7: A Window on the World

Gail, Steph and Anna go behind the scenes with booksellers Brett Wolstencroft of Daunt Books and Kathleen Smith of Topping & Co. Bath to talk about the reality and romance of life running two of the country’s finest bookshops. Andrew Hawkins recounts the tale of a London publisher who tried his hand at repping and ended up in a spot of bother with a drunken poet in Fife, and there’s the usual round-up of recommended reading and news from Hoxton Square.  The digits in brackets following each listing refer to the minute and second they are mentioned. (Episode duration: 38 minutes; 30 seconds) **Books Mentioned** * [Slightly Foxed Issue 62](https://foxedquarterly.com/shop/slightly-foxed-issue-62-published-1-june-2019/), will be published on 1 June. Available to order now (5:34) * Shaun Bythell, [The Diary of a Bookseller](https://foxedquarterly.com/shop/shaun-bythell-diary-of-a-bookseller/) (30:12) * Jen Campbell, [Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops](https://foxedquarterly.com/shop/weird-things-customers-say-in-bookshops/) (30:16) * A Plain Foxed Edition of [84, Charing Cross Road](https://foxedquarterly.com/shop/84-charing-cross-road-plain-foxed-edition/) will be published in September 2019\. Available to order now (30:22) * Miriam Toews, [All My Puny Sorrows](https://foxedquarterly.com/shop/miriam-toews-all-my-puny-sorrows/) (30:40) * Patrick O’Brian, [Master & Commander](https://foxedquarterly.com/shop/patrick-obrian-master-and-commander/) and [The Far Side of the World](https://foxedquarterly.com/shop/patrick-obrian-far-side-of-the-world/) (31:46) * Andrew Miller, [Now We Shall Be Entirely Free](https://foxedquarterly.com/shop/andrew-miller-now-we-shall-be-entirely-free/) (32:36) * Angela Carter, [The Magic Toyshop](https://foxedquarterly.com/shop/angela-carter-magic-toyshop/) and [The Bloody Chamber](https://foxedquarterly.com/shop/angela-carter-bloody-chamber/) (33.02) **Related Slightly Foxed Articles & Illustrations** * Mike Petty’s article entitled [‘Up There on a Visit’](https://foxedquarterly.com/mike-petty-up-there-on-a-visit-literary-review/) was published in [Slightly Foxed Issue 8](https://foxedquarterly.com/shop/slightly-foxed-issue-8/) (23:14) * [Maggie Fergusson’s article](https://foxedquarterly.com/literary-love-affair-article-maggie-fergusson/) on Helene Hanff, 84, Charing Cross Road was originally published in Slightly Foxed [Issue 24](https://foxedquarterly.com/shop/slightly-foxed-issue-24/), then republished in [Issue 48](https://foxedquarterly.com/shop/issue-48-winter-2015/). It appears as the preface to the Plain Foxed Edition of 84, Charing Cross Road (30:22) * Grant McIntyre’s three articles on Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey/Maturin novels – [‘Friendship of Opposites’](https://foxedquarterly.com/grant-mcintyre-patrick-obrien-friendship-of-opposites/), [‘The House that Jack Built’](https://foxedquarterly.com/grant-mcintyre-patrick-obrien-house-that-jack-built/) and [‘O’Brian’s World’](https://foxedquarterly.com/grant-mcintyre-aubrey-maturin-novels-obriens-world/) – were published sequentially in Slightly Foxed Issues 40, 42 and 44 (30:46) **Other Links** * A full list of Slightly Foxed stockists can be found on our website: [Stockists](https://foxedquarterly.com/category/stockists/) (1:09) * [The Idler Festival](https://www.idler.co.uk/product/the-idler-festival-2019-at-fenton-house-weekend-ticket/), Hampstead, London, 12-14 July 2019 (3:28) * [The Llangwm Literary Fesitval](http://www.llangwmlitfest.co.uk/), Pembrokeshire, Wales, 9-11 August 2019 (3:34) * [Ways with Words Festival](https://www.wayswithwords.co.uk/), Dartington, Devon, 5-15 July 2019 (3:52) * [The Slightly Foxed 2019 Readers’ Day](https://foxedquarterly.com/shop/readers-day-2019) will be held on Saturday 2 November at The Art Workers’ Guild in Bloomsbury, London. Tickets now available to Slightly Foxed magazine subscribers only. From £60 for a day ticket (4:10) * [Daunt Books](https://www.dauntbooks.co.uk/), Marylebone (6:34) * [Topping & Company Booksellers of Bath](https://www.toppingbooks.co.uk/) (6:38) * Topping & Company Booksellers are opening a bookshop in Blenheim Place, Edinburgh in the summer of 2019 (16:55) * The image for Episode 7: A Window on the World features a photograph of Topping & Co. Bath courtesy of [Miranda’s Notebook](http://mirandasnotebook.com/) **Music & Sound Effects** Opening music: Preludio from Violin Partita No.3 in E Major by Bach  Reading music: ‘Roads that burned out boots’ by Jahzzar shared under a Creative Commons licence 3.0, via [Free Music Archive](http://www.freemusicarchive.org/). No changes were made. Sound effects: auto engine and crowded bar thanks to [FreeSfx.co.uk](https://www.freesfx.co.uk/)  The Slightly Foxed Podcast is hosted by Philippa Lamb and produced by [Podcastable](https://www.podcastable.co.uk/)