A very interesting article in the Weekend Herald today about the effects of the recession on the book trade in New Zealand, and the new venture by long term and highly respected book trade name Doris Mousdale.

As has been recently reported Dymocks has had to close two stores in New Zealand (Smales Farm in Takapuna, Auckland – terrible location, and Lambton Quay in Wellington) and is now closing a third, its Queen St store in central Auckland. These closures have been blamed on factors other than the global economic recession (bad locations, a new large Borders opening in Wellington) and, indeed, reading the article booksellers in general seem mostly optimistic (some perhaps a little overly so). I thought the most close to the truth remark quoted was from Hamish Wright of Wright’s Bookshop in Cambridge:

“There’s no growth but in these times stability is good.”

I think most of us in this economic climate would agree with that.

Best of luck to Doris in her new venture too!