Brand New! Bookshop! Bargain! Bonanza! Wooo!!!

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I left work yesterday in a bit of a funk, so I decided to walk along the South Bank a bit to sooth my fractured nerves. And found that in the new bit of the South Bank Centre, there is a brand new Foyles! Hurrah!

The best thing about my newfound wealth is that I am able to satisfy my book binges from Foyles as well as Oxfam.

So! Share your recent reading purchases, compre notes/reviews, make reccomendations and warn us away from rubbish.

― It Is What A Man Does Which Demeans Him, Not What Is Done To Him (kate), Wednesday, 27 July 2005 06:55 (twenty years ago)

(The only caution I would ask is that yes, we are aware that everyone in the world has/has not purchased the new H**** P***** and it already has enough threads already, so no argument about it please.)

― It Is What A Man Does Which Demeans Him, Not What Is Done To Him (kate), Wednesday, 27 July 2005 06:56 (twenty years ago)

Last night I purchased the new Brian Greene book - The Fabric of the Cosmos or something like that. I enjoyed The Elegant Universe so much that I wanted more - even though I've read so much on Quantum Theory and String Theory and Complexity Theory lately that it's all starting to blend together like a cosmological primordial soup.

I also finally picked up Katie Fox's Watching The English which Johnney B was reading and raving about a few months ago. Even from reading the introduction, it seems a gem. It was in the humour section, but I'm not sure if it's humour disguised as anthropological study, or vice versa.

Still working on The Command Of The Ocean by N.A.M. Rodger which is a fine Naval tome about the British Navy from Stuart times to the Napoleon Wars. Topical and limited appeal, but it's my current passion, so I am enjoying it, especially the social history chapters.

And finally, my book on the Scottish Englightenment and how the Scots invented the modern world. Which is wonderful good fun and provoking reading.

― It Is What A Man Does Which Demeans Him, Not What Is Done To Him (kate), Wednesday, 27 July 2005 07:04 (twenty years ago)

What is Foyles exactly? A secondhand bookshop? I wish there were decent shops in my town, but we don't. So I'm stuck with doing my purchases whenever I'm in England or the states. :-(

I'm currently reading Kostova's The Historian, a book on Dracula. Apparently Da Vinci Code but *well-written*. It's okay. These days I read (semi-)trash.

― nathalie's body's designed for two (stevie nixed), Wednesday, 27 July 2005 07:27 (twenty years ago)

No, Foyles is not second hand - it's a marvelous independent, family-owned bookshop. Because its flagship is in the Theatre District by Denmark St, it's well known for its fantastic music section.

(Though unfortunately the South Bank branch appeared to have scores for everything except Gilbert and Sullivan.)

― It Is What A Man Does Which Demeans Him, Not What Is Done To Him (kate), Wednesday, 27 July 2005 07:29 (twenty years ago)

Foyles is a very old school family owned bookshop of immense proportions that has bucked up it's ideas in recent years. Until fairly recently when you wanted to by a book you had to take the book to the counter, get a bill from that counter go to another counter, pay, get the ticket stamped as paid then return to the first counter for your book. They also used to organise fiction by publisher. Now it's just a very good, large and well stocked bookshop. It still organises appropriate subjects by publisher (computer books by publisher is a really good idea, for example).

There's a waterstones in Brussels, it seemed fairly similar to a medium sized waterstones when I was there.

― Ed (dali), Wednesday, 27 July 2005 07:31 (twenty years ago)

I'm terribly jealous of you. Being able to walk into a bookshop and find what you're looking for. Yes, I realize I can order it from Amazon, but it's just not the same...

I once found a Humo (Belgian television magazine) in a second-hand bookshop in San Francisco. Weirdest thing ever.

― nathalie's body's designed for two (stevie nixed), Wednesday, 27 July 2005 07:33 (twenty years ago)

Fiction by publisher? Wow. The record shop in the South Bank Centre arranged its CDs by record company.

Which sort of made sense as it was mainly classical and world music. But still disorienting for a beginner, as various composers were all over the place and I didn't know where to start. I was looking for a specific Bach organ cantata, but I really didn't want to be That Guy that went up to a member of staff and started humming it at them. (I think it was called Sleepers Wake but my memory is poor.)

Anyway, erm, yeah. I should take a trip up to the Waterstones by UCL - that is a fantastic bookshop.

― It Is What A Man Does Which Demeans Him, Not What Is Done To Him (kate), Wednesday, 27 July 2005 07:35 (twenty years ago)

Yes, Ed, but the selection is not as good as in England. So it seemed the last time I was there. Or maybe I'm just too demanding.

― nathalie's body's designed for two (stevie nixed), Wednesday, 27 July 2005 07:37 (twenty years ago)

Ah, Nathalie, surely there must be decent bookshops near you?

What a shame if there are not. A good bookshop... the *smell* of a bookshop, especiallly second hand ones, is one of the most delightful joys of life.

I know what you mean about Amazon, though. Sure, they have fantastic selection, but there really is something so gratifying and exciting about wandering through stacks of books, browsing, finding a rare treat by chance, something that leaps out at you and demands your attention.

Amazon might be good for finding exactly what you want, but bookshops are much better for finding things you didn't even know you wanted.

― It Is What A Man Does Which Demeans Him, Not What Is Done To Him (kate), Wednesday, 27 July 2005 07:39 (twenty years ago)

Ah, Nathalie, surely there must be decent bookshops near you?

Alas no. I think I'll blame my brain deterioration to a lack of decent book and recordshops. ;-)

I like Amazon if only for the wishlist. I can check up on it whenever I go to London.

I could live in bookshops. I love the relative silence, people sitting on the ground reading a book,... Hmmm.

― nathalie's body's designed for two (stevie nixed), Wednesday, 27 July 2005 07:42 (twenty years ago)

I'm trying to think of other wonderful bookshops in and around London. There used to be a wonderful second hand bookshop at the top of Streatham Hill, but the headshop side of it has been taking over more and more, and the weird books bit of it has been shrinking and neglected.

― It Is What A Man Does Which Demeans Him, Not What Is Done To Him (kate), Wednesday, 27 July 2005 09:46 (twenty years ago)

The one in Coldharbour Lane around the corner from the Ritzy is the best second-hand bookshop in London.

― Marcello Carlin, Wednesday, 27 July 2005 09:49 (twenty years ago)

Not working in London anymore means no browsing in Helter Skelter anymore...

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 27 July 2005 09:50 (twenty years ago)

Helter Skelter... was that the music bookshop on Denmark Street, or am I thinking of the wrong place?

I'm that's the one, then it's unfortunately gone. :-(

― It Is What A Man Does Which Demeans Him, Not What Is Done To Him (kate), Wednesday, 27 July 2005 09:51 (twenty years ago)

Start a nice, enthusiastic thread and it putters out at 14 posts.

Someone gets in a strop at someone and it rolls on and on for hundreds of posts.

Positive reinforcement or what?

― It Is What A Man Does Which Demeans Him, Not What Is Done To Him (kate), Wednesday, 27 July 2005 11:50 (twenty years ago)

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