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Jon Privett at his Archway market stall with customer Claire Hall |
Books sold to order
(at knockdown prices)
IT may not be Waterstone’s, but for sheer interest and variety, book-lovers have chosen Jon Privett’s secondhand bookstall at Archway market.
For a start he’s not forced to put out the latest so-called top 10 published books, with the usual anecdotes by super chefs, and actors’ autobiographies.
Instead, he lovingly displays his own favourite authors in order of cult books, classics and good reads.
An avid reader himself, Jon manages to devour at least four books a week. And he provides a personal literary service to his regular customers.
You tell him what you like to read, whether it’s fiction, non-
fiction, thriller or classic, and he’ll advise you and tell you if he’s got it in stock. If he hasn’t he’ll look out for it the next time he does his rounds of charity shops, where he buys his stock.
“I bought a first edition Damien Hirst book for £1 recently at a charity shop,” he said. “I got £100 from a collector. It’s the most valuable book I’ve ever had.”
Pictured above, Claire Hall, 23, has just purchased three books for £5, including The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, The Woman’s Hour Book of Women’s Humour, and Alexander McCall Smith’s 44 Scotland Street.
Claire said: “It’s less than a third of the price that you pay in a store. And the books are in good condition.”
Jon has just completed Touching the Void by Joe Simpson, a true life nail biting story about mountain climbing.
The Jon Privett top five second hand books for last year were: Morvern Callar by Alan Warner (“a dark humorous thriller”); Drop City by TC Boyle (“1960s hippies in US”); Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis (“he’s funnier than his son”); The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner (“inspired Hemingway”); and Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys (“simply wonderful”).
Also popular at the Saturday market at the top end of Holloway Road, just down from Archway Tube, are the stalls selling bread, cheeses and Greek olives.
Market spokeswoman Stephanie Smith, who sells hand-made glass, wooden and pottery goods from all over the world, said that as the weather improves more customers are turning out. “We’ve got the most delicious bread from small bakers in Suffolk and cheeses from an independent maker in Somerset.”
PETER GRUNER |
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