Foreword by John Fowles, 1994 Summary

At the beginning of their careers, writers need understanding agents, editors and booksellers, and Fowles learned more about literature from Mr. Francis Norman at his antiquarian bookstore in Hampstead, London than at Oxford. Such a bookstore must be run by a person of humor, learning and curiosity, and it should be kept in a permanent state of apparent chaos and be catholic in its offerings as its primary function for young writers is to help them realize their tastes. At university, Fowles learned to appreciate the prescribed masterpieces but never had time to explore the bulk beneath the examination surface. He left Oxford confused about his real tastes in literature and only began to discover himself as a bookman when he began to frequent Mr. Norman's store. He regrets the disappearance of such shops. Fowles recently visited...