Hatchards Book Shop

My first job in 1970 was as a messenger for an airline. Our base was at Gatwick Airport and my job was to go to London, just about every day, to take documents to various consulates and embassies that needed to be approved before cargo was allowed to be exported to these countries by air. I would go into the office at 9 a.m. and then get a train shortly after 10 and deliver my documents, usually by midday. I then often had to hang around and wait for things, usually returning to collect things around 3 p.m. before catching the train back to Gatwick. This gave me a lot of time to explore London and in particular record and book shops.

I discovered Hatchards (the oldest bookshop in the UK, founded 1797) in Piccadilly on one of my first trips to London. I would visit several times a week to look at books and usually once a week to I bought something; it has always been my favourite bookshop. Somehow books look better in Hatchards than they do in Waterstones and Smiths, it makes me want to buy them. I try to sneak a visit whenever I'm in London and today was no exception. I went up to the first floor and as surprised to see my book about the BBC News in WW2 on display! I just had to take a picture. It's on the top row third from the left - you can see it if you squint. I think the assistant thought I was a nutter, but I didn't have the brass neck to tell him it was my book I was photographing. Even better it was next to Peter Ackroyd's new book about the Thames. As Peter is, for my money, the greatest living English writer it was double delight!

I met Peter at a publishing party a few years ago; he had had a few glasses of wine. I stood talking to me with his arm around my shoulder gently pouring a glass of red wine down the front of my white shirt. I didn't have the heart to interrupt his flow. Peter drunk was far more interesting than most people sober.