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1053 ratings, 4.28 average rating, 259 reviews
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published
October 1st 1990
(first published 1970)
by Penguin Books
binding
Paperback, 97 pages
url
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isbn
0140143505
(isbn13: 9780140143508)
description
This charming classic, first published in 1970, brings together twenty years of correspondence between Helene Hanff, a freelance writer living in New ...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 1398)
Read in August, 2008
Good friends of mine, Dan and Sandy Kendall (whose brother used to be married to my aunt) recommended this short, epistolary romance to me. I read it in one sitting---it's that quick (clocking in at 95 pages) and, yes, that lovely. It's a nostalgic book, reminding one of a time when the thought of love and friendship blossoming over talk of the Collected Works of Walter Savage Landor didn't seem precious. The basic premise is that a New York bibliophile strikes up a relationship with the staff a...more
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Read in December, 2007
I was introduced to this book many years ago as a child. I remember just loving it. It is a collection of letters from the late 50s through the 70s between the author, Helene - a writer in New York, and Frank Dole - an antiquarian bookseller. Helene begins in search of rare titles, which Dole doggedly tracks down for her. As their correspondence continues, an interesting friendship develops. Helene sends packages to the bookstore, to be shared by the other workers there. And eventually, she begi...more
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Read in January, 2002
recommends it for:
Romatics who don't require romance
The best documentaries are the ones that filmmakers never intentionally set out to make. 84, Charing Cross Road is sort of the literary equivalent to me. Neither of the penpals could have had the foresight to know how deep of a relationship they would forge. Thanks to the prevalence of carbon paper at the time, their timeless correspondence was preserved. I've read this classic four times and it never gets old. It reaffirms my faith that people (strangers) can do great and noble things.
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Read in August, 2008
I ripped through this book in one sitting.
Honestly.
I sat down with my olive and chard feta pasta (translation: I cleaned out the veggies in the fridge and threw it on pasta), opened this book, and was finished with it by the time i got up for seconds.
Okay, fine, thirds.
Point is, it was great. Quick, easy, painless. A joy. I recommend.
And, here's what's super great about it. It's a catalogue of correspondences. What do we call those? Epistleries? Something like that. This...more
Honestly.
I sat down with my olive and chard feta pasta (translation: I cleaned out the veggies in the fridge and threw it on pasta), opened this book, and was finished with it by the time i got up for seconds.
Okay, fine, thirds.
Point is, it was great. Quick, easy, painless. A joy. I recommend.
And, here's what's super great about it. It's a catalogue of correspondences. What do we call those? Epistleries? Something like that. This...more
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A gentle read, a perfect read. I KNOW that I've read this book before, decades ago. I found this particular copy through interlibrary loan and as luck would have it I was given the 1970 edition which is absolutely the best. The book languished amidst a pile of 'things to do', I finally looked at the date and realized it was overdue and if I wanted my favorite librarians to continue catering to my increasing demands (goodreads.com has a way of opening up the world) I had better stay in their g...more
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Helene Hanff was a New York writer and Frank Doel was a London bookseller. This book chronicles the letters they wrote over a period of many years to one another. Although they never met, they became true friends bonded by their love of literature.
Having read this tiny little gem, I can tell you that I'm not even sure why I liked it so much. Maybe it was because I loved seeing a warm friendship develop between two total strangers. Maybe it was because I loved the dry wit of Helene and the st...more
Having read this tiny little gem, I can tell you that I'm not even sure why I liked it so much. Maybe it was because I loved seeing a warm friendship develop between two total strangers. Maybe it was because I loved the dry wit of Helene and the st...more
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Read in January, 2003
A series of letters written between 1949 and 1969 between the author and a used book seller in London. I quote from the back of the Audio case: “She is a cranky Jewish New Yorker who writes TV scripts and lives in a messy apartment on East 95th Street. He is a determined courteous, middle class Englishman who sends her beautifully-bound and often obscure antiquarian books from the shop he manages in Charing Cross Road, in London. The letters written between them capture the period.” I r...more
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This is one of my all times favorite books. I have re-read it too many times to keep track, and I have given many copies to friends.
I find it uplifting when I need something upbeat to read. It is also perfect when I have just a couple of hours to devote to a book. But its size - so short - is no indication of the richness in it. This collection of letters between strangers reveals so much about them and the lives that they led: dreams of travel, love of books, financial troubles, solidarity...more
I find it uplifting when I need something upbeat to read. It is also perfect when I have just a couple of hours to devote to a book. But its size - so short - is no indication of the richness in it. This collection of letters between strangers reveals so much about them and the lives that they led: dreams of travel, love of books, financial troubles, solidarity...more
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Read in August, 2008
This is a delightful book that can and should be read in a few hours time. It contains a series of letters send between the author and Frank Doel, an employee of a London bookseller. Ms. Hanff develops a wonderful friendship with Mr. Doel and the other shop employees.
