84, Charing Cross Road is a charming record of bibliophilia, cultural difference, and imaginative sympathy. For 20 years, an outspoken New York writer and a rather more restrained London bookseller carried on an increasingly touching correspondence. In her first letter to Marks & Co., Helene Hanff encloses a wish list, but warns, "The phrase 'antiquarian booksellers' scares me somewhat, as I equate 'antique' with expensive." Twenty days later, on October 25, 1949, a correspondent identified only as FPD let Hanff know that works by Hazlitt and Robert Louis Stevenson would be coming under separate cover. When they arrive, Hanff is ecstatic--but unsure she'll ever conquer "bilingual arithmetic." By early December 1949, Hanff is suddenly worried that the six-pound ham she's sent off to augment British rations will arrive in a kosher office. But only when FPD turns out to have an actual name, Frank Doel, does the real fun begin. Two years later, Hanff is outraged that Marks & Co. has dared to send an abridged Pepys diary. "i enclose two limp singles, i will make do with this thing till you find me a real Pepys. THEN i will rip up this ersatz book, page by page, AND WRAP THINGS IN IT." Nonetheless, her postscript asks whether they want fresh or powdered eggs for Christmas. Soon they're sharing news of Frank's family and Hanff's career. No doubt their letters would have continued, but in 1969, the firm's secretary informed her that Frank Doel had died. In the collection's penultimate entry, Helene Hanff urges a tourist friend, "If you happen to pass by 84, Charing Cross Road, kiss it for me. I owe it so much."
84, Charing Cross Road FROM THE PUBLISHER
It all began with a letter inquiring about second-hand books, written by Helene Hanff in New York, and posted to a bookshop at 84, Charing Cross Road in London. As Helene's sarcastic and witty letters are responded to by the stodgy and proper Frank Doel of 84, Charing Cross Road, a relationship blossoms into a warm, charming, feisty love affair.
FROM THE CRITICS
Library Journal
What started as a request for an out-of-print book evolved into a 20-year friendship. In her saucy letters, Hanff playfully harangues the staff : "SLOTH: I could ROT over here before you'd send me anything to read." Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
AudioFile - Barbara Valle
Helene Hanffﾽs entertaining record of twenty years of letters from her New York brownstone to a book shop in post-war London is brought to life in this wonderful production. The artful use of several narrators adds dimension to these informal letters written between 1949 and 1969 after Hanff discovers that the staff of Marks & Co. Booksellers will send her the reading she wants. John Franklyn-Robbins portrays Frank Doell, a proper Englishman who sends Hanffﾽs first order. Barbara Rosenblatﾽs New York accent perfectly captures Hanffﾽs general crankiness and her milieu of ratty sweaters, baggy trousers and coffee cups in her messy apartment/writerﾽs studio on East 95th St. Through the letters the listener develops a warm affection for Hanff and the staff of Marks & Co. This is a superb production, which the listener doesnﾽt want to end. B.V. An AUDIOFILE Earphones Award winner ﾽAudioFile, Portland, Maine
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