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Ilse's Reviews > 84, Charing Cross Road
84, Charing Cross Road
by
by
A love letter to letters and books
I do love second-hand books that open to the page some previous owner read oftenest. The day Hazlitt came he opened to 'I hate to read new books,' and I hollered 'Comrade!' to whoever owned it before me.
84, Charing Cross Road is a sheer delight for lovers of bookshops and of the art of letter writing, brimming with charm, wit and nostalgia � and evidently, with book talk.
I adore reading letters � so much that as a child I dreamt of becoming a postie (such a shame that, just like one cannot read the books while working in the library, a postie isn’t supposed to read those letters). An epistolary novel like Jane Austen’s Lady Susan, the correspondence of Flaubert, Kafka’s Letters to Milena, or this� a selection of the transatlantic correspondence between Helene Hanff, a script writer in New York and the employees of Marks & Co (mostly with book buyer Frank Doel), an antiquarian bookshop at 84 Charing Cross Road, London over the course of 20 years (1949 to 1969) - whether they come in the monophonic, dialogic or polyphonic type, compilations of letters spur my curiosity and interest.
This is one of the singular books that for a change not made me dream of visiting Paris once more but going to London instead. Or maybe just knowing it’s there is enough?
But I don’t know, maybe it’s just as well I never got there. I dreamed about it for so many years. I used to go to English movies just to look at the streets. I remember years ago a guy I knew told me that people going to England find exactly what they go looking for. I said I’d go looking for the England of English Literature, and he nodded and said: “It’s there.�
The animated business correspondence initiated by Helene Hanff in her quest for old and rare books over time widens into more congenial exchanges, involving the families of the employees, thanking her for the food parcels (with meat and egg powder) Hanff sends to the bookshop on festive occasions like Christmas to supplement rations (food rationing in Britain went on until 1954), also giving a fascinating glimpse into the everyday concerns of that time.
Just read it to bask in the warmth of its gentleness and generosity and treat yourself to a dash of Hanff’s exuberant book love and punchy sense of humour.
Thank you again for the beautiful book. I shall try very hard not to get gin and ashes all over it, it's really much too fine for the likes of me.
Thank you so much Paul, for bringing this lovely and affecting book to my attention.
I do love second-hand books that open to the page some previous owner read oftenest. The day Hazlitt came he opened to 'I hate to read new books,' and I hollered 'Comrade!' to whoever owned it before me.
84, Charing Cross Road is a sheer delight for lovers of bookshops and of the art of letter writing, brimming with charm, wit and nostalgia � and evidently, with book talk.
I adore reading letters � so much that as a child I dreamt of becoming a postie (such a shame that, just like one cannot read the books while working in the library, a postie isn’t supposed to read those letters). An epistolary novel like Jane Austen’s Lady Susan, the correspondence of Flaubert, Kafka’s Letters to Milena, or this� a selection of the transatlantic correspondence between Helene Hanff, a script writer in New York and the employees of Marks & Co (mostly with book buyer Frank Doel), an antiquarian bookshop at 84 Charing Cross Road, London over the course of 20 years (1949 to 1969) - whether they come in the monophonic, dialogic or polyphonic type, compilations of letters spur my curiosity and interest.
This is one of the singular books that for a change not made me dream of visiting Paris once more but going to London instead. Or maybe just knowing it’s there is enough?
But I don’t know, maybe it’s just as well I never got there. I dreamed about it for so many years. I used to go to English movies just to look at the streets. I remember years ago a guy I knew told me that people going to England find exactly what they go looking for. I said I’d go looking for the England of English Literature, and he nodded and said: “It’s there.�
The animated business correspondence initiated by Helene Hanff in her quest for old and rare books over time widens into more congenial exchanges, involving the families of the employees, thanking her for the food parcels (with meat and egg powder) Hanff sends to the bookshop on festive occasions like Christmas to supplement rations (food rationing in Britain went on until 1954), also giving a fascinating glimpse into the everyday concerns of that time.
Just read it to bask in the warmth of its gentleness and generosity and treat yourself to a dash of Hanff’s exuberant book love and punchy sense of humour.
Thank you again for the beautiful book. I shall try very hard not to get gin and ashes all over it, it's really much too fine for the likes of me.
Thank you so much Paul, for bringing this lovely and affecting book to my attention.
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84, Charing Cross Road.
