An American Bookman in England

Michael Dirda is a Pulitzer Prize-winning book critic who writes for the Washington Post, and has written a number of books about books, authors and book collecting. On the 9th and 10th October 2017 he met up with Mark Valentine and Iain Smith and we followed him around a few bookshops with our cameras.
On the first day we visited George Ramsden's Stone Trough Books, a haven of calm and culture in the busy city of York (sadly, George recently passed away). We then visited Fossgate Books and Ken Spelman's. On the second day we travelled to Carlisle to the vast and labrynthine Bookcase.
A Michael Dirda Bibliography:
"The Great Age of Storytelling" (Knopf, forthcoming)
"Browsings: A Year of Reading, Collecting, and Living with Books" (New York: Pegasus, 2015)
"On Conan Doyle; or, The Whole Art of Storytelling" (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2011)
"Classics for Pleasure" (Orlando: Harcourt, 2007)
"Book by Book: Notes on Reading and Life" (New York: Henry Holt, 2005)
"Bound to Please" (New York: W. W. Norton, 2005)
"An Open Book: Coming of Age in the Heartland" (New York: W. W. Norton, 2003)
"Readings: Essays and Literary Entertainments" (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2000)

[@albertarthur27]

Rest in Peace George Ramsden, only met him once but he seemed like a nice person. I live in York and heard about his death in 2019, very sad but I hope he is at peace now.

[@MarkWitucke]

Thank you so much for this, sir. To browse in beautiful bookshops surrounded by erudite wolves with impeccable manners. How I miss that world. Also, I now have Augustus Carp to read (found and downloaded on Gutenberg)

[@williamvianney]

It is good to know that there are people who love books and who write in newspapers. Thank you very much for these cultural spaces

[@calebantonio7979]

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[@skylarboston8630]

@Caleb Antonio Instablaster =)

[@calebantonio7979]

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[@calebantonio7979]

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[@skylarboston8630]

@Caleb Antonio No problem xD

[@MarkWitucke]

That fellow just had a fine day. Happiness made manifest

[@RBRussellTartarus]

I'm sorry to report the passing of George Ramsden, who appears in the first section of the film in his shop Stone Trough Books. A knowledgeable and friendly man, his shop was an oasis of bookish calm in York. An obituary can be found here: www.thetimes.co.uk/article/george-ramsden-obituary-zbz3klzrm?fbclid=IwAR02d2xv2vaV7tbmqvq7ekzs8eOrz8gxbhJqKWadCsRdTM8x2d9lokXCRlY

[@TheCollection...ofBooks]

I'm in Albuquerque, NM, with maybe 7 or 8,000 in our collection, and one of the only people I know with a house full of books. I love seeing these videos of serious collections.

[@dointimenj]

I discovered Michael Dirda from his book, Browsings, and then searched for him here. This video is as close as I will ever come to visiting second hand bookshops in England, but it sure was fun. After watching, I ordered Augustus Carp (mentioned in video) and The Englishman's Room (mentioned in Browsings.) Thank you so much to the person who filmed the video and the person who uploaded it.

[@MarkWitucke]

Just downloaded Carp from Gutenberg. A blessing as I would never have obtained a copy here in Argentina

[@ashleyp.4932]

In my town we have a forever-shut second hand bookshop (I think you have to phone if you want to get access now), with the books still all inside, and sadly the outside slowly decaying. I can't help but wonder what it would be like to take on the bookshop, and turn it into more of a book haven like the shops in this video.

[@stephenholman4984]

Wonderful! After watching I immediately ordered A.J.A. SYMONS HIS LIFE AND SPECULATIONS by Julian Symons from a bookstore in Cambridge via Ebay, and actually FELT like I'd just spent half an hour browsing in a real bookstore. Thank you.

[@nativevirginian8344]

My favorite bookstore is the size of a large hall. It’s glorious.🥰

[@ezradickey505]

Wished this would've kept going on and on, what with Covid-19 and all! Thanks!

[@the_exiled_soul]

this is such a lovely video! Thank you!

[@isaacmancia]

I really enjoyed this video, thank you for sharing.

[@Theomite]

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck, 1st edition Wodehouses with the jackets? I couldn't pass those up. But those Flashman hardcovers are the real irresistibles; you can't usually find those in the States.

