular bookish blog proves that she remains perfectly up-to-date with the latest trends and events in the world of books and literature.

- - -

The majority of European countries have a fixed book price. Some of them are regulating the prices of books for over a hundred years now; other countries are relatively new to the concept. The Fixed Book Price Agreement (FBPA) means, in short, that offering books at competitive prices is forbidden. No big deal for the big book chains, but a possible horror story for the independent bookseller.

After a gap year, I worked for an independent bookstore for a while. This bookstore is one of the largest, if not the largest, of the Netherlands. The shop is situated at a fantastic location and has a very good assortment of books in every category. Above this, the departments are maintained by people who truly have a love for books. All of this has become their ‘specialty’, the reason why people go there instead of a big chain. After a while, I got the responsibility of the English department. This meant that I would meet representatives of publishers who would try to sell their titles.

It was then that I learned how much is earned on a book. Or better said: how little. And this particular shop got quite a big margin, since it is so large and well known. I was shocked. When speaking to my boss about it, he merely said: “Why do you think we also have a music store, a coffee shop and an office supply store?”. Point taken. It is almost impossible to survive on the sales of books alone. Even with a relatively big margin.

This particular Dutch bookstore is very fortunate. A success story if you will. But only because of the business strategy they chose. Books as a core business, other products to stay afloat. How many independent booksellers are in the position to do this? How do you get people to buy at your shop instead of the big chains that are on every high street? The obvious - if not the only - way is to do what supermarkets do. Have a sale. Lower the prices of particular products, in this case particular books. A very good idea, if the Fixed Book Price Agreement did not forbid it.

Let me explain what the FBPA exactly is. Publishers and booksellers of several different countries have agreed at some point to fix the price of new books that are sold. The reason why this agreement came to existence is to make sure booksellers compete with the books they sell, instead of the prices they sell them at. This in order to make sure that non-best sellers have a bigger chance of being bought. That made me think for a while too. I will explain later.

Almost half the time, the fixed price agreement has been turned into a law. On the first of January 2005, it became a law in my country (The Netherlands). Even though there was an agreement since 1923, it created a big stir in the book market. Other countries that have a fixed book price by law are for instance Argentina, Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Portugal and Spain.

The first country to have some sort of fixed book price was Denmark. This country has fixed prices on books ever since 1837. Germany followed in 1888. It took a while for other countries to catch on. More than a few countries that had a fixed book price by law reversed it, like Australia, Finland, Ireland, United Kingdom, Sweden and Finland. The last one is to re-enact the law this year.

Now the idea behind the FBPA. The idea is that bookshops make the most money on bestsellers. These books, like Harry Potter or the Da Vinci Code, cost little effort to sell. And hardly any advertising money for the bookseller, because these books get enough exposure. Without the fixed book price, a bookshop could offer these books at competitive prices to lure readers into their shops. With the fixed prices, the booksellers loose this advantage.

The publishers want the bookstores to promote lesser known - more specialized - books instead of the ‘high flyers’. They want to create ‘bibliodiversity’, as is stated in a paper by the International Publishers Association. To make sure that the shop owners practice this innovative word, the publishers offer a guaranteed/larger margin on the bestsellers. This way everybody wins. The publisher knows that the ‘big’ books will sell anyway and therefore they can give a good profit margin to the bookseller. The bookseller should be able to fund the promotion of\ the ‘small’ books because of this. And they live happily ever after…

Indeed, happy endings only exist in fairy tales. There are bookstores and there are bookstores. A lot of bookstores are part of some sort of chain. These stores have one communal department that buys books and promotes them. You do not have to read the entire math section of the store to understand this is cheap. These chains buy in high quantities, so they get good margins from the publishers. The chains do not only spend their money more efficiently, they make more of it too.

How different is the story for the independent bookseller. The book freak that started his little shop out of passion. Little shop. Little money. Little margins. No big PR department. This entrepreneur is the buyer, the PR person and sales person all at the same time. And does it for the love of books. But mostly because he cannot afford to hire people for these specific tasks. Nobody starts a bookshop to become rich, you just do not earn enough per book. Bookstores are born out of passion. At least the independent ones are.

