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Book Review:
84, Charing Cross Road
by Helene Hanff
Copyright 2010 Christina M. Guerrero
DEDICATION
This is for Helene and Frank.
STORY BEHIND THE STORY
I found this book, which I was aware of
but had never read. It's a sweet little story.
ABOUT THE DRAFTS
First draft:
Not exactly my best work, but I like some of it.
When I was writing for the other websites,
I sometimes wrote too fast and posted too soon.
This is one of those swiftly-written articles.
It needs to change from book report to book review.
An American writer and an English book buyer enjoy both a business relationship and a warm friendship based on their mutual love of books.
In 1949, Helene Hanff needed out-of-print, antiquarian books: not the “grimy, marked-up” copies at Barnes & Noble, but “clean secondhand copies.” Marks & Company, a bookstore in London, might have what she needed.
She wrote about what happened next in her short nonfiction book, 84, Charing Cross Road.
Helene Hanff’s Search For Antiquarian Books
Although the backstory to Hanff’s adventures with Marks & Company is presented in several short sentences in her first letter to the bookstore, dated October 5, 1949, readers might think about her actions before she finally contacted the English company: perhaps desperately looking through store after store in her neighborhood on 95th Street in New York City; maybe haggling with a few librarians about possibly buying older, infrequently-borrowed items; asking friends and business contacts for recommendations. Readers might also imagine her thoughts as she ended her first letter: will they be able to help, or will she have to continue her search?
Marks & Co., Booksellers: Helene’s Eager Suppliers
The second letter of 84, Charing Cross Road, dated October 25, 1949, is from “FPD” who informs Hanff that they will be able to solve most of her problem. She is thrilled, and in her next letter, praises the beauty of her new books: the “soft vellum and heavy cream-colored pages.”
Upon receiving an unsatisfactory edition of a Protestant Bible (the remainder of her original request), Hanff protests in capital letters. FPD calms her down with an apology and offers her an alternative.
Only one letter later, Hanff tells FPD that she has arranged to have eggs and meat sent to the bookstore, as she is “appalled” at the post-World War II rationing in London. The staff is delighted, and friendship begins, adding a new dimension to the business negotiations between Hanff and FPD.
The Cheeky American Writer Vs. the Conscientious English Book Buyer
Hanff probably wants to be polite, and she is, but her irreverent personality begins to shine through her choice of words, her occasional lack of punctuation, and her abundance of capital letters. She complains about receiving a package wrapped in book pages (and is assured by FPD that no one in their right mind would have bought the book that supplied them); writes long sentences, and even paragraphs, without an initial capital letter or periods; and seems to save the missing capital letters for her outrage over mishaps with the books, which almost always involve her receiving condensed editions. One of her most memorable objections, inappropriately capitalized and punctuated fairly well, is about her nightmares of monsters "in academic robes carrying long bloody butcher knives labelled Excerpt, Selection, Passage and Abridged.”
FPD, described by a family member later in the book as “well-adjusted,” is Frank Doel, a buyer for Marks & Co. He takes Hanff’s teasing well, and responds to her nightmare crisis with his sincerest wishes that she had a wonderful holiday season "despite the Giant Modern Library.”
Doel obviously has a good reason to take care of Hanff: if she is happy, she will continue to be a loyal customer. However, he notices something probably around the time readers will: if she is as poor as she claims, how can she afford to send him and his staff thoughtful gifts of meat and eggs and pantyhose and ham? He is touched, and arranges a few thoughtful gifts of his own.
Just A Book About Books?
Unimpressed readers may think 84, Charing Cross Road is monotonous, or just a couple of people corresponding about reading. Those who are entertained will find an amusing, witty series of letters about the joy of antique books, the interaction of American and English cultures, and the development of a friendship that inspires Hanff and Doel to give back in many ways to each other and to their friends and family.
Sources:
Fox, Margalit. “Helene Hanff, Wry Epistler of 84 Charing, Dies at 80.” Obituary, New York Times, April 11, 1997.
Hanff, Helene, 84, Charing Cross Road (New York: Avon Books, 1970).
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