In me Liverpool home, waah
Feb. 3rd, 2008 12:32 pmYou know, as if it wasn't enough that Liverpool City Council plastered over Chavasse park (one of the few remaining green spaces in the city proper) to build yet another friggin' shopping centre, now I hear that they have forced Henry Bohn books to close.
This store was, hands down, the most awesome store in Liverpool. It was conveniently located right next to Lime Street, so that when waiting for a train you could always pop in and peruse the books. It was a secondhand bookstore that both helped me get rid of some dire university texts and also introduced me to crazy, crazy out-of-print stuff. I have 19th century copies of Hamlet and the sonnets from there. I bought Manon Lescaut for £2 from there, old French and German texts for my brother and myself and endless literature on the Spanish Civil War that you just can't find in clean-cut Waterstones. It provided![[profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
jaffacakequeen with a hardback copy of Tale of the Body Thief and patchworkgirl_ with several demented Hollywood biographies.
There was always classical music playing in there and you could always listen to the owner and his friends debating the political issue of the day. It was small and understated, a place where you could find all kinds of literate Scousers from all walks of life. Every time you bought a book, no matter how obscure, the owner had an opinion on the topic. He would always round down the prices of your purchases. It was the perfect place and I always looked forward to stocking up on obscure titles when in Liverpool.
BUT NO MORE. The city council (the most wasteful in terms of resources, according to the Government) has decided that, like Chavasse park, it needs to go for modernisation. And once again, they have it completely backwards. It is things like Henry Bohn books that make Liverpool what it is; an eccentric old city where you can find Socialists and academics in the oddest of places. It drives me up the wall; just when you begin to appreciate a place, they take away yet another of its awesome features. Places have to change, I know; just why Liverpool always gets it so wrong is beyond me.
Last time I was there, they were talking of protesting against it. Now it's shut, but Kel reports that the protest continues. I wish it would help. Hopefully, this store will open up somewhere else in the city, because I'll be damned if WHSmith get a penny out of me.
This store was, hands down, the most awesome store in Liverpool. It was conveniently located right next to Lime Street, so that when waiting for a train you could always pop in and peruse the books. It was a secondhand bookstore that both helped me get rid of some dire university texts and also introduced me to crazy, crazy out-of-print stuff. I have 19th century copies of Hamlet and the sonnets from there. I bought Manon Lescaut for £2 from there, old French and German texts for my brother and myself and endless literature on the Spanish Civil War that you just can't find in clean-cut Waterstones. It provided
jaffacakequeen with a hardback copy of Tale of the Body Thief and patchworkgirl_ with several demented Hollywood biographies.There was always classical music playing in there and you could always listen to the owner and his friends debating the political issue of the day. It was small and understated, a place where you could find all kinds of literate Scousers from all walks of life. Every time you bought a book, no matter how obscure, the owner had an opinion on the topic. He would always round down the prices of your purchases. It was the perfect place and I always looked forward to stocking up on obscure titles when in Liverpool.
BUT NO MORE. The city council (the most wasteful in terms of resources, according to the Government) has decided that, like Chavasse park, it needs to go for modernisation. And once again, they have it completely backwards. It is things like Henry Bohn books that make Liverpool what it is; an eccentric old city where you can find Socialists and academics in the oddest of places. It drives me up the wall; just when you begin to appreciate a place, they take away yet another of its awesome features. Places have to change, I know; just why Liverpool always gets it so wrong is beyond me.
Last time I was there, they were talking of protesting against it. Now it's shut, but Kel reports that the protest continues. I wish it would help. Hopefully, this store will open up somewhere else in the city, because I'll be damned if WHSmith get a penny out of me.
