Today - lockdown is once again lifted and people can dash off to the shops with little or no concern, the freedom creating in most of us a light-headed, dizzy feeling. And with that in mind, and the lure of shopping once again existing in my mind, I thought I would republish an article from 2018. Enjoy!
If the City of Bath is
synonymous with Jane Austen, the Somerset town of Frome is synonymous with the
wool trade, which began in the 14th century, the last representative
of the trade finally closings its doors in 1995. Dating back even further is a tradition for fairs which began in 1270 with a licence for a single fair, graduating in 1492 to hosting three annual events. What a record over 700 hundred years! Now held monthly, the popularity of the market attracts sellers from France, and closes the main car park and main street from 8 am, an army of officials co-opted to cope with the influx of tens of thousands of visitors. They even run a Park & Ride Service.
Except, today I’m not researching the
fairs or even the history of Frome but directing my footsteps to a bookshop, one of a brave but
dwindling band that pepper the small towns and villages of our countryside. This particular bookshop is Hunting
Raven, and it just happens to be situated in the most perfect example of a
medieval street, Cheap Street, once known as the Ceap, where archery was practised. Hunting Raven is now part of a chain of three shops, Winstones, the other two in Sherborne and Sidmouth.
Do you ever think about Amazon
or like me, do you simply, and almost daily, dial them up, clicking on the item
you want to purchase? So stop and think now. To me they are the Goliath of the
book world and the tiny independents, David with his slingshot. Amazon
published over one million titles last year and it is because of them, that our bookshops are struggling to survive. How can anyone, let alone an
independent bookseller survive against that power? Look at what online shopping has done to our city high
streets?
I for one believe the majority of Independent booksellers will survive because they offer something Amazon cannot. Push open the door of your local
bookshop into a world of imagination, where you can browse at your
leisure through a cornucopia of gloriously coloured book-covers that evoke the
smells and excitement of childhood. How can the Internet with its fake news and aggressive marketing compete with that?
By all means use Amazon for E-books
and audios, but not paperbacks! If, like me, you buy one at a time, search out your
nearest independent bookshop and wander in. If you've never pushed open the
door of one of these magical enterprises, prepare to be amazed by their range
and selection. (It’s rather like The Toy Makers by Robert Dinsdale, where the
inside of an object can be larger than the outside.) And if it’s a particular
title you are looking for and they haven’t got it, they will have it in stock in 24 hrs because
wholesalers deliver daily. Which means you can repeat this wonderfully
satisfying experience the following day.
And
feel good about it. Like the dollar you give to charity, you are helping an ancient
craft, which began with Caxton around 1472, to continue its existence.
Yes, I know Waterstones are
bigger and may have the book you are looking for without waiting 24 hours, but
they will survive simply because they can negotiate huge discounts with
publishers. Haven’t you noticed that every Waterstones shows the same titles in
its windows? Besides, these medieval towns like Frome and Sherborne are far more exciting than our city streets that are swamped traffic.
If you like markets and have already decided to go to Frome for the next one on December 2nd, pop into Hunting Raven and browse their books. When you emerge, you have a choice; head back into the market or into the café opposite and open the pages of yur new book with their promise of adventure, magic and escapism that will last for days.
I don’t live in Frome. My quickest route is over the Mendips weather permitting. These picturesque hills create quite a formidable barrier in winter when they are dogged by mist and ice. But come Saturday, 24th November, whatever the weather is doing, I shall be in Frome at Hunting Raven with my latest novel: The Year the Swans Came. Written for adults/top teens and published in time for Christmas, it is a magical fairy tale. Please push open the door and say hi!
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