Books 'R' Us

Do you remember all that stuff back in the year 2000 about internet portals and vortals and the creation of the ‘one-stop shop’ online? Much of this euphoria was blown away when the dot.com boom turned to bust, but many of the ideas promulgated then are slowly finding their way into our lives.

It is clear that the internet is a great way of buying some things, like flight tickets and last minute travel. Buying these online has now become a commonplace. One of the things that does work well on the internet is the sale of books. People are happy to go to a site where they feel that they can get the information and the titles they are interested in.

Which is why it is such a great delight to announce the launch of the Poet in the City online bookshop, which will be opening for business shortly. I think that a lot of people will welcome a place online where they can receive poetry recommendations and can buy collections by amazing contemporary poets, many of whom they might not otherwise have heard of. Already Poet in the City is regularly approached for recommendations of poets. Add this to the fact that people can hear such poets read at Poet in the City’s live poetry events, or on an audio podcast, and it becomes a really useful service.

One of the other lessons of the dot.com revolution is that people want to deal online with trusted brands, brands which also have a terrestrial existence. That’s why the Poet in the City online bookshop is being hosted by Langton’s, a very real bricks and mortar bookshop, situated in Twickenham. Those who visit the shop in person will find a friendly and efficient independent bookseller situated in an attractive 15th Century building, complete with an organic café serving home made cakes and delicious cappucchino.

Not only that, visitors will find a well-stocked Poet in the City poetry section, containing the best contemporary poetry published by the leading poetry publishers including Faber, Picador, Bloodaxe, and Enitharmon, not to mention the series of Poet in the City poetry books being published by Axon Publishers.

What better way to could there be to get into poetry and to know how and where to indulge your new enthusiasm?