An American Bookman in England
Michael Dirda is a Pulitzer Prize-winning book critic who writes for the Washington Post, and has written a number of books about books, authors and book collecting. On the 9th and 10th October 2017 he met up with Mark Valentine and Iain Smith and we followed him around a few bookshops with our cameras.
On the first day we visited George Ramsden's Stone Trough Books, a haven of calm and culture in the busy city of York (sadly, George recently passed away). We then visited Fossgate Books and Ken Spelman's. On the second day we travelled to Carlisle to the vast and labrynthine Bookcase.
A Michael Dirda Bibliography:
"The Great Age of Storytelling" (Knopf, forthcoming)
"Browsings: A Year of Reading, Collecting, and Living with Books" (New York: Pegasus, 2015)
"On Conan Doyle; or, The Whole Art of Storytelling" (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2011)
"Classics for Pleasure" (Orlando: Harcourt, 2007)
"Book by Book: Notes on Reading and Life" (New York: Henry Holt, 2005)
"Bound to Please" (New York: W. W. Norton, 2005)
"An Open Book: Coming of Age in the Heartland" (New York: W. W. Norton, 2003)
"Readings: Essays and Literary Entertainments" (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2000)
Пікірлер: 57
Rest in Peace George Ramsden, only met him once but he seemed like a nice person. I live in York and heard about his death in 2019, very sad but I hope he is at peace now.
I'm sorry to report the passing of George Ramsden, who appears in the first section of the film in his shop Stone Trough Books. A knowledgeable and friendly man, his shop was an oasis of bookish calm in York. An obituary can be found here: www.thetimes.co.uk/article/george-ramsden-obituary-zbz3klzrm?fbclid=IwAR02d2xv2vaV7tbmqvq7ekzs8eOrz8gxbhJqKWadCsRdTM8x2d9lokXCRlY
Thank you so much for this, sir. To browse in beautiful bookshops surrounded by erudite wolves with impeccable manners. How I miss that world. Also, I now have Augustus Carp to read (found and downloaded on Gutenberg)
That fellow just had a fine day. Happiness made manifest
Very enlightening and informative, Thank you!
This is the best kind of pornography: biblio-porn.
I really enjoyed this video, thank you for sharing.
this is such a lovely video! Thank you!
I discovered Michael Dirda from his book, Browsings, and then searched for him here. This video is as close as I will ever come to visiting second hand bookshops in England, but it sure was fun. After watching, I ordered Augustus Carp (mentioned in video) and The Englishman's Room (mentioned in Browsings.) Thank you so much to the person who filmed the video and the person who uploaded it.
@MarkWitucke
2 жыл бұрын
Just downloaded Carp from Gutenberg. A blessing as I would never have obtained a copy here in Argentina
My favorite bookstore is the size of a large hall. It’s glorious.🥰
I'm in Albuquerque, NM, with maybe 7 or 8,000 in our collection, and one of the only people I know with a house full of books. I love seeing these videos of serious collections.
This is fascinating.
Wonderful! After watching I immediately ordered A.J.A. SYMONS HIS LIFE AND SPECULATIONS by Julian Symons from a bookstore in Cambridge via Ebay, and actually FELT like I'd just spent half an hour browsing in a real bookstore. Thank you.
It is good to know that there are people who love books and who write in newspapers. Thank you very much for these cultural spaces
@calebantonio7979
2 жыл бұрын
Sorry to be so offtopic but does anyone know of a trick to log back into an Instagram account? I was stupid forgot the account password. I love any tips you can offer me
@skylarboston8630
2 жыл бұрын
@Caleb Antonio Instablaster =)
@calebantonio7979
2 жыл бұрын
@Skylar Boston I really appreciate your reply. I got to the site thru google and im in the hacking process atm. Looks like it's gonna take a while so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
@calebantonio7979
2 жыл бұрын
@Skylar Boston It did the trick and I finally got access to my account again. Im so happy:D Thank you so much you saved my account!
@skylarboston8630
2 жыл бұрын
@Caleb Antonio No problem xD
Wished this would've kept going on and on, what with Covid-19 and all! Thanks!
I might be out of place, but the sculpture at 0:57 is gorgeous.
Very sodiumloaded channel highly enjoyable
@SuperKaBlooey
3 жыл бұрын
sodiumloaded? Is that a clever way of saying salty?
A nice peaceful video.
@RBRussellTartarus
5 жыл бұрын
On the surface book collecting is a civilised pursuit, but beaneath there is a dogged determination and drive to unearth books ... :-)
@BarneyKB
4 жыл бұрын
Imagine seeing you here haha, I've been subbed to you for ages! Love the puzzle videos.
@RPKGameVids
4 жыл бұрын
It's Barney, hey man.
In my town we have a forever-shut second hand bookshop (I think you have to phone if you want to get access now), with the books still all inside, and sadly the outside slowly decaying. I can't help but wonder what it would be like to take on the bookshop, and turn it into more of a book haven like the shops in this video.
Gentle and happenstance.
Baron Corvo.....my favorite defrocked Priest......
@RBRussellTartarus
4 жыл бұрын
He would have loved the comment because it implies he was ever a priest, which he wasn't (Fr is short for Frederick and was a deliverate obfuscation). He was the most interesting character I am glad I never met!
In 1928 this shop was owned by my Great Grandfather Walter Webster, he sold china it was called The Little Gem.
"I wouldn't mind finding 'The Time Machine' for 50p somewhere." (15:04) Sadly, Michael, I think you'd need to use the actual time machine to get the book for that price.
psst, Michael... Edgar Saltus, Robert Hichens...
how much did all that cost in dollars.
@MarkWitucke
2 жыл бұрын
Around 49 cents
When does he change into a werewolf then?
@thusspokeshabistari
3 жыл бұрын
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Writers well known for writing about other writers always want to mention -- oh, just offhandedly -- that they're in town to give a talk on some famous writer.
@cfytcf
2 жыл бұрын
Wouldn't you, if you were in a good quality bookshop talking to someone who is clearly interested in literature?
@TT-fq7pl
2 жыл бұрын
@@cfytcf no
I read ebook :)
why are conversations with dudes like this so strangely passive aggressive? there is a looming threat when men like this meet in book shops lol
@RBRussellTartarus
Жыл бұрын
I'm not sure I have ever noticed that!
I wish I could get into fiction. Just can't do it
@shnepshclup5295
3 жыл бұрын
Okay
@dustywaxhead
3 жыл бұрын
Crime and Punishment is a great novel for getting started into. If you want a fact based novel In Cold Blood by Truman Capote is a classic too
@MarkWitucke
2 жыл бұрын
Please read Corman McCarthy!
@kurumbaatoll9190
Жыл бұрын
Start with short stories.
It's a little disconcerting that one of the most famous book reviewers in the United States can't pronounce "Niels Bohr."
@tardwrangler
4 жыл бұрын
Hvorfor det? Skal alle kunne uttale danske navn? lol
@patrizios9699
2 жыл бұрын
@@tardwrangler 👏
@jacobmiller5834
2 жыл бұрын
What if you've been saying it wrong all along?
@johndavid4007
2 жыл бұрын
@@jacobmiller5834 What if the moon is made of green cheese? What if two plus two equals five?
Does the so-and-so think Virginians can’t read?
@MarkWitucke
2 жыл бұрын
The only bad thing about this internet thing is that you can’t shoot a disrespectful man in the chest. Thomas Jefferson was a Virginian! No one even knows how many men and half men he shot in the chest.