OSAmag88

T h e O l d S t a t i o n e r - N o 8 8
Never a glory boy. Always a grafter. In
many respects he personified the very
values we most admire in his beloved
football team.
Many of us, who benefited from Ian's
wisdom have in turn actively engaged in
training and mentorship in the media
industry. That is his legacy. It is a living
legacy because the river of his spirit of
generosity continues to touch the lives of
many people in media today; even if they
are unaware of the original source of it.
Ian I shall always remember your quiet
smile of triumph when you had won some
intellectual exchange. You loved winning
but you were always a gracious winner.
Today I am wearing my Arsenal shirt and
raising a glass to your memory.
Cheers my dear dear friend.
You ARE the North End!
Our next tribute comes from Barbara
Cooke another industry colleague and
close family friend.
“Ian and I worked closely together during
the years we spent presenting his brain
child, the Print Media's Synergy studies, to
the industry and ultimately to an
international audience at a conference in
Madrid where it won best paper. It was a
time when I first began to realise what a
keen intellect and sharp brain he had, and
that he did not suffer fools gladly - if at all.
lan's thinking was ground breaking and I
never thought he received the credit for
this that was so richly deserved.
It was also a time when we began a
friendship that was fed by a shared interest
in books which were an abiding passion
for him. He developed a unique method of
rating books which became a universal
standard for judging the quality of a book
that was being bought and sold without
the buyer seeing the actual book but
trusting Ian's judgement all the way.
Nothing gave Ian more pleasure than
finding a rare volume for a client, or just
for the love of the hunt. His home housed
a library named in memory of Annie and
Ian's son Andrew.
Ian was the only person from whom I was
happy to receive almost daily jokes or pithy
comment via e-mall: I knew that this was
his way of keeping in touch and I in turn
was grateful to be on his list - I will miss
the daily dose of humour.
His usual sign off was 'from Ian 'n Annie'
and truly this was a case of mention one
and immediately think of the other.
They went together like a horse and
carriage! On a personal level I will miss
him very much. His was a special spirit
and I really valued his gift of friendship.
Debbie Farrell Ian’s former PA shared this
tribute:
My world will be a little less bright
without Ian in it. Even though we hadn’t
seen each other in years it was nice to
know he was on the other end of an email.
He was my mentor, saviour and second
Dad. When I first met him he scared the
bejusus out of me when he barked: “I don’t
hear the keys tapping”. It was my first day
on the job and I had no idea how to work
the computer I had to use to type up his
notes.
The years that followed showed me what a
kind, patient and loving man he actually
was, He took me in to work with him
when I lost my job. Took me out for lavish
birthday lunches and spoilt me with
bonuses and extra money when I needed it.
He treated me like a daughter not an
employee and that's why 20 years after the
day I met him he is still in my mind on an
almost daily basis.
Ian, I want to live my life the way you did.
Traveling with the love of my life; eating
good food, drinking fine wine and being a
wonderful friend to so many.
Geoff Klass first met Ian in the mid 1980’s
at a time when book collecting and dealing
was gaining prominence in Ian’s life.
My first encounter with Ian was a phone
call sometime in mid 1980's. The gruff
voice asked me 'What Ian Fleming first
editions do you have?" I responded that we
have a fine Moonraker in dustwrapper.
The voice said: “I’ll be there: please hold it
for me". Sure enough he pitched up within
the hour, looked at the book in his
characteristic intense close scrute, glasses
at half mast, and bought it. Over succeeding
years this was repeated at regular intervals,
and we moved from bookseller-client
relationship to chatting about books and
things in general and I always looked
forward to his visits simply because of
what they added to my day, relieving the
dulling effects of dealing with the public at
large. Ian was increasingly knowledgable
about books, condition and accuracy
almost a fetish, and I like to think that we
both benefited from the symbiosis that
developed.
Moving on to the middle 1990's. Ian had
established himself as a bookseller as well
as being a collector, moving with great ease
between the two categories, always
appreciating the finer nuances of both
sides of the scale. This was the time of the
great tragedy in his and Annie's Iife, the
death of their son Andrew. It was at that
time I moved far closer into the circle of
friends, becoming a regular visitor for a
glass of wine and a chat. Those were times
of great gloom, a time when friends can
help. The visits became a weekly event,
Friday nights booked for wine, cheese and
"boast books": those special items each of
us had uncovered in the previous week,
items over which we could share our
enthusiasm just for the simple pleasure of
admiring something rare, beautiful or
unusual.
The evenings grew into an informal Forest
Town "Algonquin Round Table"., the
New York circle of critics, literary persons
and wits who met for lunch each day at the
Algonquin hotel in the 1920's, and whose
members acquired a reputation for wit,
knowledge and sparkling conversation.
Our club included booksellers, and often
whenever the Snellings had interesting
visitors they would join in the evenings.
More wine, more cheese, endless talk
sometimes into the early hours of the
morning, each of us staggering home
having had a memorable evening.
Although we are here to share memories
of lan, they are incomplete without
mention of Annie and her role in
cementing the relationships that flowed. A
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