Thirty years ago, when Tim Waterstone opened his first bookshops, British bookselling was a dull old place, dominated by WH Smith. Opening hours were limited, books were few and ordered from head office. Tim Waterstone revolutionised all this. Waterstones’ staff knew about books, ordered their own stock and decided how to promote it. Each branch was its local bookshop. Back then, the idea of a Kindle, Amazon, or ebooks was unimaginable.
James Daunt has done wonders to resurrect Waterstones (Report, 21 November), but resurrect is the word. Reflecting much of what were the original Waterstones shops, Daunt’s new bookshops in the 1990s thrived whilst Waterstones, then sold to WH Smith and later HMV, was in decline. To suggest that Daunt has looked to his own shops for inspiration in rebuilding the Waterstones brand is a flattering but flawed proposition. What we are beginning to see now is a return to the Waterstones of old – with yes, of course, the benefits of experience and the persisting example of some splendid Daunt bookshops. For this, we bookshop lovers must indeed thank Daunt, but we must also thank Tim Waterstone and all his early booksellers, many of whom now run some of the country’s best independent book shops.
Emma Vickers
Former retail director of Waterstones
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