OK, so i have been a little late in discovering Hay-on-Wye but this is not surprising given my late arrival to all things writerly. Up until now I have been a die-hard Foyle's fan (on the Tottenham Court Road) but there is something to be said for a good rummage of an afternoon in Wales. Besides Foyle's isn't cheap and is all a bit 'new'. But in terms of sheer front-cover enjoyment it's still to be beaten, and when you compare it to the rush of the city outside then for an honorary northern bumpkin like me, it's a delight. Similar to the feeling one gets at Borders in Preston Deepdale getting all the latest quarterlies.
However, I would suggest going on a Monday to Friday or a Saturday if pushed, as on Sundays the opening times are odd and largely undocumented. I was pretty much inconsolable to find the poetry bookshop closed when i got there, despite apparently being the largest dedicated retailer in the UK and saying on their website that they are open on Sundays. Do folk still not realise that if you work every other day of the week then Sunday is your only retail therapy day? The excitement was at fever pitch as I rocked up only to find that nasty 6-letter word hanging in the window. You can't bottle that type of disappointment and just as well. Internet is good but not the same as picking up the book and looking at it from all angles. Getting the feel. Smelling the pages.
The Bookshop (and several welshcakes) turned out to be the cure; a real gem with lots of otherwise expensive editions at prices more reasonable than Amazon. However, no where had a decent modern anthology of Polish poetry. I can only assume I may have found this in the Poetry Bookshop. If anyone knows where I can get one then please let me know...I was hoping Bloodaxe would publish? They've certainly nailed Young Romanian and Bosnian so there is hope.
Hay is also home to the 'world's first honesty bookshop'. I love the idea of this but really it's only useful if you have a particular interest in such obscurities as Fridge Mechanics 1973-1975 or A Guide To Cooking With Rare Marrow Species. There was actually a large compendium of reports from the early days of the Deep Sea Drilling Project...once upon a time in a far away life where Geologists used to find jobs....I may have gone for it, but alas it was getting mildewy and in need of a wipe-down and the weight was burdensome. I won't spell out the metaphor.
Also note, bikers seemed to be viewed with a degree of suspicion. Especially bikers clutching C. K. Williams (A great recommendation from Sarah @ Flax, thanks for that. An immediate affinity.) Or maybe I am paranoid. I don't know.
However, I would suggest going on a Monday to Friday or a Saturday if pushed, as on Sundays the opening times are odd and largely undocumented. I was pretty much inconsolable to find the poetry bookshop closed when i got there, despite apparently being the largest dedicated retailer in the UK and saying on their website that they are open on Sundays. Do folk still not realise that if you work every other day of the week then Sunday is your only retail therapy day? The excitement was at fever pitch as I rocked up only to find that nasty 6-letter word hanging in the window. You can't bottle that type of disappointment and just as well. Internet is good but not the same as picking up the book and looking at it from all angles. Getting the feel. Smelling the pages.
The Bookshop (and several welshcakes) turned out to be the cure; a real gem with lots of otherwise expensive editions at prices more reasonable than Amazon. However, no where had a decent modern anthology of Polish poetry. I can only assume I may have found this in the Poetry Bookshop. If anyone knows where I can get one then please let me know...I was hoping Bloodaxe would publish? They've certainly nailed Young Romanian and Bosnian so there is hope.
Hay is also home to the 'world's first honesty bookshop'. I love the idea of this but really it's only useful if you have a particular interest in such obscurities as Fridge Mechanics 1973-1975 or A Guide To Cooking With Rare Marrow Species. There was actually a large compendium of reports from the early days of the Deep Sea Drilling Project...once upon a time in a far away life where Geologists used to find jobs....I may have gone for it, but alas it was getting mildewy and in need of a wipe-down and the weight was burdensome. I won't spell out the metaphor.
Also note, bikers seemed to be viewed with a degree of suspicion. Especially bikers clutching C. K. Williams (A great recommendation from Sarah @ Flax, thanks for that. An immediate affinity.) Or maybe I am paranoid. I don't know.
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