84, Charing Cross Road

84, Charing Cross Road
By Helene Hanff
Grossman Pub., 1970. 97 pgs. Nonfiction

At 84, Charing Cross Road resides a British bookselling establishment known as Marks & Co. They are purveyors of scholarly and collected old, rare and out-of-print books. This beloved classic is the collection of a twenty-year correspondence between an American writer from the fifties and Marks & Co.

Helene’s a sassy dame with a lightning sharp pen and her British counterparts are as equally reserved as she is bold. However, the employees of Marks & Co. do warm up as the correspondence progresses and the well-known British wit displays itself admirably. At first ‘Ms. Hanff’ and then finally ‘Dear Helene’, their address shows the remarkable intimacy that develops, (especially when regarded from the standpoint of shopkeeper and customer) and the entire shop is continually begging Helene to come across the pond for a visit. As Helene demands Chaucer in a modern, readable print and the complete works of Donne, dear Frankie dutifully and lovingly hunts them all down. It’s a humorous and delightful game and this slim volume is a welcome look into all things bookish.

While the frugal will be in utter ecstasy at the ‘good ol’ days’ pricing of large volumes at $2.65 / per, just think of the absolutely astounding prices you’ll find at the library. A grand total of $0.00 for any book you can imagine, and we’ll give them all to you with a smile. You can’t beat the cost nor the service. So come on in and see if the library owns all the books Ms. Helene Hanff purchased from Marks & Co. over the years. It might just be a reading challenge you’ll want to accept. Recommended for literature fans and those who appreciate a hearty chuckle.

• Book Club sets available in July.

DAP