The Bookshop

I have mentioned before that I love to read – always have. I think that in my youth it was a means of escaping to other lives and places because where I lived and the place I was in was not always safe or happy. I was also thirsty for knowledge.

In my early days buying books was expensive. Libraries were not always open after work or convenient for me to get to from my home. I relied very much on the second-hand book stores. I particularly liked the ones where you took them two books and that meant you could take one without paying.

When I first worked in Melbourne CBD the bookshop I would go to in my lunch hour to browse and see what was current and therefore what to look for as a second-hand book some time later, was Hill of Content which commenced operation in 1922. In the 1960’s it was a tram trip for me up Bourke Street from William and alighting at Exhibition. It was not unknown for me to be late back from lunch on days when I paid them a visit. The day came when I could at last afford to buy a book there and that was special. Unfortunately, I can’t recall what it was!

Many years later when working for the Victorian Government I found myself virtually across the road from Hill of Content so it became my regular haunt in my lunch hour.

In my days studying in Adelaide the place of choice to buy books was the used book stall in the Adelaide Central Market. It seemed to be prolific with Mills & Boon, crime or war books. Finding something was a challenge, as order was not a clear feature of the service. Sometimes the seller was helpful and if I asked for a specific book he could point me in the right direction.

The main bokshop that I frequented in Adelaide over many years was Imprints. Because I travelled a lot and was often away for long periods of time, I would venture into Imprints on Hindley Street with a long list and tie up one of the assistants for quite some time as they loaded up with a good supply of reading to last me for some time. There was more than one occasion when they helped me carry the books to the car! What I liked about Imprints was that the people serving were as keen on reading as I was, and were always able to add to my purchases with recommendations of their own.

The years in Manila were not easy when it came to looking for good books to read. For this, I had to go to Hong Kong, which I did manage to do rather frequently. Walking into Standards Bookstore was a venture back in time. I loved it! Chaotic, dusty, cluttered, mysterious and challenging. Walking out with any of the books on my list was often a miracle, but what I did end up buying with the help of the knowledgeable staff was always well worth the read.

While based in Houston, Texas there were two book shops that I frequented, and for different reasons.

First there was the Barnes & Noble that was near my apartment and open late of evening. I confess that I didn’t treat this book shop very kindly. They had a coffee shop and armchairs scattered around the store where one could take their coffee and browse through a book. It was my practice after work, if I wasn’t too tired, to go to this store, buy a coffee, take a book from the shelves, make myself comfortable and read. Then, when it was time to leave, I would note what page number I was up to, put the book back on the shelf for me to continue on my next visit. I read a number of Jane Smiley’s books this way. Don’t recall actually buying a book there. As I was travelling a lot and books were heavy, it also wasn’t practical for me to load myself up with books to take home in due course.

The other bookshop was the Bravos Bookstore near Rice University. It was here that I would gravitate to on a Sunday. There were trendy cafes nearby which made it a nice way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon.

This book shop held regular book launches. I had never experienced these before, but had the privilege and joy of attending two such launches.

The first was Peter Carey and the launch of “Jack Maggs”. When I asked a question and he heard the Australian accent he was thrilled and we started talking about things other than his book. He had been out of Australia longer than I and was delighted to encounter another Aussie. For the benefit of the other attendees we got back on topic, but I think they were somewhat amused.

The second launch was the book, “Confederates in the Attic” but Tony Horwitz. It was only when I asked him a question about his book, that I discovered that he was married to one of my favourite writers, the Australian Geraldine Brooks. This was an interesting book and in light of the current political climate in the USA more relevant than I thought it might be in current America. For some, the Civil War has never ended and disempowerment is still a strong legacy of that time.

When living in Melbourne there were two book shops that I enjoyed. The first was in Albert Park, The Avenue Bookshop. I became a subscriber to this store as they provided each quarter a booklet of new releases with reviews by the staff. This was very helpful in planning what books to buy.

The second was The Sun Bookshop in Yarraville, next to the Art Deco Yarraville Theatre. The Theatre was my preferred place to go to a movie and then spend time browsing in the book shop while waiting for the show to commence or before going home. Again, the staff were well read and enjoyed sharing their knowledge of the books and what was current.

However, in the latter years of working with Kinhill when I did a lot of travelling, having a solid book was not always convenient. Also, my eyesight was beginning to cause problems so I invested in a Kindle. The good thing about the Kindle was that I could read any book in large print and not be limited by what publishers decided to print in that format. So, my time in book shops became limited to just checking out the latest books and reading reviews.

These days I ‘read’ by having books read to me. Initially the books were being read by a single, well trained voice and sometimes the author. Of late I am finding the books more like the old radio plays, where there is a narrator and the various characters have their own voice. I still enjoy going into a book shop, but my engagement is somewhat limited.

I do miss the actual holding of a book. It gives a connection that just listening doesn’t provide. I have a number of Folio Society books and treasure the specification as to the binding, cover, cloth, typeface/font and the illustrator information. It is the book as craft/art and not just a means to an end.

I miss my library with all the books I collected over the years from the many book shops I visited. They were old friends, reminding me not just of the book itself, but where I was when I bought it and what was happening in my life and the world in general at the time.