What do you think?
Rate this book
Mostly Joy: A bookman's story
First edition. Tells the story of Thomas Joy's life, of the establishment of Hatchards, and of wartime at Harrods. With two letters from Joy loostely inserted. 206 pages. cloth, dust jacket.. 8vo..
206 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1971
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 1, 2019
I discovered this book in the course of some research about indentured booksellers apprentices; for some time I had thought that Harry Pratley was the only indentured bookseller in the UK in the twentieth century, but by chance I came across an audio recording of Tommy Joy talking about his own apprenticeship at Thornton's in Oxford, so I immediately bought this book to find out more. Sadly this didn't flesh out the period of his apprenticeship as much as I had hoped, but Joy is a good story-teller, and writes amusingly. Over the course of his life the field of bookselling changed a great deal, and it is very interesting to view literary life from the vantage point of the NET agreement, and when the rivals to books for the attention of young were silent movies, fishing for mussels in the Thames, and sewing machines.
Joy describes his life not only as a bookseller, but as a manager of several London department stores, and is much more readable as a "business autobiography" than many I have read. As such it also captures the changing nature of retail across the twentieth century, including a shift into big department stores, then the beginning of their eclipse due to improved supply chains.
Joy also recounts much about life in Oxford in the early twentieth century which was also truly fascinating. He describes it as almost village-like, when the whole city was dependent on the University and before it went through its industrial transformation.
As I say, quite an amusing, gentle read, perhaps of interest for some historical testimony about changing retail practices and environments, the history of bookselling, and a colourful depiction of the life and times of a well-travelled and independently minded man.
Joy describes his life not only as a bookseller, but as a manager of several London department stores, and is much more readable as a "business autobiography" than many I have read. As such it also captures the changing nature of retail across the twentieth century, including a shift into big department stores, then the beginning of their eclipse due to improved supply chains.
Joy also recounts much about life in Oxford in the early twentieth century which was also truly fascinating. He describes it as almost village-like, when the whole city was dependent on the University and before it went through its industrial transformation.
As I say, quite an amusing, gentle read, perhaps of interest for some historical testimony about changing retail practices and environments, the history of bookselling, and a colourful depiction of the life and times of a well-travelled and independently minded man.
Displaying 1 of 1 review