The so called ‘benefits’ for these little shops can only be viewed as ludicrous. The fixed book price would protect them from the competition of supermarkets in their area that sell books at bargain prices. For this reason the independent bookseller in less convenient places would have a better chance of survival. I would advise the creator of this benefit to pick up an economy book. The buyer of books in the supermarket is, of course, an entirely different person than the one purchasing a book in a bookshop. The books available at supermarkets are there for the impulse buyer. A person who does not read a lot and heard from a friend that he should read a certain book.

I try to buy most of my books at independent bookstores now. Even though I am often tempted to go into one of those chain stores. It is convenient because they are everywhere, but it makes me feel good to help a struggling independent bookstore. Hey, that’s the benefit of the fixed prices; you know the books cost the same anyway.

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Sources:
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fixed_Book_Price_Agreement

Centraal Planbureau: http://www.cpb.nl/nl/pub/cpbreeksen/cpbreport/2002_2/s2_4.html
European Writers Congress: http://www.european-writers-congress.org/upload/2962004103825.pdf
European Booksellers Federation: http://www.ebf-eu.org/paper/Book%20Trade%20in%20Europe%20updated010206.doc
International Publishers Association: http://new.internationalpublishers.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=29&Itemid=58

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Images used: (Author's archive)
1: One of the few bookshops in Las Vegas. This independent bookstore in the Mandalay Bay hotel on the Strip is now closed.
2: Thalia is a chain of bookstores in Germany, one of the first countries that introduced the fixed book price.
3: The Dutch chain Selexyz got the opportunity to turn a church in the city of Maastricht into a bookshop.

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More articles from this series:
An Insight into the Current State of Independent Bookselling – An Introduction

Independent Bookstores in Danger of Extinction – Who is to Blame?

Chain Bookstores: The Rise, Struggle and Downfall?

Independent Booksellers: What Can Be Done To Help?

An Interview with an Antiquarian Bookseller: The Caretaker
_ _
Back to the full list of Articles

Book End, Bakewell

2009-07-21T23:43:00.004+02:00

Where? Bakewell, Derbyshire, UK

Recommended by Ellie Potten

Book End is certainly the youngest bookstore in Bookstore Guide up to this very day. It opened its doors just a couple of weeks ago, on Saturday the 4th of July 2009 and thus we are very proud to have it among our ever-growing list of bookstores.

Book End is located right by the 700-year-old stone bridge in Bakewell, Derbyshire. The bookstore itself is a family run business - a collaboration of a mother and a daughter, partners and managers, Ellen Potten and Lynne Wilson. Needless to add, various family members jump in occasionally to give them a hand and perhaps even a day off every now and again.

The history behind Book End is not as happy as the final outcome. Ellie unfortunately had to leave university due to health problems and it is during that period that both her and her mom discovered that they wanted a change, a new start so they took the plunge in April this year and signed the lease at Bridge House, a well-known historical building in Bakewell.

Book End buys and sells second-hand books of all genres; they have sections from everything from history to religion or fiction, as well as a children's corner and the young adult section. They also sell greeting cards by a local artist - Catriona Hall, a selection of book ends and some second-hand home and local interest magazines.

Being a new bookstore as it is, Book End hopes to extent their services to include selling books for their customers (for example, elderly customers who aren't au fait with eBay), searching for books (via internet) and online selling through their own website or even eBay.

One more interesting thing about Book End is that it's working hours aren't fixed as of now. They are open seven days a week during the summer, as for the concrete hours, check the working hours we list below, but beware that these are flexible.

We wish Book End a great start to what will hopefully turn out to be a successful story of a well recognized locally-owned independent bookstore cherished by the community.

Book End
Address:
Bridge House
Bridge Street, Bakewell
Derbyshire. DE45 1DS

Website: none

Phone and Email:
(01629) 814994
bookend@hotmail.co.uk

Working Hours:
Mon, Thur, Fri 9-5
Tue, Wed 10-5
Sat 9-17:30
Sun 10-16

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Independent Bookstores in Danger of Extinction – Who is to Blame?

2009-07-05T10:39:00.017+02:00

The question of independent bookselling and its current situation can be approached from several perspectives, possibly leading to a wide variety of conclusions. Before we start pointing the accusing finger in any specific direction, let’s agree on a common basic premise, which will enable us to focus on more specific aspects later on. This goes as follows – Independent bookstores currently find themselves in a very difficult situation, which in many cases threatens their very existence.

