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Today it is easy to forget that books were once luxury goods. A modern reader can buy a novel for a few pounds, download thousands of classics completely free, or borrow almost anything from a library. But in the early eighteenth century, owning a finely bound volume was a privilege reserved largely for the wealthy….
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When researching an entirely different story in the autumn of 2022, I visited the ancient church of St Mary the Virgin, Merton. Walking among the gravestones, one caught my eye: Dorcas, Wife of J Lackington Bookseller, Finsbury Square Ladies who chance to frisk this way, With honest Hearts and Spirits gay. A serious moment give…
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Imagine stepping inside The Temple of the Muses in Finsbury Square — the bookshop famed in Georgian London as the largest in Europe. Shelves teem with novels, histories, pamphlets and curiosities. Priceless tomes sit side by side with cheap editions. Amid the bustle, male shop assistants in black frock-coats stand behind the circular counter underneath…
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In the bustling heart of Georgian London, James and Dorcas Lackington didn’t just open a bookshop—they created a cultural landmark. As their business outgrew its Chiswell Street premises, the Lackingtons dared to think bigger: a temple to books. Situated on one side of Finsbury Square (32 Finsbury Place South) and designed by architect George Dance,…
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Today, we take it for granted that books are within our grasp, but it wasn’t always so. By the late 18th century, literacy in England was steadily improving. Based on the ability to write their signature at the time of their marriages, historians estimate that approximately half of the population could read. But owning a…
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In the early summer of 1780, London erupted in one of the most violent chapters of civil unrest in British history. What began as a protest against proposed relief for Catholics spiralled into days of destruction, looting and terror that left swathes of the city in ruins. The Gordon Riots were more than a sudden…
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Today I’m delighted to welcome award-winning author Ali Bacon Virtual Book Club, my author interview series in which authors have the opportunity to pitch their book to your book club. After graduating from St Andrews University, Ali moved to the South West of England where her writing is still strongly influenced by her Scottish roots….
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This month has been a busy time for book stalls at venues ranging from churches to garden centres. One of the questions I am asked most often when meeting readers face-to-face is why can’t they find St Botolph and Old Billingsgate tube station (Smash all the Windows) on the underground map? It is, I confess,…
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Adita began her introduction by explaining to the audience that although the authors’ books might seem very different, both reach the same place as music, exploring memories, longings, identity and place. Noreen Masud was born in Pakistan, a country whose boundary had been shaped by colonialism. When Britain granted India independence, it partitioned the territory…
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Born in London to an English mother and a Jamaican father, Karen McCarthy Woolf is a poet, teaches on the MA on Creative Writing at Goldsmiths and is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Her ground-breaking debut collection, An Aviary of Small Birds, was shortlisted for both the Forward Best First Collection Prize and the…
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