in article 3fc586a8.TakeThisOut@bothawui.gtw.net, Jon Meyers at cathnjonyour.TakeThisOut@waygtw.net
wrote on 11/26/03 9:11 PM:
> I just started reading John Baxter's "A Pound of Paper: Confessions of a
> Book Addict" (the US edition), and right there on page 11 I find mention of
> RCB-regular Nigel Burwood's shop. Baxter, described as a novelist,
> broadcaster, film critic, and film biographer--and a Graham Greene
> collector--is writing about Greene's notorious elusiveness...
>
> "One was aware that [Greene] occasionally visited London. It became a
> standing joke--behind the counter of Any Amount of Books in Charing Cross
> Road, someone stuck his picture clipped from a newspaper, and scrawled under
> it: 'Give this man a discount'."
>
> Baxter's book is, so far, enormously entertaining. Perhaps Nigel can tell
> us how much of it we ought to believe...
>
>
> --
> Jon Meyers
> [To reply,
> lose your way.]
>
>
Thanks Jon. That picture of Greene was up for ages and he did once come in
or at least thatıs what the bookista of the day swore. He (and his brother)
collected Nelson's sevenpenny series - little red books which are in general
worthless. John Baxter is a wise old book collector and sometime seller and
eagle eyed scout. He even sells on ebay from his apartment in Paris under
the name Genet (or genetbooks etc.,) He has a tremendous knowledge of high
brow lit and has found some serious sleepers in his time. He goes around a
bit with legendary book scout Martin Stone. It's a very good accessible
book. As for how much one could believe, have a grain of salt at hand but
its pretty accurate. The best thing Ive ever read on the UK book trade is
the first chapter of Iain Sinclair's novel White Chapell Scarlett Tracings.
John Baxter has a very amusing collection (in his book) of inanities and bad
stuff found on ebay. He makes his living mostly from books about movies and
collects Published in Paris expat stuff and French and Aussie Lit. He is of
course a large, bluff Australian with a veneer of French sophistication and
good living. The book got a lot of publicity when it came out in UK and one
of our staff was interviewed on the radio and loads of other dealers
appeared even on BBC World Service. John knows how to work the publicity
machine.
He comes in our shop when in London and is a bloody good payer so I'll say
no more!
Nigel
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