The emphasis in this statement is placed on the word independent, as this segment of the book market seems to be facing serious difficulties adapting to the dynamics of the market forces and the changes in business models and modes of customer behavior. Bookstore business, although many of us are reluctant to think of it as such, is just a business as any other. Which literally means that every single decision has to be viewed and understood through the prism of its financial profitability. The independent bookstore, as any other independent business in general, has had to deal with major changes and dramatic developments in the economy and society, which occurred during the last few decades of the 20th and intensified in the first decade of the 21st century.

In order to explore the reasons contributing to this situation, we decided to start from the simplest questions related to the book market as a whole and later on to deal with more specific aspects defining the circumstances of the indies’ existence. Using this approach, we hope to question the prevailing assumptions and opinions and also evaluate the effects of several of these changes from the perspective of people directly involved with the independent bookstores scene, but also from the point of view of ordinary book-buyers.

Many a voices are complaining about a general lack of interest in books, but this statement is very questionable. Although it is absolutely true that reading has to compete with all other sorts of entertainment, which seem to be a lot more popular especially with the younger generation, the final result isn’t as bad at all. In fact, the overall numbers of books sold yearly are showing a slightly growing tendency in most of the major markets. However, some interesting shifts in the composition of the vendors as well as the types of sold books remain hidden behind these seemingly optimistic numbers. Unfortunately, none of them favors the independent booksellers.

New players have entered the book market and perhaps a bit surprisingly, they present a threat both to the indies and the huge chains. A short look at the recent evolvement of the British book industry demonstrates these noteworthy trends very well. According to the Booksellers Association of the United Kingdom, 83 indies were closed in the UK in 2008, while there were 66 openings within the same year (Neill 2009). This is nothing to cheer about, but it doesn’t support the most catastrophic scenarios either. Another statistic from the UK market for the period between 2003 and 2007 reveals that the volume of indies' book sales has actually increased by 6% during this time, while chains’ sales went down by 3% (Neill 2009).

These numbers are not very likely to improve in 2009, with the additional burden of the consequences of the financial crisis, but it also seems quite safe to say that at least for now, independent bookstores are resisting the resulting pressure much better than many would anticipate. In no way does this mean that the problems independent bookselling is facing are to be underestimated. All we’re saying is that instead of demonizing the competition and discussing the funeral ceremony of independent bookshops as a done deal, these tough times require lots of daring and a constructive spirit.

The momentum appears to be slowly shifting from the chains, which seemed destined to become the dominant force on the book market in the first half of the 1990s, as they are currently facing unexpected problems and dealing with the question of reinventing their business strategy. The winners? Online retailers (read Amazon) and the supermarkets, which have enjoyed a steady rise in market share in the past few years and this trend is very likely to persist. This is also linked with the type of books which are bought at a higher rate, since the offer of books in supermarkets is almost exclusively focused on potential best-sellers (popular fiction, biographies, etc.).

Everything still seems more or less ok up to this point. According to the market theory, more competition means more options for the customer to choose from and thus better services at lower prices. The question is, whether this equation can be applied to the specific field of bookselling. From a strictly pragmatic and materialist approach, one can easily argue in favor and find the arguments to support this theory. All the forces present in bookselling – be it chain bookstores, supermarkets selling books next to stands with tomatoes (food for the soul, right… but we’re not sure if this metaphorical value can actually make the actual experience of bookshopping in such conditions any less depressing), or on-line bookstores offering the possibility to browse among .jpeg images of the books’ covers – have undoubtedly managed to push the prices down. But this also came at a price and according to many, one that was too high.

Please beware that this post doesn’t mean to suggest that independent bookstores are not in a difficult situation, or that the omnipresent chains don’t contribute to their decline. Our aim was simply to point out that the question posed in the title of this article – who is to blame? – is not answered as easily as it could seem. From our position, the needed daring approach consists in not being satisfied with the prevailing assumptions without questioning each and every one of them. That’s why we decided to explore each of the factors that represent a threat to the independent bookstore scene individually and in depth within the upcoming articles of this series. We hope that you will keep us company along the way.

