Novel idea: a bespoke booklist that won’t get left on the shelf

To impress your mates, go for titles tailored to their tastes. Katie Law checks out the smart new reading lists
19 December 2013

How to choose the best books to give your nearest and dearest this Christmas? If reading the reviews, browsing in bookstores or trawling through Amazon’s bestseller lists aren’t going to cut the mustard, why not give someone their very own curated list, tailored to taste and chosen by a famous writer? The bespoke book choice is the latest wheeze from London’s top independent bookshops in the battle against drone deliveries and discounted selling.

William Boyd is one of four big names who have just been signed up by Heywood Hill, the upmarket Mayfair book shop where Nancy Mitford once worked, as part of its new Reading Journeys gift service. The bestselling author, whose own James Bond novel Solo was published in September, has curated a list of espionage-themed novels, starting with Joseph Conrad’s Under Western Eyes. Over the course of a year, 11 books (including Solo, natch) with introductions by Boyd, are delivered to the person’s front door at a cost of £225.

“It’s a brilliant elaboration of that most effective and mysterious book selling device — word-of-mouth”, Boyd explains. The other book curators are Max Hastings on the First World War, Jung Chang on modern China and Clive Aslet on the American saviours of British Heritage.

The idea was dreamt up by Nicky Dunne,  chairman of Heywood Hill, who since taking over the ailing bookshop three years ago has pushed it back into profit. “How does an independent bookshop innovate and capture people’s attention? We have to be about the power of recommendations and this is just an extension of that”, he says.

 Claire Harris, manager at the cosy Notting Hill store Lutyens and Rubinstein, curates individual lists and already has about 70 people on her books who receive their own books once a month. The shop charges from £35 for a three-book, three-month subscription. You fill out a questionnaire – does your friend prefer classics or crime, Scottish or Scandi, obscure or popular? “We try very hard to fit people with the books rather than thrusting books onto people. For some it’s also another form of contact; I do it for my parents,” says Harris. L&R also runs a children’s list with a Boarders Book Club for children at boarding school and are soon to launch a “significant birthday” list.  Eighteen coming-of-age books for an 18th birthday, for example. 

“We have customers who come into the shop with their Christmas lists every year. For example if they have a friend who’s interested in the decorative arts, I might suggest these books by Ahmet Ertug about Islamic art which are published in Istanbul. You probably won’t find them in any other London bookshop”, says co-founder Dan Fenton.  

And then there’s the reverse curated list. Tom Hodgkinson, who set up The Idler Academy and Bookshop believes they should reflect the brand. He will happily wax lyrical to customers about the titles he believes people ought to read, from Greek philosophy to playing the uke. “That’s just as important as having signed first editions and books you can’t find on Amazon, although I’ve got a new category of book: NOA. Not On Amazon!”

THE CURATORS' CHOICES

Nicky Dunne at Heywood Hill:

The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner (Harvill, Secker)

Some of the prose is as exhilarating as riding a motorcycle on a mountain road with no lights; thrilling.

Dan Fenton at John Sandoe:

Eric Ravilious: Artist & Designer by Alan Powers (Lund Humphries)

Lots of Beautiful detail and colour illustrations showing the work of this early 20th century artist, until recently so underrated.

Claire Harris at Lutyens & Rubinstein:

Stoner by John Williams (Vintage)

Beautifully written in quiet and understated prose, yet achingly moving and compassionate.

Tom Hodgkinson at The Idler:

Free Time: The Forgotten American Dream by Benjamin Hunnicutt (Temple University Press)

An academic study of the history of the campaign for the shorter working day in the US.

Natalia de la Ossa at The London Review of Books:

The Arrival by Shaun Tan (Hodder)

A wordless picture book that “describes” the overwhelming feelings of moving to a new and unknown land.

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