I read this afternoon that Nicholas Hoare's bookshop on Front Street West is closing. The Hogtown location is the last one to call it a day following closures in Ottawa and elsewhere. Of course, the day of the indie bookseller or the two or three-store operation is over or almost so, but that doesn't make it any easier for me to accept. I still lament the closure, years ago, of Edward's Books and Art on Queen Street West, and more recently the winding up of David Mirvish's bookstore on Markham Street. That store, likely my all-time browsing favourite, had a sensational Frank Stella mural on its back wall, incidentally. I wonder what happened to it.
I suppose I'll have to start hauling my carcass beyond the Annex and downtown when I'm looking for books. One thing's certain, though, however far I have to roam looking for new material, I won't spend my money at one of the stores where books are just so much product.
Oh, and one more thing. Can anyone tell me why there isn't a good French bookstore in the city?
No comments:
Post a Comment