The Diary of a Bookseller

WEDNESDAY, 30 APRIL

Online orders: 0

Books found: 0

Katie was in today. She spent most of the day pricing up fresh stock and putting it on the shelves.

I lit the stove in the shop for the last time until autumn sets in. From May to October it’s warm enough in the shop for the fire not to be necessary. Also the swallows, swifts and house martins arrive in May, and the martins nest in the log store. I don’t like to disturb them once they have started breeding.

No orders this morning, which usually means that there is a problem with Monsoon, so I emailed them and hopefully they will fix it.

A customer brought in a collection of books about Burma which he wanted to sell: probably fifty titles. He declined my offer of £85.

After lunch I drove to Dumfries to pick up Anna from the railway station – she is back for the Spring Festival and hates to miss out on anything that’s going on in Wigtown. I sometimes suspect that she misses the cat as much as she misses me, from the attention she lavishes upon him.

When we returned from Dumfries, we were met by a customer who asked if we stock old volumes of The Scots Magazine. On hearing that we do not, for some reason he took this as the signal to tell me – at considerable length – which issues he was looking for, and why.

Just before closing I checked the inbox and found an email from Rob Twigger telling me that he is coming up to visit tomorrow.

Till total £147.50

14 customers