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Reading Progress
July 10, 2020
– Shelved
June 2, 2023
–
Started Reading
June 2, 2023
–
19.13%
"I love inscriptions on flyleaves and notes in margins, I like the comradely sense of turning pages someone else turned, and reading passages someone long gone has called my attention to."
page
44
June 2, 2023
–
Finished Reading
June 3, 2023
–
27.39%
"It's against my principles to buy a book I haven't read, it's like buying a dress you haven't tried on.�"
page
63
June 4, 2023
–
29.57%
"All my scripts have artistic backgrounds- ballet, concert hall, opera - and all the suspects and corpses are cultured, maybe I’ll do one about the rare book business in your honour, do you want to be the murderer or the corpse?"
page
68
Comments Showing 1-50 of 74 (74 new)
Lovely review Ilse! becoming a postie, is so cute a dream. I loved that!
This book has always been one of my favorites, Ilse. Your review allowed my to recall the joy I experienced while reading this gem.TY
I had no idea this book was also about letter writing, Ilse! I’ve always loved letters, too � writing them, receiving them, reading them. I’ve had a consistent pen pal since 1997 up until very recently. We’d sometimes send each other our own letters from years ago. Anyway, I keep resisting this classic, but warmth and gentleness are in order� Lovely review 💕
Gorgeous review of a very interesting book, Ilse! Bumped up on my TBR list�
I loved this book as well. Did you know it was made into a movie with Anthony Hopkins and Anne Bancroft? It is very good. Excellent review, Ilse!
What a tender book, and what a perfect token for it, this exquisite review...Thanks for reminding me of this jewel of a book, Ilse.
An endearing book worthy to read. So glad you enjoyed it Ilse.
What a beautiful way to start this day reading your essay, dear Ilse. It emanates with the rays of gentleness, compassion, generous spirit and loving books as this novel did it for you. Thank you.Nothing will ever replace brick-and-mortar bookshops and our sheer pleasure in getting lost among their shelves. I have fond memories of visiting bookshops on my trips to London (and carrying back in luggage loads of books I purchased!). It would be a special treat to hear about your bookshop experiences on your next travel to London.
Jan-Maat wrote: "the small bookshops on Charing cross road are largely gone now, but the book is still hereAh, bibliopolae volant, scripta manent.... and what came in the place of the bookshops? It seems the fate of many bookshops, I was hoping to visit a few around the Parc de Luxembourg last time in Paris because my children didn't let me enter one five years earlier, but they seemed already vanished.
Charming review, Ilse, of a lovely book for all bibliophiles.
Lovely review, Ilse. I adore this book.
There's still a few of those lovely old Charing Cross Road bookshops left, but Jan-Maat's right--they're mostly gone now. Marks & Co is a McDonald's now, but they've at least got a plaque on the wall outside acknowledging Hanff and the history of the shop.
Lovely review. As an alternative to Charing Cross Road, I can recommend Nijinski in Brussels. Not the same since they moved from Chatelain to the Flagey area but still worth the visit. And, if you are ever in thar neighborhood, check out Bart’s books in Ojai (CA, US). We once did a huge detour just to pay this open air second hand bookstore (quite literally) a visit. An afternoon to remember!
Praveen wrote: "Lovely review Ilse! becoming a postie, is so cute a dream. I loved that!"Thank you very much, Praveen! Coincidentally- or not - I was reminded of that dream not only because of reading these letters, but also when finding out on Monday a colleague had the same dream when she was a child, and even though we are both aware that working conditions of posties nowadays are much harder than when we were children, we started day-dreaming together of what if�.
This is such a sweet review. Nice to know how this book glimpses into the charming past of London. I've never had the privilege to see that. And it's sad that it is gone now. I suppose such books keep the spirit alive. ❤️
I saw the movie decades ago, and (I think) owned the book at one time, but it is obviously time for me to read it, ty, Ilse!
One of my favorite books. So glad you discovered it, Ilse.
I love epistolary novels too. I love reading letters too. The Marginalian often writes features about letters. I follow Letters of Note nad subscribed to their newsletter. While I have to rely on email with my friends because the kenyan postal service is just a joke, I share your passion for letters. Great review Ilse, I should prioritise this book
Daniel wrote: "This book has always been one of my favorites, Ilse. Your review allowed my to recall the joy I experienced while reading this gem.TY"Daniel, so heartwarming to hear this rekindled the joy of reading this lovely book for you - I have added it to my list of favorite books as well - I can easily imagine I'll read it a second time soon :)
I've just been to London and of course Chairing Cross. It is so sad. The remaining book stores look out of place. There are endless queues of people trying to get into the newest hip eating place.
Craig wrote: "There's still a few of those lovely old Charing Cross Road bookshops left, but Jan-Maat's right--they're mostly gone now. Marks & Co is a McDonald's now, but they've at least got a plaque on the wa..."Wow, a McDonalds, was Westminister council getting too sharp at keeping the street clean there!
Ilse wrote: "Jan-Maat wrote: "the small bookshops on Charing cross road are largely gone now, but the book is still here
Ah, bibliopolae volant, scripta manent.... and what came in the place of the bookshops? I..."