References:
Neill, Graeme (2009): Hard year for indies as numbers dwindle, available online:(http://www.thebookseller.com/news/76068-hard-year-for-indies-as-numbers-dwindle.html)

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Images used:
1: The Abbey Bookshop in Paris (Bookstore Guide archive)
2: Shakespeare and Company in Paris (Bookstore Guide archive)
3: http://www.insidebookpublishing.com/?page_id=48
_ _
More articles from this series:
An Insight into the Current State of Independent Bookselling – An Introduction

Independent Booksellers and the Fixed Book Price: a Horror Story?

Chain Bookstores: The Rise, Struggle and Downfall?

Independent Booksellers: What Can Be Done To Help?

An Interview with an Antiquarian Bookseller: The Caretaker
_ _
Back to the full list of Articles

Barter Books, Alnwick

2009-06-30T21:38:00.010+02:00

Where? Alnwick, Northumberland, UK

Recommended by Angi Holden

Angi said: "On the way up to Scotland, we stopped in Alnwick, at Barter Books. It's a fascinating second hand bookstore accommodated in a Victorian railway station. The staff are knowledgeable, the books are well arranged in a spacious environment, and there's a small coffee area. Barter also has a searchable online catalogue. There's an impressive mural featuring famous writers. All told, well angworth a visit."

It struck us as a surprise to see that bookstore of such a capacity, superiority and reputation has not yet found its way to our Guide. Barter Books, located in the history rich county of Northumberland in the far north of England, has earned the honorable description of being called "the British Library of secondhand bookshops" by The New Statesman.

Barter Books can easily be somewhere at the top of our bookstores-located-in-odd-places category (together with, for example, Selexyz Dominicanen and Leakey's, both located in what used to be churches), as it occupies the space of an old Victorian railway station, spanning on some 10,000 square feet. The station itself was designed by William Bell and put in business in 1887. By 1968, the railway station was closed and in 1991 Barter Books took over the premises, making the number of visitors to this building far greater than it used to be once the train operated in this town. An interesting piece of information is that this bookstore receives over 200,000 visitors a year and is considered a local tourist attraction.

The name of the bookstore reflects its manner of dealing with payments, namely, the use of their barter system where customers can exchange their used books for store credit. Barter Books is also rather known for the poster located near the cash register. The poster, saying "Keep Calm and Carry On" is a rare relic from the Second World War, which was only intended to become public in the worst scenario - a Nazi invasion of the British territory. For more interesting facts about this poster, and the story of its discovery in Barter Books, try browsing through the info on the bookstore's website.

Needless to add, the stock of a bookstore of such size and reputation is far from a modest one. The books range from such categories as paperback and fiction, poetry and plays, history, philosophy or women studies to crime, biography, business and economics and even such topics as transport, maritime, gardening, needlework, etc. Barter Books also has several special features which make it stand out further among others: open fires in the winter, a station buffet with a menu made up of home-made and/or locally sourced food (both hot and cold) and speciality coffees and teas, a children's room filled with toys and even a model railway between the columns of books in the central room. The bookstore's staff, known for their friendliness, loyalty and knowledge, is always there at your disposal. It's like anything an independent bookstore should be. Barter Book's owners, Stuart and Mary Manley, have indeed created a role model among bookstores, as well as something extraordinary.

Barter Books
Address:
Alnwick Station
Northumberland
NE66 2NP England

Website: http://www.barterbooks.co.uk

Phone and Email:
(0)1665 604888
bb@barterbooks.co.uk

Working Hours:
October-March
Wed-Mon 9-19
TUe 9-17

April - September
Mon-Sun 9-19
Open every day but Christmas Day

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Fabula Urbis, Lisbon

2009-06-21T21:26:00.011+02:00

Where? Lisbon, Portugal

Recommended by: John Cade from Girona

John said: "Fabula Urbis lies on the Rua de Augusta Rosa which climbs along the well trodden tourist route from the Sé Cathedral to the Castelo de São Jorge. It is a flagship bearing the cultural offerings of the city of Lisbon past and present. The authors represented have either lived in Lisbon, passed through it or perhaps just simply heard of it! The subjects offered cover a huge area - poetry, essays, novels, painting, sculpture, photography, pottery, tile making, textiles, fabrics and fashion, theater, cinema, opera, music, astronomy, archaeology, gastronomy, history, politics, urbanismo (the streets and trams and gardens and cafes of the city), travelers impressions.

