The French Book Shop…Latest Editions Arriving
Posted: November 13th, 2011 | 1 Comment »Over the past few months I have experienced the frustration of just how bad China’s few English language stocking bookshops are – Chaterhouse going bankrupt, the Bookazine store in the IFC in Pootung just puts books on the shelf – nothing grouped by genre and nothing shelved alphabetically (and the staff seem surprised that they never sell anything)!! None of them have any idea what a hot book is, how to restock, how to display book and none have any staff who could care less. All rather depressing. So sod that and let’s go back to when Shanghai had good bookshops – and naturally that means going back to before 1949 when books were seen as essential things for reading pleasure and knowledge as oppoosed to either propaganda tools or things to be censored.
The French Book Shop (no relation) on Szechuen Road (now Sichuan Road Middle) looks like a better bet!!
hey Paul, sorry for leaving a reply unrelated to your post but I couldn’t find any contact info to drop u an email. I just finish reading your facinating book on foreign journalists in China from 1920-1949. What an interesting book! I am currently working on a documentary about shanghai and part of it will deal with the journalistic world of old shanghai. I am wondering, are you interested in appearing in the doc? if so, please send me an email and we can discuss further. Cheers David