The Opening

Just before the opening I head outside for a quick bit to eat. There is a long line of people trailing down the street waiting to get into the book fair. I enter the hall that is now filled with  nervous booksellers.

When the doors open and the people flood in the temperature rises within the venue. People zip from stand to stand hoping they haven't missed out. These customers may look like gentlemen, but when they are after a book you better move out of their way!

The space stays lively until a few minutes to close. People walk from the venue with bags of books under their arms. I think this is a good sign. 

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James Hallgate of Lucius Books

James Hallgate of Lucius Books

James would have to be one of the most level headed and lovely booksellers that I have ever met. There is always an air of calm about this man, even when setting up for a fair one of the most exhausting times. From time to time James will visit us in Australia. He will fly all around the world to get that special book. The books he has on offer look pristine. He deals in modern firsts, in many ways a very tricky field. Whinnie the Pooh and artwork for a James bond cover are amongst his wares.

Edmund Brumfitt from Pickering and Chatto

Edmund Brumfitt from Pickering and Chatto

Edmund Brumfitt was one of the first international bookseller that I ever met. I'd just started working at The Cornstalk Bookshop and one afternoon had gone to an old friend's house for a get together. Edmund was there and spoke of a book shop in London that he worked called Pickering and Chatto. Quite a few years later I walk through Olympia fair I run into his familiar face. I ask him how he is going. 

He has a big grin on his face as he tells me that he is well and still enjoying book selling after 12 years. Pickering and Chatto have been in operation for nearly two hundred years so Edmund is a relatively young bookseller. His stand is filled with interesting nick-nacks and ephemeral items. My eyes dashed around excitedly. I was unsure about which thing looked most interesting and so I said. "What is your favourite thing on the stand?" He picks up and international fair book with glossy elaborately decorated covers. Within the covers is a sort of scrap book with among other things photographs and memorial cards. It was a really lovely item, and I immediately understood why he chose it.

Opening Morning

At the beginning of the fair, there is an exciting buzz. Trading has already begun before the doors have even opened.

Some people are stressfully putting the finishing details on there stands at the very last minute. Others have grins on their faces as they say hello to their good friends and colleagues. It is  the greatest moment in every book fair. A room full of hope.

The books here are fantastic and at times to me unbelievable. Some things here I have only read about in books. Today, I look up close and even touch some pages.

There are beautiful books all over the hall. I like beautiful books, but today my favourite books are the fashion books. There are displayed men in military uniforms and women in various dresses. These images often coloured by hand. It is at this point today that I think, I was to open my own bookshop today, this is the material I'd like to deal in. Of course yesterday it was philosophical books, the day before medical books. But here lies the pleasure of a book fair. You see those books, those objects that hold something important in your heart, are important for you because of some small memory you have as a child or an adult.

Frank Werner of Brockhaus Antiquarian from Germany

Frank Werner of Brockhaus Antiquarian from Germany

As I strolled the book fair this morning, I met a man who quite striking, turns out to be a charming and jolly man with an obvious love for ethnology.

I see some objects on his stand, things that I have never seen before. Palm bark books with a language that I don't recognise, and next to these, bamboo sticks about the length of a ruler with a similar script. Frank told me that these books are from a Batik cannibalistic tribe who designed their own language possibly before the Europeans. They were very beautiful objects, ones that I would have like to touch but didn't dare because of their meaning in history.

Cannibal palm leaf book from Brockhaus Antiquarian 

The were four objects in total. The first two were recipes for magical and medical positions which were illustrated with pictures to show the causes of the ailments. Another objects, this one bamboo, he tells me is a threatening letter. “oh?” I say and he replies "I would not like to receive a threatening letter from a cannibal." I nodded my head in agreement.

A fun day at set-up!

I went to the book fair yesterday and helped and watched most people set up. It was interesting just to be there to watch people and not have the stress of the situation take over me. I was very impressed by the use of porters at the show. It gave it a much nicer quality than if you have to do these things like moving boxes around yourself.

Douglas Stewart Fine Books display

I walked around the fair and said hello to all those people I recognised. It was nice to see so many familiar faces. Although it was a little daunting to see how many people I will be introducing myself to. I don't think much will happen today because it is the first day of trade and I would hate to get in people's way.

After the fair, I went to dinner with Douglas Stewart. It was his first time exhibiting at Olympia. He explained  that coming to this fair, was something he aspired to as a young bookseller. It was very obvious how excited he was and how much it meant to him. In celebration he produced a very sexy catalogue. A high gloss thick card with a strikingly beautiful cover. He told me that while he is at the fair he will be sending this same catalogue to his special customers!

