84, Charing Cross Road
Helen Hanff
1970, 97 pages
Nonfiction
This tale is about a long-distance relationship between a book lover in New York City and the Marks & Company bookstore in London.
In 1949 Helen Hanff, a spirited script writer and book lover, wrote to Marks & Company, a London bookseller of rare and secondhand books. She had a long list of books she would like to own, and hoped that Marks & Co. could find them for her.
It started a correspondence that lasted 20 years. Helen got to know Frank Doel at Marks & Co., and then some of the other staff members as they wrote back and forth. She was not shy, and her observations about the books and life were quite funny and opinionated. She also learned about the lives of the Marks & Co. staff. The Second World War was over, but rationing was still going on in England. Helen sent them care packages of canned meats and powdered eggs because meat and eggs were so hard for them to buy. She planned to visit London someday to meet the people who were answering her letters and sending her the books she longed for.
In this fast-paced age, it is comforting to read about a long correspondence between book-loving strangers; strangers who become friends through their letters.
If you haven’t ever read this wonderful true story, you should take the time. If you read it a while ago, try reading it again. This was my second time reading it, and I enjoyed it just as much this time. If you are in a book club, we have a book club kit with multiple copies for you to take out and share. The story was made into a great movie starring Anthony Hopkins and Anne Bancroft, which you can check out at the library, too!
Robbin Bailey
Concord Public Library
Visit CPL at concordpubliclibrary.net.
