A Wall of Wodehouse
I love London. It is full of wonderful museums and galleries, a dizzying array of theatres, beautiful historic buildings and neighbourhoods, world-class shopping, and, most alluring of all, an overwhelming number of bookstores, both new and used. And I don’t hide my priorities when I visit: I go to London to buy books, taking advantage of the amazing variety on offer and, to my Canadian eyes at least, the amazingly cheap prices. Everything else I do there is just a bonus.
I had a wonderful time visiting various book stores. I devoted one whole afternoon to book shopping, darting through Bloomsbury, Notting Hill and Kensington. It was wonderful. I only bought books from a few of the stores I visited while in others I just spent happy hours exploring. I went into Hatchards for the first time ever while waiting to meet a friend at Fortnum and Mason and completely fell in love with it. I did not buy anything there but was tempted by everything I saw. Everything is so beautifully laid out there and I was particularly awed by the two whole shelves devoted to the beautiful Overlook Press editions of P.G. Wodehouse’s books.
Here are the books I brought back with me:
Mr Tibbits’s Catholic School by Ysenda Maxtone Graham – a wonderful history of St Philip’s School in London. It is short and funny and made for the perfect airplane book on the flight home.
The Northern Fells and The Central Fells by Alfred Wainwright – bookish souvenirs from the Lake District.
The Real Mrs Miniver by Ysenda Maxtone Graham – a biography of Joyce Anstruther, aka Jan Struther, written by her granddaughter and recently reprinted as a beautiful Slightly Foxed Edition in the most amazing shade of blue.
Amberwell by D.E. Stevenson – one of my favourite D.E.S. novels, I was thrilled to find this on the shelf at the Slightly Foxed bookshop.
Rosabelle Shaw by D.E. Stevenson – another find at Slightly Foxed. I don’t know much about it but for £4 I was willing to risk it.
The Crocodile by the Door by Selina Guinness – a relatively new release, I had been eyeing this at Waterstones and other new bookstores but resisting. When I found it in a used bookstore on Charing Cross Road, I pounced.
Peace Breaks Out by Angela Thirkell – I was keeping my eye out for this Thirkell throughout my bookstore wanderings and was thrilled to find it at Slightly Foxed.
The Three Clerks by Anthony Trollope – more Trollope! I am always interested in expanding my Trollope collection and was happy to find this Oxford World’s Classic edition at Skoob in Bloomsbury.
And, of course, there was a trip to the lovely Persephone shop where I picked up six new books to add to my collection.
Little Boy Lost by Marghanita Laski – already a favourite
The Blank Wall by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding
Journal of Katherine Mansfield
The Runaway by Elizabeth Anna Hart
The Montana Stories by Katherine Mansfield
The Expendable Man by Dorothy B. Hughes
I did well, I think, but it is probably for the best (at least for my crowded bookshelves) that I only visit London every two or three years rather than every time I go to Europe!
The Captive Reader 
It certainly is, and what wonderful books – well done!
Thanks! I’m very happy with them.
What lovely books! I think book-hunting is an excellent reason for a trip. I’m rather envious of those D.E. Stevenson books you’ve got there, as I’ve only started reading her this year and think she’s great. I hope they all turn out to be very good stories.
I was thrilled to find the D.E. Stevenson, especially Amberwell. And now that I’ve seen what copies of Rosabelle Shaw go for online, I’m quite pleased about that too!
I am, at this very moment, unapologetically turning green with envy; at your books and your bookish adventures. Bookstores are becoming an endangered species here in the States, Claire, much to my dismay though there is a sweet independent bookstore a few miles from here. I go in to buy a book here and there just to keep them in business.
I’m enjoying hearing about your trip this year, the Lake District, and, of course, books!
We have plenty of used bookstores in my neck of the woods still, but they are all so expensive compared to UK bookstores! I don’t know how they can sell everything so cheap but I know that I have to take advantage of it when I visit.
I am so pleased you enjoyed hearing about the trip.
Pretty restrained of you, but a nice selection! Oh, The Runaway is so wonderful, with such fantastic illustrations.
This is wild excess for me, Simon!
That wall of Wodehouse is one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen in a long time! 🙂 Wonderful haul.
Isn’t it gorgeous? I wanted to live in Hatchards after seeing that.
Me too…to everything. I was in London in April and brought back four books from Hatchards, four from Persephone and one from Waterstones. It was so wonderful to be in the Persephone store. I mentioned the blogs I read and one of the staff members said, “yes, we know Claire and Simon and Rachel.” That’s the first time I ever met someone who has actually met one of you in person. Good grief, I sound like a groupie.
First of all, I love the idea of having a groupie, especially if it is you. Second, I am wildly alarmed that someone at Persephone said they knew me. I’ve been into the store only twice and, to my knowledge, never identified. But it sounds like perhaps they knew who I was. Which is both flattering and slightly alarming…
First Simon and now you, inciting bookstore envy. A wall of Wodehouse – oh bliss. I didn’t even know about Persephone the last time I was in London, and now their store is high on my list.
The sight of all those Wodehouses is indeed blissful. The accompanying price tag, less so!
Isn’t Hatchards so much fun, Claire! I can’t help but think of all the interesting people who have marched up and down those stairs and browsed the shelves. Little Boy Lost is the only Persephone title in your stack that I’ve read so I am looking forward to reading what you think about the rest.
Hatchards is perfection. I can’t believe I’ve walked past it so many times and never gone in before!
[…] for four days and, though not as ambitious as on previous trips, still managed to fit a lot in. I bought lots of books, saw one of my best friends who is the process of moving to London for work, finally visited […]
You’re much better acquainted with London bookstores than I am and I only live 3 hours away. Sounds like a wonderful trip. Did you come over with empty suitcases knowing you were going on a buying spree?
Only getting to visit every few years makes me plan any visit to London like a military campaign. Everything is researched and plotted out well in advance. I take shameless advantage of UK-based book bloggers and solicit the names and addresses of their favourite bookstores so I know exactly where to go.
All these fit into my carry-on bag (which, yes, had lots of empty room for the rest of the trip since I did know I would be shopping at the end).
I wish I were that organised…