On a broiling day in mid-July in London, I am studying the tables in my favorite bookstore, Hatchards, on Piccadilly Road, adjacent to Fortnum & Mason and opposite the Royal Academy of Arts. The store, which was founded in 1797, has been at this location since 1801 and claims to be the oldest bookstore in London. Oscar Wilde used to sign his books at the table on the ground floor.
Piccadilly Circus, with its boutiques, roaring buses, and throngs of people, is, admittedly, a slightly unexpected place for a five-story bookstore with an eye-catching moss-green exterior, bow windows, a gracious wooden staircase and carpeted floors. But perhaps the hustle-bustle around it is what makes Hatchards seem like a respite from the marketplace, a haven in a hurried world. Although it’s technically owned by the chain bookseller Waterstones, a courteous old-world atmosphere reigns.
