Book Lovers Haven

Imagine a bookstore that feels like a room in your home.  Shelves filled with books by woman, about women and for women.  Imagine all those wonderful novels that were out of print now being available.  And while we are dreaming imagine that the books were really affordable and on the days we couldn't get to such a book store they arrived in the letter box beautifully wrapped.

I had to pinch myself to be certain this was not a mirage. Such a place really exists.  Persephone Books is really all of these things.

Founder and publisher Nicola Beauman, herself an author of note has taken a dream of not only saving women's literature from extinction, but has bucked the trend of most high street bookshops of doom and gloom, and closing doors.  Each year Nicola introduces more titles to the Persephone range and her growing clientele have the ongoing guarantee of a good read. 

Read a Good Book

They are fun these bench sculptures in the summer city books about town.  I hope you are enjoying seeing them as much as I am finding them.

Another Story

Today's book about town is the the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, a C. S Lewis tale, created by kiwi artist Mandi Pope.  This one is in St George's park in Bloomsbury near the Foundling Museum.

Not only do we get to enjoy these 50 "books about town" throughout the summer, but there is an opportunity to own one.  They are to be auctioned on 7 October.  To register an interest you can bid in advance here.

Sit and Read

Summer with a good book, somethings just go together don't they.

Over the coming weeks 50 benches in the shape of a book will appear around the city.  Decorated by local artists and illustrators, the titles will all have a connection to London.

This the first of the books about town I will show you: "Jeeves and Wooster" the work of artist Gordon Allum.  Look for it at the Brunswick shopping centre in Bloomsbury.

A Love of Books

Foyles, a family owned and run bookshop begins it's big move today.  The bookstore was created in 1903 by William and Gilbert Foyle.  The teenage brothers failed their civil service exams  so placed an ad in a periodical to sell their text books.  The response to the ad was so overwhelming that they quickly realised that selling books was a better idea than the civil service career they had studied for.  More text books were found and their first shop was opened, and so began a life long venture that is now managed and owned by the third generation of the family.
The new store will be in the premises of the old St Martin's university next door at 107 Charing Cross Rd and will open with a grand festival of literature and culture from 11 June to 5 July.

To Be or Not To Be

Continuing the week of celebrations for Shakespeare's 450th birthday, there was a complete reading of his sonnets at the Guildhall library.  Some of the special guest readers included; Damien Lewis (actor) Lucinda Hawksley (author and great great granddaughter of Charles and Catherine Dickens),  and the Keats House Poetry Ambassadors.