My only disappointment with the book came from something other than the actual text of the book. The book cover teaser includes the following summary: "The delightful bestselling chronicle of a 20-year transatlantic lov...more
My only disappointment with the book came from something other than the actual text of the book. The book cover teaser includes the following summary: "The delightful bestselling chronicle of a 20-year transatlantic lov...more
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Read in January, 1986
recommended to Lindi by:
Lee Sparksrecommends it for: book lovers everywhere
This is one of my favorite books of all time. Helene Hanff is so very funny, and I am always moved by the friendship that develops through letters between her and a used book seller. I also love her obvious affection for books and reading; she is definitely a kindred spirit. This is the book I was reading (for the first time) 20+ years ago in the story Kitri wrote about me on her GoodReads page. For those not in the know, as I sat on the floor finishing the last few letters, I became the center ...more
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If you love books, you MUST read this one! The letters that Helen and Frank (and the others) write back and forth tell the story so much better than any attempt at narrative form would have. You can't help but fall in love with everyone, and knowing that it's a work of NON-fiction just makes it all the more perfect.
I had wanted to get my hands on this book for a v. long time, and I'm so glad that I finally did. (And I couldn't have picked it up at a more perfect place--a library book sale...more
I had wanted to get my hands on this book for a v. long time, and I'm so glad that I finally did. (And I couldn't have picked it up at a more perfect place--a library book sale...more
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Read in April, 2007
recommends it for:
Anyone that is sentimental and romantic
This book was suggested to me by Mel, my German friend. We have a sort of transatlantic book club going on and she was really surprised that I had never even heard of this book, or the movie that was made from it! This book is a collection of letters between an American Woman and the employees of a rare book shop in London. The letters span from the late 1940s to the early 1960s and as someone who loves writing and receiving letters, I found it incredibly interesting to read the correspondenc...more
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Read in September, 2008
recommends it for:
all book lovers
A lovely little gem of an epistolary collection that I slid through this weekend in less than two hours. A correspondence between a New York writer and lover of old, out of print books and the employees of a small London bookshop, it has a deceptively memorable effect for its small size. A must for every book-lover who can sympathize with the horror of opening an edition of a treasured book and finding your favorite passage missing, every lover of language who is deeply touched by vulgar transla...more
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5 comments
I love this book and love the film they made of it too. It is sloppy and sweet and warm and, you know, just right. It is the sort of book one could read in an hour or two over a pot of tea on a cold winter's afternoon and just enjoy. Pure delight.
If you needed to be reminded that love of literature is as good a foundation of love of the world as any other 'religion', that the people we write to can be closer and dearer to us than those we see day after day - then this really is a book wri...more
If you needed to be reminded that love of literature is as good a foundation of love of the world as any other 'religion', that the people we write to can be closer and dearer to us than those we see day after day - then this really is a book wri...more
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Read in February, 2007
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
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Read in April, 2007
This book is a collection of letters between Helene Hanff, a vivacious American writer, and Frank Doel, a reserved English antiquarian book dealer. Doel procures books for Hanff over a 20-year friendship.
I enjoyed reading this, but was a little disappointed, based on other reviews that I had read. Previous reviews really touted this as a love story, which I didn't feel it was at all. I never saw the letters getting as personal or as deep as I anticipated. Still, it was interesting.
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Read in June, 2007
recommends it for:
writers, readers, book lovers and london-lovers
Nonfiction. An easy read for an evening with tea and biscuits. Helen Hanff writes letters to a bookseller at 84 Charing Cross Rd. requesting he send her various copies of books (classics). While they converse over the course of decades via mail, both letters show the cultural differences of the U.S. and the U.K., as well as reflect the wartime atmosphere in London. Great read.
What's even better is I purchased a book while in london on Charing Cross road. It's my new favorite.
What's even better is I purchased a book while in london on Charing Cross road. It's my new favorite.
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Read in November, 2007
What a BEAUTIFUL book! I loved it, took a lot of notes and now I'm craving for English literature. What a book can do to you...
Read this book through BookCrossing (a RABCK from pinklady60) and passed it on after reading it
Read this book through BookCrossing (a RABCK from pinklady60) and passed it on after reading it
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Read in December, 2007
recommends it for:
Bookies
A series of letters in a correspondence between a NYC woman and a London bookseller in the 1950's and 60's. Much more touching and funny than I expected it would be. This is a great book for book-lovers.
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Read in November, 2008
I heard about this book after reading the Guernsey Potato Peel Pie book and thought it sounded fun. It is a compilation of letters written over a 20 year time span between 1949-1969 by a woman in the USA and an English bookseller. Here is a great description of the book: “She is a cranky Jewish New Yorker who writes TV scripts and lives in a messy apartment on East 95th Street. He is a determined courteous, middle class Englishman who sends her beautifully-bound and often obscure antiquarian b...more
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non-fiction (on 36 people's shelves)
nonfiction (on 25 people's shelves)
fiction (on 23 people's shelves)
favorites (on 15 people's shelves)
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currently-reading (on 12 people's shelves)
memoir (on 11 people's shelves)
biography (on 9 people's shelves)
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quotes from this book
"I do love secondhand books that open to the page some previous owner read oftenest. The day Hazlitt came he opened to "I hate to read new books," and I hollered "Comrade!" to whoever owned it before me."
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