I don't know, I mean, I noticed the bookshops disappearing from when I was going past them fairly regularly circa the year 2000, to at later times when they simply weren't there anymore, but I didn't mentally register what businesses replaced them - and replaced those ones in turn.
Lovely review of one of my favourite books, thanks!
Jennifer wrote: "I had no idea this book was also about letter writing, Ilse! I’ve always loved letters, too � writing them, receiving them, reading them. I’ve had a consistent pen pal since 1997 up until very recently."Dear Jennifer, do yourself a favour and do not resist this lovely book any longer, you won't regret reading it! How wonderful you could keep up with your pen pal for such a long time, I can imagine in all those years you managed to reach a connection that is rarely found in conversations? Still experiencing and enjoying the wonderful, unexpected outcome of a corresponding that started about seven years ago myself, some aspects in this epistolary exchange that went on for such a long time were quite touching.
Ilse, I love love that you read this book and it became dear to you!
Boadicea wrote: "Gorgeous review of a very interesting book, Ilse! Bumped up on my TBR list�"Boadicea, thank you very much! I so hope you'll enjoy it too when you would get to it, it is a very short book but so heartwarming...
A lovely review of a charming book, Ilse! I second Jan Maat and Craig but there's always a way to look at the present through the veil of the past and book lovers are expert in that field. 😉
This book has popped up from time to time. But your special 'letter' or love of them and books has convinced me to add. What a wonderful review Ilse 💖
This book is such a special gem, and your review brings back all the reasons I enjoyed it too, Ilse.
Antoinette wrote: "I loved this book as well. Did you know it was made into a movie with Anthony Hopkins and Anne Bancroft? It is very good. Excellent review, Ilse!"Antoinette, thank you very much! Glad to be on the same page with you on this lovely book. So life-enhancing and moving, too. I loved the film as much as the book!
Dolors wrote: "What a tender book, and what a perfect token for it, this exquisite review...Thanks for reminding me of this jewel of a book, Ilse."Dolors, thank you so much for your heartwarming comment, a jewel of a book it is! I somewhat needed an antidote after finishing the book for the reading club this month and expected this to be a treat - and it was :). I imagine happy smiles when someone would remind me of it in the future, so I am truly glad this was of service to you �
Lovely review, Ilse! I always wondered whether this book was indeed as enjoyable as it appeared to be, but now reading your review you certainly convinced me! Thanks, I’ll read it soon!
This sounds like a book I should look for, Ilse, and preferably second-hand, so that there might be the possibility that it would open at the very page where the author talks about her second-hand Hazlitt opening at the page where he talks about second-hand books! Too improbable? Yes, I think so too—but I enjoyed imagining it:-)About letters, aren't our reviews letters in a sense—as if we are writing to all our book friends about our latest reads. And the comment threads are further series of short notes to each other...
David wrote: "An endearing book worthy to read. So glad you enjoyed it Ilse."David, endearing is such an apt word to capture this charming book - truly glad you loved it so much as well!
Vesna wrote: "What a beautiful way to start this day reading your essay, dear Ilse. It emanates with the rays of gentleness, compassion, generous spirit and loving books as this novel did it for you. Thank you.Dear Vesna, thank you so much, how beautifully you encapsulate the very soul of this funny and moving little book! If you ever happen to come across it in one of those brick-and-mortar bookshops that you frequent, please give it a chance, I cannot imagine you would regret reading it. The letters are from real life, which somehow makes them especially endearing.
How I love that thought, imagining you collecting loads of books in London! I like it a lot to connect a particular book to a place and/or time�.I don’t know when or if I will ever see a chance to travel to London again � there were more than twenty-five years between my first visit and my last and it is ‘only� four years ago since I took the picture of the bookshop I posted :) (guess which books I purchased in that bookshop because the library doesn’t have them ? Trieste and ٴDZäԲ)- but I’d love to hear some tips from you and surely I’ll share my experiences if I would manage to visit London once again :)!
Ilse, Your review is beautifully written and the photo is lovely. You wrote things that I didn't have the skill to write. And thanks so much for your thank you. Your review inspired me to add an addendum to mine. I'm now receiving and sending "real" letters on a regular basis once again.
Laysee wrote: "Charming review, Ilse, of a lovely book for all bibliophiles."Thank you very much, Laysee - It is indeed a dream of a book for book lovers, I heartily agree. I caught myself smiling along the pages.
