Every bookshop I have worked in has swiftly attracted a range of “interesting” characters and as Lower Marsh is in an area of particular interest there are some extremely “interesting” people about. I have a feeling they might pop up on the blog regularly so I should introduce some of the early contenders for the C & P “Most Interesting Person” award. These folk shall henceforth be known as The Prophets. I should also state the Prophets are entirely separated from the Customers by the fact they never ever buy anything. Customers, as we all know, are always right and can be as weird as they like since we rely on them for our sustenance, nay very existence…
I and I
A Rastafarian bloke who marched in and introduced himself. He is interested in “Reality Not Personality” and claimed his aim in life was to leave those he spoke with elevated. I suspect he was fairly elevated when he spoke with us and that those that find themselves raised higher on leaving his company do so for other reasons than the beneficial effect of his wise words.
Flashing Helmet
This man rides a bicycle. Not so strange. But he has a cycle helmet covered in red flashing lights that makes him resemble a kind of outback alien. He has a box on the front of his bike that he keeps things in. He supplies the second-hand shop over the road with books. He mutters and grumbles to himself constantly. I have seen him in Summerfield Camberwell (haunt of many a maniac /zombie) but so far have never spoken with him. I suspect this will change…
Death of the Book
Just what you need on the fourth day open. A man who starts by saying he never buys new books as they are too expensive then moves on to claim the book will be dead in five years anyway. “I have seen the gizmos, held em in me hand. Book sized. Press a button and it turns a page. There’s an index and notes you can jump straight to. Drop it - no problem.” I countered with all the classics - can’t read it in the bath etc but he had an answer to everything. (Yeah - one of those.) Then yesterday we were looking at a beautiful book called ABZ. Published by Redstone Press, it is a series of examples of different typefaces. What makes the book work is the quality of the production, the paper and particularly the colours which are beautiful. I do not believe such a book could ever work on a screen and plan to thrust it at the prophet when he returns. Hah! Touche!
