An American quilt exhibition was the main reason for coming to Bath but book shops and book buying was also very much on the list. I have been meaning to visit the ‘Persephone’ bookshop for many years now. Pre-Covid, I have a clear memory of walking down Lambs Conduit Street in Bloomsbury and passing this fascinating shop. I was in a hurry; I couldn’t stop and then it was lockdown. Eventually when things looked brighter, I indulgently planned a London bookshop walk for myself and looked up Persephone, only to find it had moved to Bath.
Today, the small shop is on the ground floor of a honey coloured Georgian house, 5 stories tall. Inside, the books are not so much arranged as curated. Persephone books are all printed in pale grey covers because the owner, Nicola Beauman, believes what is inside is infinitely more important than the cover. The endpapers however are gorgeous; textile designs that fit with the age of the story. The vast majority of the editions are by women writers of the early and mid 20th century, usually those that appear to have been forgotten. I purchased two books, quite restrained of myself I thought, and left happily.
There are several other bookshops of note in Bath before you visit the ubiquitous Waterstones, (good coffee shop though,) but I found a great little corner in one of the many covered markets and arcades in the city that sold second hand books really intelligently. They were classified first by genre and within that by author. I bought a ghost story by Susan Hill called ‘The Man in the Picture’ and a slim volume by Anne Tyler titled ‘Three Days in June.’ The books were very reasonably priced and I enjoyed an interesting chat with the bookseller, who clearly knew what he was talking about. A good experience except Anne Tyler and Susan Hill would not have received any of my pennies would they? It’s tricky having a book conscience.