Situated above the bookshop is a room impeccably designed with a stage and piano. It is used for evening recitals and exhibitions of paintings or photography, the latter changing generally once a month. Customers can relax there with a coffee or tea. A practicing guitarist or pianist will welcome an audience! Fabula Urbis is not simply a bookshop, exquisite as it is. It is a meeting place of the Arts and a place where strangers meet. Fabula Urbis is quite simply in a class of its own - sui generis!"

Fabula Urbis was opened on the 21st of March 2007 with the ambition of becoming much more than an ordinary bookstore. A bit more than two years past this date, it can proudly declare that it has achieved its objective of becoming a new cultural landmark in the city of Lisbon. The founder of this bookstore decided to combine his passion for books and the city of Lisbon and turned the small premises at Rua de Augusto Rosa 27 (you can find out more about the history of this famous Lisbon street bearing the name of the actor, director and writer Augusto Rosa on the bookstore's website), which formerly served as a carpentry workshop, into a space dedicated to the city of Lisbon and all the related subjects. The Lisbon-focused stock holds around 3000 titles, more than 1/5 of them being in foreign languages (including English, French, Spanish, Italian or German).

One more interesting piece of information related to Fabula Urbis - the ravens in the logo of this bookstore also demonstrate its affiliation with Lisbon, as a raven is also the symbol of the city. The legend goes that when the corpse of St. Vincent, the patron of the city, was transported by ship to Lisbon back in 1171, two ravens were guarding his body during the whole journey all the way to Lisbon - they symbolize loyalty and are also seen as guards of the city.

Fabula Urbis
Address:
R. de Augusto Rosa, 27
1100-058 Lisbon

Website: http://www.fabula-urbis.pt

Phone and Email:
00351 21 888 50 32
fabula-urbis@fabula-urbis.pt

Working Hours:
Mon-Sun 10-14 and 15-20

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An Insight into the Current State of Independent Bookselling – An Introduction

2009-06-14T12:52:00.015+02:00

Will your favorite independent bookstore still be there when you start searching for the right gifts for your family and friends before Christmas? And does anyone even care?
We tend to think so. In our point of view, independent bookstores, or simply indies, represent an important and often irreplaceable part of the identity of specific neighborhoods or, in some cases, even whole cities. It is undeniable, that within the past two decades, many of these unique bookstores have simply vanished, some in complete silence, some accompanied by loud expressions of discontent from their loyal customers.

Numerous voices have been predicting the extinction of indies for quite some time and there have also been many initiatives aimed at raising awareness about this situation and at supporting independent bookselling (we like to think that Bookstore Guide belongs to this category as well). Several groups or forces have been labeled as the nemesis of the independent bookstore – chain bookstores, Amazon.com and online bookselling in general, ignorant public, the global financial crisis, and this list could go on and on.

We have decided to explore this issue in depth in this series of articles entitled “An Insight into the Current State of Independent Bookselling”. And although we can’t and we don’t even want to pretend that our stance is neutral, we will do our best not to get too carried away and to provide you with the clearest possible image of the current situation, backed up by a factual account of how we got there and perhaps even offer a few hints regarding its possible future development. We have decided to divide this report into several parts since indies have to face challenges at several fronts at the same time, and mixing them all together could just cause more confusion. We also have an ambition to provide you with some opinions and first-hand experience from people who are directly involved in this issue in one way or another. We will thus do our best to present the most interesting insider perspectives on diverse aspects of this complex topic written exclusively for Bookstore Guide by selected most competent authors.

Needless to stress, that we’re also hoping for some feedback from your part, as we’re absolutely sure that you have your own opinion on this problem. So, before we move on to exploring the various and often conflicting aspects of our rather wide subject, lets state the introductory question clearly right away – is a brick-and-mortar independent bookstore just a relic of the past? Are we blinded by our own nostalgia to admit that there are easier, more comfortable and cheaper ways to get the books we desire? Follow our attempts at an honest answer in the upcoming series of articles…

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More articles from this series:
Independent Bookstores in Danger of Extinction – Who is to Blame?

Independent Booksellers and the Fixed Book Price: a Horror Story?

Chain Bookstores: The Rise, Struggle and Downfall?

Independent Booksellers: What Can Be Done To Help?

