Our 4th July celebrations this year were a little different: Sir Tim Waterstone held literary court on the theme of “Have Books Had Their Day?” in the private Edward VII Room of the Oxford and Cambridge Club. We were 14 in total, meeting for pre-prandials after which, over the starter, Sir Tim reviewed the state of play of the market over many decades. For more than two hours we then challenged, or endorsed, and enthusiastically debated the theme, with Sir Tim describing, among other things, his own great interest in books and bookselling even as a young man, his approach, the way others did it, his belief in employing staff who truly enjoyed books and wanted to ‘do it their way’, the great success of the venture, the unexpected and seriously troubling rise of e-books (and their current decline, it seems) and his ongoing optimism for the future of the printed word. And all this to the accompaniment of good food, wine, and great conviviality. A memorable evening indeed, and we’re most grateful to Sir Tim for his valuable in-depth contribution.
Organised by David Peace