Hunting Raven Books
It’s a truth universally acknowledged that independent bookshops are disappearing like crow’s feet at an airbrushing studio. Now that big chains are swallowing each other and most books are sold -online or in supermarkets, it’s hard for an independent bookseller to survive, let alone thrive.
Yet John and Caroline Birkett-Smith, who own Hunting Raven Books in Frome, recently doubled their premises and now have more than 15,000 books in stock. If you don’t find what you want, an order almost always brings next-day delivery; and if you don’t know what you want, the staff will happily discuss options, as they’re all enthusiastic and knowledgeable bibliophiles.
Hunting Raven is in a popular street in the -medieval heart of Frome, and the shop itself is part of the buzz of the area. As well as all the usual fiction and non-fiction sections, including maps, there’s a specialist selection of CDs for fans of esoteric classical and jazz; a bargain-book table outside that encourages the passer-by to pause; and inside there are attractive extras like art cards, Penguin mugs, and counter-packs of affordable mini-books. (Although you can’t get coffee here, as with two coffee houses opposite John feels that would be churlish!)
But the real joy of this bookshop is in its amazing selection of children’s books: ‘Children are very important,’ says John. ‘They’re the next generation of readers.’ Accordingly, Hunting Raven boasts probably the best selection of children’s literature in the South-West (including nearby towns of Bath and Bristol) and has staff with a real knowledge and experience of young people.
I asked John why he thinks Hunting Raven is quite so successful – a David to Amazon’s Goliath – and he immediately suggests the convenience aspect: half a million copies available on overnight order, and you don’t have to be home for the carrier or collect from the sorting office. I’d add friendly people with a passion for words … and an Aladdin’s cave of books.
Hunting Raven Books
Cheap Street
Frome, Somerset
BA11 1BN
T 01373 473111
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