For the last ten years or so I have written catalogues for Hatchards. There were annual Christmas catalogues, which included the best books published that year. They covered all subjects, with about two hundred titles ranging from history and business to children’s and cookery. In 2015 and 2016 respectively, I wrote catalogues on novels and novellas. These contained one hundred books each, taken from the past two hundred years, a nod to Hatchards’ forthcoming anniversary. In 2017, when Hatchards reached the grand age of two hundred and twenty, I wrote a combined catalogue and history of the shop. Decade by decade it told the story of Hatchards and the various memorable members of staff alongside descriptions of the books which would have been sold at the time. It was fascinating to research and write, although, like Alice, it grew and grew until it became a small book.
I am now writing a Hatchards catalogue of children’s books, old and new – the titles which we would never want to be without. There are nearly three hundred books, the earliest being Oliver Twist (1838) and going right up to the present day. Selecting the titles was great fun although ideally the catalogue would have been double the size. Walking round the department in the shop, visiting the children’s section at Waterstones in Piccadilly (which was interestingly both very similar and surprisingly different), going through my shelves and asking everyone I talked to for their favourite books produced a very long short list of titles. Writing it I remembered old favourites and discovered lots of fabulous books, both old and new.
I have now handed my text to Lydia (Lydia’s website ) who, as well as designing the shop’s website, is also an artist and book maker. She is converting my word document into something truly beautiful as you can see below. These are the first few pages of what will be a beautiful and useful seventy-two page booklet. It will be in the shop in October but I shall put more updates here and on Instagram as it grows.
