Sunday, June 21, 2009

Hay, ay

As it's our 31st anniversary on Wednesday, Husband and I are both taking the day off tomorrow. Daughter and Son-in-law are spending the weekend with S-i-l's grandparents in Builth Wells so we're meeting them for lunch in Hay-on-Wye tomorrow.

Hay-on-Wye or the town of books. Yay!

Hay is a small market town of about 1,500 people, and it's renowned for its secondhand and antiquarian bookshops - currently about 30 of them along the couple of main streets. Everywhere you look there are bookshops, some in unusual places, like the castle and the old cinema.

Richard Booth came up with the idea of a town of books, opening his first secondhand bookshop in the old fire station in 1961. By the late 70s Hay was recognised as the first town of books and now there are more than 60 all over the world.

The Hay Literary Festival, which attracts speakers of the highest calibre including Margaret Attwood, Ian McKewan and Stephen Fry, takes place for a week over the May Bank holiday every year.

But I just love Hay for its bookshops.

8 comments:

Suburbia said...

Oooo, I'm jealous! I love Hay on Wye. Hope you have a fab time and congratulations :-)

nick said...

Ah, Hay on Wye is an amazing place. Went there some years back and had a great time rooting through all the bookshops. Unfortunately when I went to look at the river there was so much mist I couldn't see a thing.

I expect you know that Wigtown in Scotland is a similar bookshop paradise.

jmb said...

You are so lucky. When I lived in England I did not even know about so didn't go to visit. Probably just as well as I would have had to truck everything I bought around with me.

NitWit1 said...

What a wonderful idea! A town of books.... We have many bookshops more in some towns than others, but no town I know with a reputation for a single entity.

In Hot Springs AR this week I saw an intriguing and inviting old book store as I rode the trolley bus from hotel to convention center which passes through the historic district of this unique city..

I wished for time to find a jewel in the dust there.

Furtheron said...

many congratulations on your anniversary

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

I really miss going to Hay. Happy anniversary!

CherryPie said...

Congratulations, I hope you have a great time :-)

jay said...

Oh, yes, I remember going to Hay-on-Wye and spending ages in the bookshops! Couldn't afford very much then, it was 1976 and we were newly married. I'd love to go back now with a few quid in my pocket!!