Book sells after twenty-seven years on the shelf!
Broadhurst Bookshop in Southport England created a magical experience for booklovers on twitter earlier this week after tweeting that they had sold a book which had been in stock for 27 years.
The book, which was reportedly Pitkin’s William the Conqueror and the Battle of Hastings, has been sitting on the shelf since May 1991. It was sold for the original price of 99 pence. And the best part? The bookseller who originally stocked the book is now 84 years old and still works part-time at the bookshop!
The tweet garnered a lot of attention (getting over 150,000 retweets!) as people everywhere fell in love with the idea of this lonely, long-overlooked little book finally finding a good home. A thoroughly entertaining thread evolved – you can catch some highlights below!
The book held its breath. It had hoped so often, only to have that hope crushed. Hands lifted it from the shelf, wrapped it warmly in paper. As the door closed on its past life, the book heard the soft cheers of its shelfmates.
— Sarah Todd Taylor (@scraphamster) November 17, 2018
I try to think that they have gone on to a better place (although this is tricky, as a bookshop is a pretty perfect place already…)
— Broadhursts Bookshop (@BroadhurstBooks) November 17, 2018
Would never have guessed for even a moment that this Tweet would go viral – thank you all for your likes, retweets, comments, & follows – we are incredibly overwhelmed, & so happy at how many book-lovers there are out there 😊 pic.twitter.com/hvtLCNoB86
— Broadhursts Bookshop (@BroadhurstBooks) November 18, 2018
The Oxford Dictionary has chosen it’s Word of the Year …
And that word is TOXIC!
The Oxford Dictionary reports that the word “toxic” had a 45% increase in look ups during 2018 and was used so many times that “the sheer scope of its application …. made toxic the stand-out choice for the Word of the Year title.”
And so we are left to reflect on 2018 and to speculate as to the cause of the 45% increase in look ups. Could it be related to the increase in conversations around “toxic masculinity”, or perhaps the dangers of toxic chemicals which have seen a rise in the popularity of the “low tow” lifestyle? Could it be that “toxic” is just the best adjective to describe the current political landscape … or simply the general vibe of 2018?
Either way, here’s hoping for a more positive Word of the Year for 2019! (fingers crossed)
The Dumplin’ Trailer has arrived and it is awesome!
In case you hadn’t heard, there is going to be a film adaptation of the bestselling YA novel Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy.
Directed by Anne Fletcher and starring Jennifer Anniston and Danielle McDonald – this heartwarming musical comedy looks like it’s going to be every bit as hilarious, uplifting and 100% pure awesome as the book!
Watch the trailer below and try not to smile …
Bestsellers of the Week
1. The Ice Monster by David Walliams
2. Any Ordinary Day by Leigh Sales
4. The Barefoot Investor 2018 Update by Scott Pape
5. The Land Before Avocado by Richard Glover
8. Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
9. Mothering our Boys by Maggie Dent
10. Wundersmith by Jessica Townsend
About the Contributor
Sarah McDuling
Sarah McDuling is Booktopia's Category Manager for Children's and Young Adult Books. She has been in the bookselling game for almost a decade and a dedicated booklover since birth (potentially longer). At her happiest when reading a book, Sarah also enjoys talking/writing/tweeting about books. In her spare time, she often likes to buy a lot of books and take photographs of books. You can follow her on Twitter and Instragram @sarahmcduling
Follow Sarah: Twitter
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