Ilse wrote: "(guess which books I purchased in that bookshop because the library doesn’t have them ? Trieste and ٴDZäԲ)- but I’d love to hear some tips from you and surely I’ll share my experiences..."Yay! You might want to read her Trieste first which is greatly admired, dear Ilse. ٴDZäԲ was her last novel which was her favorite because it was an "ugly duckling" and she loved it for it. I have it on my shelf waiting to be read, but Joe already read it and advises that it wouldn't be the best choice for your first Drndić though he did like it as he is also Drndić's admirer. We were both bowled over by her Beladonna and EEG.
I haven't been in London for years and I was disheartened to read on this comment thread about the closures of many bookshops. As for my luggage filled with books, you just had to see the surprised faces of the airline people when they tried to pick it up :-) "Not bricks, just books"
Thank you for gently alerting me that these are real life letters. I'll then look it up in the literary nonfiction next time I visit our local bookshops. Now I can't resist it after reading your lovely and enticing review.
Kimber wrote: "Lovely review, Ilse. I adore this book."Thank you very much, Kimber, so happy you loved this wonderful little book so much as well - short but so delightful...
Craig wrote: "There's still a few of those lovely old Charing Cross Road bookshops left, but Jan-Maat's right--they're mostly gone now. Marks & Co is a McDonald's now, but they've at least got a plaque on the wall outside acknowledging Hanff and the history of the shop.It is quite sad that many are gone Craig, but so good to know that there are still a few left - and there are still some old pictures to witness of those bygone times - here's one from the thirties:
I'll look for this if I ever see a chance to get back to London, thank you for pointing me to it!
This wonderful review made me feel very nostalgic for the book and for London, Ilse! Thank you for treating me to that today :)
Jeroen wrote: "Lovely review. As an alternative to Charing Cross Road, I can recommend Nijinski in Brussels. Not the same since they moved from Chatelain to the Flagey area but still worth the visit. And, if you are ever in thar neighborhood, check out Bart’s books in Ojai (CA, US). We once did a huge detour just to pay this open air second hand bookstore (quite literally) a visit. An afternoon to remember"Jeroen, thank you so much for your tip on Nijinski books, duly noted! It looks simply heavenly, it makes me look forward to the next work meeting in Brussels! You make me smile because of the big detour you made to visit that astounding bookshop in the US, I recognise the desire to do so very well - it must have been a memorable experience indeed! And you are so right, we actually don't have to go as far as London, Brussels has such a wide range of fascinating bookshops still to discover for me...
P.B. wrote: "This is such a sweet review. Nice to know how this book glimpses into the charming past of London. I've never had the privilege to see that. And it's sad that it is gone now. I suppose such books keeps the spirit alive"Thank you so much for your kind comment, PB - you put that so well, books like this keep the past alive, giving us a taste of places and times we cannot experience anymore, but that we can still see through our imagination, helped by books. With books we can live so many different lives�
Dave wrote: "I saw the movie decades ago, and (I think) owned the book at one time, but it is obviously time for me to read it, ty, Ilse!"Dave, I loved the movie - and the book (I don't usually watch the film first but so it happened with this one, I have only recently discovered a couple of treasures our local library is hiding on their attic). I thought book and film mutually enriching the wonderful experience they both are, so yes, do yourself a favour and read this, I am sure you'll enjoy it too!
Ilse wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "I had no idea this book was also about letter writing, Ilse! I’ve always loved letters, too � writing them, receiving them, reading them. I’ve had a consistent pen pal since 1997 u..."That's wonderful, Ilse, that you engage in penpalship as well! It's a special moment, when you sit down to write, or to read a friend's words. :D
Ilse wrote: "P.B. wrote: "This is such a sweet review. Nice to know how this book glimpses into the charming past of London. I've never had the privilege to see that. And it's sad that it is gone now. I suppose..."Definitely! I hugely value the opportunity they give us for insight into the lives of others - across divisions of creed, race, sexuality, life experience etc.
Anne wrote: "One of my favorite books. So glad you discovered it, Ilse."Anne, thank you so much, so glad we are on the same page on this gem! I haven't much time for writing reviews but wanted to send another big thank you for the joy GR friends so generously offer us by sharing their thoughts on the books they love: I cannot imagine I would ever have discovered this myself!
I just bought a copy of this book, Ilse, and it is wonderful and comforting to know you have enjoyed this. A love letter to letters and books sums it up perfectly! I love your new profile as well- very vibrant and lovely!
mwana wrote: "I love epistolary novels too. I love reading letters too. The Marginalian often writes features about letters. I follow Letters of Note nad subscribed to their newsletter.�Mwana, I’ll check out that newsletter, thank you very much for the tip! Friends wrote reviews about this lovely book in the form of a letter, so delightful to read them ❤️. Since e-mail took over, there is rarely a letter dropping in here, but I am quite attached to a few densely scribbled postcards that made their way to this house. Which epistolary novel made your heart sing?
the small bookshops on Charing cross road are largely gone now, but the book is still here