“Book Town Dead” Says trader but others disagree

Despite one local book trader describing the BookTown concept in Atherstone as”dead”, October 2007 saw representatives from the Borough exchanging greetings with the people of Becherel as part of a fact-finding visit to find out more about this well established booktown in France.

Peter Playdon of Throckmortons bookshop in The Market Square made his comments to The Reporter after a recent Chamber of Trade meeting. He said,

“After the initial chaos and departure of James Hanna coupled with the recent closure of the “Sit a While” book store the concept of Atherstone as a Book Town is dead. However individual book sellers continue to trade and make a living.”

Following on from a visit to Scotland’s only Booktown, Wigtown in South West Scotland, a party from Atherstone were invited to a conference in Bécherel, near Renne in Brittany. For six months the two book towns of Wigtown and Bécherel have been conducting an investigation into all aspects of being a ‘Booktown’. The investigation was funded by European money and the conference on October 20 th was the final presentation of the results. It was felt that as Atherstone’s Booktown is in its infancy it would be useful to hear of the problems and triumphs during Bécherel’s 20 years and Wigtown’s 10 years selling second-hand books.

Atherstone was represented at the French conference by Gwyneth and Martin Short, booksellers, their son, David, Councillor Anne Forwood, Councillor Lorna Dirveiks and her husband, Neil. The Atherstone group were made to feel very much part of the event with the French Mayor, M. Bernard Leroy, accepting a book and greetings from Atherstone Booktown and in return presenting the two councillors with a Bécherel ‘goody bag’ and gallic kisses on both cheeks!

The serious part of the day was to present the findings of the investigation and this was done in both languages and in printed form so it can be passed on to those interested in moving the book town forward. More informal views were passed on at lunch in a local hotel and at dinner on a moonlit Mount St. Michel.