I finally took the time (not very much was necessary, since it's less than a hundred pages long) to read Helene Hanff's 84, Charing Cross Road ... my only regret is that I didn't do so sooner. What a lovely little book! The collected letters from nearly two decades of correspondence between a New York writer and the staff of a used bookshop in London, 84 is at times both hilarious and sad, witty and wistful. By the end, I felt as though I knew the characters myself.
One of the most delightful things about these letters is Miss Hanff's personified descriptions of the books she receives from Marks & Co. Upon the arrival of a copy of Samuel Pepys' diary: "He says to tell you he's overJOYED to be here, he was previously owned by a slob who never even bothered to cut the pages." Or this, in a letter from May 8, 1960: "Mr. De Tocqueville's compliments and he begs to announce his safe arrival in America. He sits around looking smug because everything he said was true, especially about lawyers running the country. ... [C]ame home and read a couple of newspaper stories about the presidential hopefuls - stevenson, humphrey, kennedy, stassen, nixon - all lawyers but humphrey." I laughed out loud at several of those, and at other points where the persnickety customer berates (good-naturedly, of course) the poor staff for sending her inferior or abridged editions of items she's requested ... even as she constantly seems to be sending them presents.
Anyone who has known the pleasure of a newly-arrived book or formed a bond with those who supply them will enjoy this little gem. I am certain I'll return to it often.
