Posted by
Bert Chapman on Saturday, November 14, 2009 9:02:25 AM
I was fortunate enough to be able to travel to England this summer. Much of the trip was spent in the London area and as a bibliophile it's a pleasure to visit the wide variety of London bookstores and sample the rich output of the British publishing industry. During this British sojourn, my wife and I were able to visit a number of museums, a couple of castles, and see the fabulous Royal Botanical Gardens. Since I also enjoy British history, I was able to pick up some additional works in that subject area.
Collecting art museum handbooks has become a hobby of mine and I was able to add to this collection by collecting works on the Wallace Collection, the Tate Britain, the British Museum's Chinese ceramics collection, the National Maritime Museum, Royal Astronomical Observatory, and the British decorative arts collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum. The Wallace Museum features excellent collections of French porcelain, 17th-19th century French art, and a strong collection of armor and all of these items were acquired by a single affluent family over several generations. The National Maritime Museum does a superb job documenting British maritime history and nautical culture. The Queen's House, which is part of this museum, features an excellent collection of naval art work.
I also purchased a sleek book on the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew which commemorates this facility's 250th anniversary this year. These gardens consist of 300 acres on the Thames and feature a wide variety of plant life from all over the world in keeping with the gardens international educational and research objectives. A visit to Hampton Court produced an illustrated history of that remarkable facility plus a work on its equally remarkable gardens. Hampton Court's history is phenomenal having served as a key residence of Henry VIII, the locale of the 1604 Hampton Court conference where the King James Bible was created, and possessing extensive gardens and a large kitchen complex to feed and quench the thirsts of the royal household. My recent and growing interest in architecture was augmented by acquiring biographies of Inigo Jones and Lancelot "Capability" Brown. A trip to Kensington Palace, just west of Hyde Park in west central London, saw us visit the residences of royals such as William and Mary who came to rule England as a result of the 1688 Glorious Revolution, features the royal dress collection, and was recently the home of the popular Diana, Princess of Wales. A day trip to the Cotswolds resulted in obtaining a nice picture book on the pastoral region approximately an hour west of London and this same adventure saw a visit to Blenheim Palace near Oxford and the opportunity to see where Winston Churchill grew up. Additional works procured include a history of Wales published as part of Cambridge University Press' concise histories series covering various world countries and regions, a biography of Henry VIII, a history of the Thames River's multifaceted environmental and cultural impact, a biography of recent British Prime Minister Tony Blair and the travails of his premiership, and a work on captive experiences throughout the British Empire.
We were also fortunate to see an excellent exhibit of Indian Art at the British Museum called Garden & Cosmos and acquired the lavishly illustrated guidebook for this exhibit.
London features a wide variety of excellent chain and independent bookstores. Foyle's, who's main branch is on Charing Cross Road, is one of my favorites but there are also other stores such as Hatchard's, Waterstone's, Blackwell's, and museum shop stores. Visits to other areas in the United Kingdom will also produce excellent bookstores and careful planning and fortuitous timing on your part may produce significant bargains as well. Happy browsing.