“A violation of basic rights of free speech” - Varsity

20ARTSFriday February 5th 2010www.varsity.co.ukArts Editors: Alice Hancock and Lara Prendergastarts@varsity.co.ukBookshop ‘til you dropWith no more Borders, and Waterstone’s fatiguesetting in, our intrepid Cambridge bookworms scouredthe city for better alternatives...The Market BookstoreMarket SquareThe great thing about the Market Bookstore, as owner Paul Neevesays, is that it’s its own advertiser. Pared down from ashop in 1981, it has only the bare essentials:a marquee and some books. Andmaybe some CDs and the oddDVD thrown in as well. Relyingsolely on donations to replenishhis stock, Neeve can’t guaranteehe’ll have what you’re looking for,although he’s certain on the flipside that there’s a buyer for everybook. A quick reminisce takes himback to the time he took in a trayof dictionaries of obscure languages,and a travelling professor specializingin British-Columbian natives “hit theroof!” at her own unlikely jackpot. Eachbook is judged by its cover and thenpriced, so if you’re looking for a bargainit might be worth your time. Open whenthe Market’s open: 10:00-16:00 Friday toMonday, and then on Wednesday, it’s goodfor a quick browse whilst you’re on your waysomewhere; and you can drink your coffee asyou do it, though that’s probably necessarygiven the combination of Cambridge weatherand a lack of walls. Lastly, a recommendation?Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome.RACHEL KUOHeffers20 Trinity StreetMy personal favourite thing about Heffers is that they provide afree boyfriend-sitting service in the best-hidden Caffè Nero inCambridge. I go off to lectures, to supervisions, to the library,safe in the knowledge that my own little darling is unlikely toget into any trouble ensconced in the corner with a cookbookand a cappuccino. Even on a busy Saturday, when it feelssort of like an astonishingly well-stocked Waterstone’s,the shop is fairly quiet (apart from the whisper of turningpages), and there are still a few tables left for the taking.However, quite apart from the considerable lure ofbrowsing potential purchases over a coffee, Heffers isa Cambridge institution on entirely different merits.It stocks according to University reading lists, canorder in books on request within two to five days, andsells those cute bags printed with literary witticisms(there’s also a new light blue bicycle-print version, soif anyone fancies buying me a present...).In fact, judging purely from the number ofHeffers bags I see being toted around on a dailybasis, it’s hard not to feel like I’m preaching to theconverted. Not surprising really – this bookshopeffortlessly bridges the gap between the commercial andthe specialist, has a second-hand section worth a browse and incrediblyhelpful staff, so it’s hard to find fault. Now, about that present...SYLVIA CHRISTIEBooks for Amnesty46 Mill RoadI thought I’d wait for a quiet momentto speak to the volunteers in Books forAmnesty and entertain myself in themeantime by exploring a little. But therewas a steady stream of eager book buyers,so eventually I had to tear myself awayfrom the books and seize my moment whenI could. Part of the charm of the place isthat you never know what you are goingto find, or what is going to be donated. Avolunteer once found a letter written onDowning Street stationary tucked insideone of the books she was cataloguing, butregretfully admitted that it was “tediouslydomestic”, not the “political hot potatoes”she was hoping to find. The shop has previouslyreceived parts of private libraries,once from a prominent Oxford academic,so they often have quite specialized booksthat you might not expect to find in any oldsecond-hand shop. Indeed that morningthey had sold a book out of the specialeditions cabinet; a copy of The Decline andFall of the Roman Empire once owned byWyndham Lewis. Chatting to the volunteers,I admitted that I was a bit of a bookgeek but they smiled and assured me thatthis was the place for me; they had spentwhat must have been hundreds of poundsworking there. And what would theyrecommend for other bibliophiles? Thisweek they are reading Map for Lost Loversby Nadeem Aslam, and Eliot’s Middlemarch,and would thoroughly recommendthem both. GIVERNY TATTERSFIELD