There is a difference, don’t you agree, between a bookseller and someone who just takes your money and sells you a book.
If you are fortunate enough to encounter a true bookseller then your whole experience will be heightened and infinitely more pleasurable. I have had this pleasure several times of late and, well, they actually make my day. It’s the building of connections I think, someone who shares your interests and is willing to talk and listen. It was CS Lewis who said ‘you read to know that you are not alone,’ and whilst I agree with that thought, I would also extrapolate and say one does not feel so solitary if someone wants to offer their bookish thoughts to yours. It is an affirmative few minutes, that can of course then be enhanced and intensified by coffee and a croissant!
Bookshops for which praise is due include Blackwells in Oxford, Daunts in Marylebone High Street and Waterstones … in several places actually.