For dinner we went to this cute little place called Maggie's in Kensington Street. It had hanging baskets of lavender and posies of dried roses and large bowls of fruit for decoration. The lighting was low and intimate and there was a jolly feeling within the cosy atmosphere. The meal and the staff was lovely. I had a great time with Douglas and his sweet, smart assistant Caitlyn Littlewood.

Caitlyn Littlewood and Douglas Stewart

Douglas Stewart began his life in the book trade when he was still at school. He now runs a very successful business in Prahan, Melbourne that specialises in rare, collectible and antiquarian books. To find out more  go to his beautiful web site: http://www.douglasstewart.com.au 

I've been to London dozens of times, but this is the first time I arrived feeling well rested. I jumped on a train because it didn't seem too difficult and I was right! It cost one quarter the price and is so much more efficient than staying in London traffic in a taxi. Fifteen minutes to Paddington Station and I'm sure there are only a few stops until my final destination. It's 6:30am here and I don't quite like the idea of waking up my hosts. If it was me, I'd still be in bed.

When I exit the Heathrow Express at the Station, I am blown away by the architectural feat of the arches spanning the space, and  an art Deco pattern strengthening the impression of scale.

***

The last time I wrote I was at Paddington train station drinking a tea and eating a croissant. Europe and the UK are the only places that you know, that if even if they look like the shop is a little dodgy, maybe even a bit too fast foody, that the pastry is going to be delicious. Buttery, flaky and crispy and soft all at the same time. I think this time I visit I'm going to enjoy myself.

It took me a while to get myself down to the right platform in the correct direction. The train was arriving on the platform so I hopped on. It was the wrong train, but I figured it out before the next station. I hopped off and checked that the next train has my destination. I also had a chance to check out the driver -a Rastifarian, eating a sandwich out of foil with a grin on his face. One hand on the brake the other on the sandwich.

I switched trains, cursing at all the stairs and the weight of my suitcase. I was really tough on my limit, only one pair of shoes and an outfit for each day and I wondered where this wait weight was coming from. I curse the ream of photocopies and the bottle of alcohol that I bought as a gift for my host. I really hope he likes it.

I arrived at my station with very little hassle, and probably a little too early for my host who was still having a shower when the door bell rang. His daughter answered the door, still in her pyjamas. I introduced myself as politely as I could and told her why I had arrived with a big suitcase. Paul hadn't told  my host what time I would be arriving and was rather shocked to find me sitting at his breakfast table. 

As we caught up my host's dog George bounced around begging for a walk. My host quickly showed me to  the bathroom with a bath and then went off to walk the dog. It had been such a long time since I had had a bath. It was very very nice to soak, especially after such a long journey. I had been going since 830am on the 7th and it was now 5pm on the 8th in Sydney but breakfast time in London.

After getting ready I went down for another chat with my host to find out if I could help in any way. He basically said no, so I went for a long walk to Brixton Village. It was fantastic going past so many open spaces, having parks in the middle of the city. Nobody seemed to use them, but that doesn't really surprise me as it was cold enough (in summer) to get a bit chilly around the edges.

I walked past all the shops of Brixton, noticing firstly how many of them were closed and secondly the the feel of optimism had left. It was quite obvious to me that in the year since I had been here last that London had taken a very hard hit. 

I started to get a little hungry and went into a supermarket and checked out things that we don't usually find in Australia. Pomegranate seeds ready to eat with a spoon. Big juicy luscious raspberries and so many varieties of yoghurt and chocolate. I buy some raspberries and vanilla yoghurt and have a decadent feed in the park.

The park that I choose has workmen finishing a children's playground that has a castle among other cool things. Three men sweep, blow leaves and tidy the area. They work hard and don't take a break. In Sydney, it seems that they are forever having a 'smoko'. As I sit in the park a light breeze starts up and I begin to shiver. Buttoning up my coat, I start the journey back to the warm house that awaits me. That is where I am now. Curling up in a doona or duvet as they may call it here. I think a little lunchtime nap is in order.

Olympia Bookfair

One of the reason I love working as a bookseller is how often I get to travel and meet interesting people. Tomorrow I jump on a plane and head for London to promote International Antiquarian Bookfair in Hong Kong. I will be attending Olympia Bookfair, one of the world's most prestigious fairs. In the next few weeks I will tell you my experiences.