An Interview with an Antiquarian Bookseller: The Caretaker
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Treasure Trove, Tervuren

2009-06-06T14:21:00.014+02:00

Where? Tervuren, Belgium

Recommended by: Joanneke Elliot

Joanneke said: "I would like to tell you about a children’s book store, Treasure Trove, located in Tervuren, Belgium. After serving a loyal clientele for thirty years in nearby Moorsel, new owners moved the store to this cosy town in December 2008. It is the only English-language bookshop in Brussels that specializes in children’s books. I was a happy patron of Treasure Trove in its previous incarnation, but was so excited by the newly outfitted store that I applied for a part-time position there as soon as it opened its doors.

The new site is on a busy high street in Tervuren, an affluent, family-friendly area popular with Brussels’ thousands of English-reading and speaking expatriates, as well as with English-fluent locals. It is also conveniently close to several English private international schools. The new location is delightfully cosy, with comfortable areas to sit and read or linger to discover new titles. Treasure Trove has designated areas for babies to early readers, and junior fiction and non-fiction up to young adult. The different sections also include books on parenting, dyslexia and English as a Second Language for children and teens.

The staff is dedicated and very knowledgeable. With published authors and international school librarians among their ranks, they have strong connections to the English-language community in Brussels. At the moment they are developing an extensive website to accompany the personal and enthusiastic newsletter that is sent out every month. They also host several children’s events such as author visits, story-time, summer reading parties, and story contests."

Treasure Trove, a specialized children's bookstore in Tervuren near Brussels, offers a very rare combination - enthusiasm, ambition and energy of the new along with the stability, experience and cherished tradition and reputation of the old. There's no doubt that it will be very interesting to follow the journey of Treasure Trove in its new locality and we are sure that it will soon find its clientele, both new and old. There is not much we can add to this informative and ample recommendation, just that it has definitely managed to convince us that discovering this bookstore may definitely be a true treasure to many parents and especially children.

Treasure Trove
Address:
Brusselsesteenweg 7
Tervuren

Website: http://www.treasuretrove.be/

Phone and Email:
+32 02 767 7476
books@treasuretrove.be

Working Hours:
Tue-Sat 10-18

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Paperback Exchange, Florence

2009-05-31T11:28:00.011+02:00

Where? Florence, Italy

Recommended by Giovanni Morozzo

Giovanni said: "I live in Florence and would definitely recommend the Paperback exchange. It deals with new and used English books. It’s been going on for at least thirty years and the staff are really helpful and friendly."

Paperback Exchange, a lovely and more importantly, independent Florentine bookstore, embarked on its long voyage in 1979, full three decades ago. First it was primarily a second-hand bookstore, which started building its stock thanks to people who brought in English titles from their homes. A small family business has blossomed into an internationally recognized bookstore selling both new and old, a place were solely books in English reside. The bookstore has changed its location in 2005 after the move to the centrally located Via delle Oche, very near the Duomo. This new address, backed by the long tradition of the bookstore, has quickly become a popular meeting point for the English speaking community of Florence. Paperback Exchange is still in possession of their original owners: Emily Rosner and Maurizio Panichi.

Paperback Exchange stocks thousands of both new and second-hand titles (and remains very active in exchanging second hand books), both paperback and hardback (despite the bookstore's name). The new and the second hand titles are mixed and the whole stock is divided into sections focused on specific subject areas. The stock is very extensive but it's still possible to point out some of its aspects which stand out - the Italian interest section, books on art, as well as original textbooks and academic titles published in the UK or the US. In fact, with their vast selection of academic titles, the bookstore is also a very important library and university supplier. Paperback Exchange also organizes various events such as poetry readings, discussions and even the children's story hour. They pride themselves in managing to persevere in this competitive market and personal attention, speed, efficiency and transparency, which are their defining values, have helped them along the way.

Paperback Exchange
Address:
Via delle Oche, 4Red
50122 Florence, Italy

Website: http://papex.it/

Phone and Email:
+39.055.293460
papex@papex.it

Working Hours:
Mon-Fri 9-19:30
Sat 10:30-19:30

Extra Information:
Papex Card - for every 10 euros worth of purchase, you get 1 point - once 12 points are reached, they can be used in the next purchase

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Books et alia, Lille

2009-05-28T17:46:00.010+02:00

Where? Lille, France

Recommended by: Rebecca Grossberg from Lille

Rebecca said: "I’m writing to tell you about a bookstore in Lille which is not yet on your really impressive list of great places to buy books. If you have ever been to Lille you will know it as a charming Flemish style city, tucked into to uppermost corner of France. I’ve been living there for over ten years with my French husband and our young but increasingly bilingual daughter.

