During this journey from bookshop to bookshop, we have discovered very special stores. Everyone has its own characteristics and particularities which makes it unique.
I’ve been working around High Street Marylebone and, before starting my shift or at the end of it, I can’t help to visit Daunt Books. The shop stands in the middle of the busy street – the Edwardian-style light green wooden frame surrounding the windows are pretty easy to spot. As I step into the shop, a strong pleasant odour of paper fills my nostrils, and the hollow thumping of paces on the wooden floor, along with an excited buzz of voices, reverberate in my ears. The history of the shop is quite recent; James Daunt, a former banker, bought the site in 1990 and renamed it. It was the first. Afterwards, he opened other books stores in different areas of London – Chelsea, Hampstead, Holland Park, Cheapside, and Belsize Park. The founder wanted to focus and specialise on a determined subject: travelling. Although the fiction and non-fiction areas do not disappoint the most demanding reader, the section displaying the books on travelling is mind-blowing. The room itself is majestic. A huge window of frosted glass, opposite the entrance, dominates and illuminates the entire chamber. Packed and tall dark oak shelves soar from the floor and occupy the whole side-walls. The atmosphere emanates an incredible aura of sacredness and solemnity – a temple dedicated to books. The writings are neatly displayed and thoroughly divided continent by continent, state by state, region by region. It begins with Europe – it’s easy to jump from Portugal to Germany, going through Sweden and Poland – and then focuses on America and Asia. Caribbean nations concluded the intercontinental world journey. It’s not like travelling for real, but you get a delightful taste of every country. On the upper floor, a wooden terrace runs along the perimeter of the hall. Books regarding the most bizarre and unexpected curiosities about London fill the shelves – a section quite unusually contains a rich variety of second-hand books. Daunt Books is a precious and valuable gem located in one of the most significant areas in literature – Baker Street is only ten minutes on foot from High Street Marylebone - and, I’m pretty sure, readers and visitors will literally fall in love with it.
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November 2020
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