Sunday, October 17, 2010

Bookshops I love: Chorlton Bookshop and Blackwell University Bookshop, Manchester

Yesterday afternoon I went with my sheet of information about the imminent new edition of The Birth Machine to Chorlton Bookshop and Blackwell in the university precinct.

The bookshop in Chorlton where I used to live was started in 1983 by Alan and Ceri Johnson, and is now run by their daughter Vicky. Right from the start, however, Vicky made the most wonderful window displays I've ever seen in a bookshop, and she continues today, as you can see from the pic above and her current display of fashion history books. They really are an excellent bookshop, tiny but always stocking the key books of the moment and the classics, and absolutely on the button if you need anything ordered. They have always been very supportive of my books, beginning when the first edition of The Birth Machine came out, and yesterday they said immediately that they'd order copies of the new one.

Then on into town through the falling orange leaves to the university precinct and Blackwell, who said right away that they'd order a couple of copies too.

See, no wonder I love these bookshops...!

I had forgotten both my camera and my phone yesterday afternoon (!), so I can't show you the carpet of leaves outside Blackwell, and have to rely on this official pic (below), but in the evening John and I went back to Chorlton to eat at Croma next door to the Chorlton Bookshop, and I was able to get the pics above.

4 comments:

Tania Hershman said...

Oh how lovely to get such wonderful responses from the bookshops, yay!

Elizabeth Baines said...

Yes, it's great!

AquaMarina said...

as a Chorltonian I can second what you say about Chorlton Bookshop Elizabeth - and Croma's pretty special too isn't it?!

Elizabeth Baines said...

Yes it is - I loved living there!