Mr Ulyett’s bookshop has been around since I have – it’s called Books et alia – and he’s always there smiling us in as we walk through the door. He will chat with you on any subject – especially his favourite topic (the English language) if he has the time. I’m a former teacher too and we share a keen eye for Frenchisms and bilingualisms. I’m not the only one to drop by for a chat – so I’ll often find him with teachers or students who want to practise their English or with another literature fanatic, discussing the merits of the original versions of Bronte or Poe... It’s right in the centre of town so I manage to swing by quite often. And Mr. Ulyett can order anything you want! He even got me some Shel Silverstein for my little girl... [H]e’ll go out of his way to find what I’m looking for – he once got me a book in from Germany which was out of print in the US!"

The recommendation we have received for this island of English reading material in the French city of Lille definitely ranks among the most passionate and persuasive ones we remember. It's really great to get this sort of proof that there are still people who have a very personal relationship with their local bookstore and also that there are still bookstore owners and staff who are able to and willing to create this sort of friendly, open and customer-oriented environment.

Books et alia has been active in Lille since 1998 as an independent supplier of imported books in English language from all over the world. Mr. Ulyett, the owner of this bookstore, has obviously succeeded in attracting a loyal and satisfied clientele, thanks to his personal approach and passion for both books and the English language. The stock of this bookstore is not specialized in a specific field, it covers different areas of interest such as children's literature, textbooks for students or teachers, modern fiction or non-fiction titles on various subjects. It is possible to order any titles that are currently not on stock and they also track down out-of-print titles. It is also important to mention that this bookstore has a second hand section as well.

Books et alia
Address:
18 place Pierre Mendès France
Le Nouveau Siècle, 59000 Lille

Website: http://www.booksetalia.fr

Phone and Email:
+33 3 20 74 32 67
info@booksetalia.fr

Working Hours:
Tue-Sat 10-13 and 14-19

Freytag & Berndt, Vienna

2009-05-18T19:51:00.007+02:00

Where? Vienna, Austria

Recommended by Peter from Hungary

Peter said:"I've seen that you don't list yet the best travel bookshop in Wien the Freytag und Berndt. It's like the Stanfords in miniature and in German (but there are many English titles too). Full of guidebooks, photo albums, maps, climbing literature, the only disadvantage is that it's quite small and crowded. The location is great: it's on Kohlmarkt, the middle of the historical centre and just a few steps from Stephansdom and the Hofburg."

Another travel-specialized bookstore added to our Guide in a very short time span. Freytag & Berndt, located in the centrally located first district, is Vienna's number one destination when it comes to maps, tavel guides, magazines, or other travel related multimedia. A large number of the books and guides is available in the English language, while the magazine section also holds titles in both German and English. Actually, the amount and variety of resources for travelers available at this bookstore have earned it a great reputation way beyond Vienna's city limits. Freytag & Berndt is a true specialist in its field of operation, which means that its stock is able to satisfy even the most demanding requests of the store's customers for information on the less usual destinations. The company has a long tradition in cartography and the number of maps available at this bookstore makes this more than evident. You can even use a special map reading desk to unfold the maps you're interested in and admire them in their full size.

About the bookstore
Because of its most favorable location in the city center the bookstore is often crowded, so don't expect to enjoy solitery browsing. However, in order to find your way around more comfortably, you can always use the services of the well-informed staff, which will deny you the thrill of independent browsing and discovering, so familiar to all bookstore addicts, but most probably save you an important amount of time.

You can find one more location of Freytag & Berndt in Austria, in the city of Graz, and three more in the neighbouring country of Germany (Nürnberg, München, Regensberg).

Freytag & Berndt
Address:
Kohlmarkt 9
1010 Vienna

Website: http://www.freytagberndt.at

Phone and Email:
+43-1-533 86 85
shop@freytagberndt.at

Working Hours:
Mon-Fri 9-19
Sat 9-18

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