Monday, December 20, 2004
Booksellers Since 1797
| Last post I mentioned that I wasn't going to make it to the one bookstore I had on my list of things to do in London. Taken care of. I woke up early on Sunday morning, finished packing, ate breakfast (I love English bacon), and loaded all my baggage onto the Underground at King's Cross station to take the five minute ride to the Piccadilly Circus stop. From there I walked, with my rolling suitcase and three other bags, the five blocks to Hatchard's Bookshop. The booksellers there were friendly enough to open the doors early for the ten or so customers who were circling the entrance. They did remind us that due to British laws they couldn't ring anything up at the register until the official time of Noon.
No problem, browsing the five stories of this shop could easily fill the hour I had before absolutely needing to get to Heathrow to catch my flight. Notes on Hatchard's: They have a brilliant idea to wrap a small strip of paper with "Signed Edition" printed in elegant script. It makes the book stand out from the others and creates an added sense of value to the title. It makes a much more dramatic effect than the typical "Autographed" sticker we see in America everywhere. The British edition of "I Am Charlotte Simmons" is definitely more eye-catching than the American version. Hatchard's is the official bookseller to Her Majesty the Queen and has been in continuous business since 1797. When I mentioned to the store manager that I was taking a few ideas back to the states his response, with a smile, was "Don't nick all of our ideas." He then reminded me of the 1797 part of their history and almost regretfully said, "Your country does have us beat by a whole twenty years." |  |
