For who can bear to feel himself forgotten?
There’s a lovely little article in the current edition of The Idler about one of those groups of folk who come together over a common interest, or initially just a curiosity, but are using the available internet technology of the modern age to extol the virtues of the values of the past. That Idler article is about The Handwritten Letter Appreciation Society. It’s obvious what they’re about, but it’s interesting that the very thing which should have killed off the idea of handwriting letters is also the thing which brings that body of people together for a common passion. The similarities with our bricks and mortar bookshop embracing the technology of the internet as part of our evolution, a thing which should have killed off a bookshop long ago, are striking. Those mega-corporations who’ve dominated the internet so far by shouting the loudest, struggle with the passion of the individual, Jeff and Elon and Mark and their like only paint with one colour – there’s nothing wrong with a bit of magnolia, but it shouldn’t be allowed to dominate at the expense of a full palette of colour.
If you have an idle moment, seek out The Handwritten Letter Appreciation Society – their website shows they’re on a mission: To inspire people to write handwritten letters to each other; To unite letter writers in a bid to boldly celebrate the art of writing letters; To put the fun and meaning back into writing letters; To value the beauty of an individual’s handwriting; To encourage anyone and everyone to put pen to paper and send a letter to someone special; To gather together everything to do with handwritten letters in one place – you’ll also be surprised by the simple pleasure of having in your wallet a book of stamps!
And in one of those serendipitous moments which life throws at us, the music playing in the shop at the moment is the band Public Service Broadcasting and their version of Night Mail – the original W.H. Auden poem is below, used in a public information film with a rhythmic musical score by Benjamin Britten, it’s always worth a watch.
Night Mail by W.H. Auden
This is the night mail crossing the Border,
Bringing the cheque and the postal order,
Letters for the rich, letters for the poor,
The shop at the corner, the girl next door.
Pulling up Beattock, a steady climb:
The gradient’s against her, but she’s on time.
Past cotton-grass and moorland boulder
Shovelling white steam over her shoulder,
Snorting noisily as she passes
Silent miles of wind-bent grasses.
Birds turn their heads as she approaches,
Stare from bushes at her blank-faced coaches.
Sheep-dogs cannot turn her course;
They slumber on with paws across.
In the farm she passes no one wakes,
But a jug in a bedroom gently shakes.
Dawn freshens, Her climb is done.
Down towards Glasgow she descends,
Towards the steam tugs yelping down a glade of cranes
Towards the fields of apparatus, the furnaces
Set on the dark plain like gigantic chessmen.
All Scotland waits for her:
In dark glens, beside pale-green lochs
Men long for news.
Letters of thanks, letters from banks,
Letters of joy from girl and boy,
Receipted bills and invitations
To inspect new stock or to visit relations,
And applications for situations,
And timid lovers’ declarations,
And gossip, gossip from all the nations,
News circumstantial, news financial,
Letters with holiday snaps to enlarge in,
Letters with faces scrawled on the margin,
Letters from uncles, cousins, and aunts,
Letters to Scotland from the South of France,
Letters of condolence to Highlands and Lowlands
Written on paper of every hue,
The pink, the violet, the white and the blue,
The chatty, the catty, the boring, the adoring,
The cold and official and the heart’s outpouring,
Clever, stupid, short and long,
The typed and the printed and the spelt all wrong.
Thousands are still asleep,
Dreaming of terrifying monsters
Or of friendly tea beside the band in Cranston’s or Crawford’s:
Asleep in working Glasgow, asleep in well-set Edinburgh,
Asleep in granite Aberdeen,
They continue their dreams,
But shall wake soon and hope for letters,
And none will hear the postman’s knock
Without a quickening of the heart,
For who can bear to feel himself forgotten?
Bookselling by bicycle might not be practical (although we do work with the lovely people at Bicester BUG for our local deliveries!) but Carl relishes his nightly routine of dropping books around his neighbourhood. Soon joined by a precocious nine year old with bundles of enthusiasm, their friendship and passion for reading might just save Carl’s way of life. The Door-to-Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn might be our cosiest pick of the week. Our non-fiction pick this week is a book with a bit more weight – A Promised Land by Barack Obama gives an invaluable insight into the political dynamics of the US. Whether in agreement with his policies or not, there is certainly something to be gained by understanding presidential power and democracy.
In crime fiction, as a plague threatens London, a killer lurks beneath the shadows, using this deadly disease as the perfect cover-up. As corruption is exposed, Jem and Will are driven underground to discover the truth of some grisly deaths in Under Ground. In general fiction, Liars by Sarah Manguso is a searing novel about the juxtaposition of motherhood, creativity, and marriage. As Jane becomes a wife and mother, her husband John’s ambitions consume her own; when her career starts to flourish, John leaves, and now she must hold it all together. If you’re after a whimsical coming-of-age story, Mina’s Matchbox by Yoko Ogawa might be the ticket: a snapshot of 1970’s Japan, a pet pygmy hippo, and secret crushes combine to create a magical story. And in sci-fi, the climate crisis is raging and society is divided in Extremophile: you can either be an activist, be crippled by hopelessness, or profit from the whole mess. When Charlie and Parker are hired by the eco-warriors to do their dirty work, Charlie must decide which side she wants to be on.
We’re on a quest for knowledge in non-fiction this week: journalist Anupreeta Das exposes the carefully-curated public image of Bill Gates – how can billionaires manipulate their reputation, and what is the dark side of philanthropy? Ian Graham was Liverpool FC’s Director of Research during their most successful period; he may not have all the answers to help you win Fantasy Football, but his insights on the data behind success might just help! Robert Zubrin puts forward an image of the future, a time in which humans inhabit Mars, export intellectual goods, and have inalienable rights; and Suzi Mclaughlin’s The Paper Florist is perfect for those who would love to always be surrounded by blooms.
For children 9+, Jacqueline Wilson’s Star of the Show is a Victorian adventure about big dreams, for despite her lack of money and family stability, Tess is determined to dance. And for the children who want to know everything, Why? Encyclopedia offers the answers to the world’s most perplexing questions, with 3D images and interactive elements.
As always, if there’s something you need help with, or a book you need ordering, please call or email us!
From Sophie
The full newsletter with linkd to books – including this week’s Signed Editions – can be found HER
