The Bookseller of Hay by James Hanning, 1 October | Event in Monmouth | AllEvents

The Bookseller of Hay by James Hanning

Rossiter Books

Highlights

Wed, 01 Oct, 2025 at 07:00 pm

St Mary’s Church, Ross-on-Wye

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Date & Location

Wed, 01 Oct, 2025 at 07:00 pm (BST)

St Mary’s Church, Ross-on-Wye

Church Street, Ross on Wye., Ross On Wye, Monmouth, United Kingdom

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About the event

The Bookseller of Hay by James Hanning
In 1962, a young man left university without a degree and, for want of anything better to do, bought a small shop in an obscure market town on the edge of the Brecon Beacons. Within fifteen years, largely through force of personality, Richard Booth had created the world's largest second-hand bookshop, attracting thousands of visitors from across the globe to Hay-on-Wye, on the Welsh border.

The Bookseller of Hay tells the tale of an extraordinary, chaotic man, a true British eccentric, who invented the term 'book town', attracted a coterie of exotic and illustrious followers, crowned himself king, declared the town's independence and provided the bookish backdrop which - to his frustration - allowed a rival attraction, the now world-famous Hay Festival, to flourish.

It is a story of the extraordinary singlemindedness of a hard-working, hard-playing and rebellious son of privilege, inspired by a romantic vision and a deep love of the area, of a man better suited to publicity than bean-counting who launched countless careers but whose business instincts undermined precisely what had brought success. Booth was a deeply divisive figure, but love him or hate him, all agree on one thing. He put Hay on the map.

James Hanning, a frequent visitor to Hay since the 1960s, has interviewed dozens of local people and booksellers and with typical acuity wonderfully captures this bygone era of eccentricity and excess.

A joint event for Rossiter Books and The Friends of St Mary's Ross on Wye.


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Ticket Info

Tickets for The Bookseller of Hay by James Hanning can be booked here.

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St Mary’s Church, Ross-on-Wye, Church Street, Ross on Wye.,Ross On Wye, Monmouth, United Kingdom
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Host Details

Rossiter Books

Rossiter Books

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The Bookseller of Hay by James Hanning, 1 October | Event in Monmouth | AllEvents
The Bookseller of Hay by James Hanning
Wed, 01 Oct, 2025 at 07:00 pm