[@s3dchr]

I might be out of place, but the sculpture at 0:57 is gorgeous.

[@RPKGameVids]

A nice peaceful video.

[@RBRussellTartarus]

On the surface book collecting is a civilised pursuit, but beaneath there is a dogged determination and drive to unearth books ... :-)

[@BarneyKB]

Imagine seeing you here haha, I've been subbed to you for ages! Love the puzzle videos.

[@RPKGameVids]

It's Barney, hey man.

[@littleredflying-fox]

Very enlightening and informative, Thank you!

[@percygryce722]

This is the best kind of pornography: biblio-porn.

[@DolphinOfFire]

Idk, bro. I like seeing titties a bit more.

[@melwebster1]

In 1928 this shop was owned by my Great Grandfather Walter Webster, he sold china it was called The Little Gem.

[@ForrestAguirre]

This is fascinating.

[@GrizzlyJRofficial]

Very sodiumloaded channel highly enjoyable

[@SuperKaBlooey]

sodiumloaded? Is that a clever way of saying salty?

[@sebastianverney7851]

From Ronald Firbank's 1920 play, The Princess Zoubaroff. NADINE [introducing]: “My husband.” BLANCHE [genially]: “I think we've slept together once?” ADRIAN: “I don't remember.” BLANCHE: “At the Opera. During Berenice!” ADRIAN: “Why, of course.”

[@TimSmithWordSmith]

Gentle and happenstance.

[@marclayne9261]

Baron Corvo.....my favorite defrocked Priest......

[@RBRussellTartarus]

He would have loved the comment because it implies he was ever a priest, which he wasn't (Fr is short for Frederick and was a deliverate obfuscation). He was the most interesting character I am glad I never met!

[@ashleyp.4932]

"I wouldn't mind finding 'The Time Machine' for 50p somewhere." (15:04) Sadly, Michael, I think you'd need to use the actual time machine to get the book for that price.

[@newyardleysinclair9960]

how much did all that cost in dollars.

[@MarkWitucke]

Around 49 cents

[@carnack53]

psst, Michael... Edgar Saltus, Robert Hichens...

[@lyndoncmp5751]

When does he change into a werewolf then?

[@thusspokeshabistari]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@poppit5481]

why are conversations with dudes like this so strangely passive aggressive? there is a looming threat when men like this meet in book shops lol

[@RBRussellTartarus]

I'm not sure I have ever noticed that!

[@TT-fq7pl]

Writers well known for writing about other writers always want to mention -- oh, just offhandedly -- that they're in town to give a talk on some famous writer.

[@cfytcf]

Wouldn't you, if you were in a good quality bookshop talking to someone who is clearly interested in literature?

[@TT-fq7pl]

@@cfytcf no

[@DolphinOfFire]

​@@TT-fq7plsounds like a skill issue on your part

[@TT-fq7pl]

@@DolphinOfFire No. It's more of a desperate-for-attention issue on the part of mediocre writers who require success-by-association.

[@newyardleysinclair9960]

I wish I could get into fiction. Just can't do it

[@shnepshclup5295]

Okay

[@dustywaxhead]

Crime and Punishment is a great novel for getting started into. If you want a fact based novel In Cold Blood by Truman Capote is a classic too

[@MarkWitucke]

Please read Corman McCarthy!

[@kurumbaatoll9190]

Start with short stories.

[@kelvyndidaskalos547]

I read ebook :)

[@johndavid4007]

It's a little disconcerting that one of the most famous book reviewers in the United States can't pronounce "Niels Bohr."

[@tardwrangler]

Hvorfor det? Skal alle kunne uttale danske navn? lol

[@patrizios9699]

@@tardwrangler 👏

[@jacobmiller5834]

What if you've been saying it wrong all along?

[@johndavid4007]

@@jacobmiller5834 What if the moon is made of green cheese? What if two plus two equals five?

[@nativevirginian8344]

He got Macken’s name right though.

[@nativevirginian8344]

Does the so-and-so think Virginians can’t read?

[@MarkWitucke]

The only bad thing about this internet thing is that you can’t shoot a disrespectful man in the chest. Thomas Jefferson was a Virginian! No one even knows how many men and half men he shot in the chest.