Girl in the Hammock, 1873 (oil on canvas) by Homer, Winslow (1836-1910)

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What’s your favourite book?

We all have a favourite book; something that is dear to us, something we recommend or lend out (possibly!) to those close to us (and hope they feel the same way about it too!).

Whether it’s one of the literary classics or whether it’s a recent release, please let us know in the comments box below. Feel free to respond to some of the recommendations made by others.

There’s no need to input your email address, but if you do it won’t show up on this page and will not be shared by us with any third parties.

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The Valley that Changed the World –

Ashley launches Crowdfunding appeal for Derwent Valley photo book project

Derbyshire photographer ASHLEY FRANKLIN, author of Derbyshire Ramblings (Walking in Circles down the Derwent Valley) has just launched a crowdfunding appeal for his latest book project The Valley that Changed the World, the first ever photo book of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site.

As Ashley explains: ‘This is such an exciting project because the Derwent Valley is arguably the most significant World Heritage Site on the planet, in being the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution and the factory system. The mills also provided the blueprint for the construction of skyscrapers.

‘It’s an exciting project that has consumed me already for a year but I fear I may not be able to see it through without funds. I have already sacrificed a great deal of work time taking essential photos and even more photography is needed. As the book is being published in conjunction with the Arkwright Society, I am anxious to help the Society with the printing costs and there will also be funds needed for mounting an exhibition. Together, these will cost around £10,000.

‘As someone who has lived in the Derwent Valley for 38 years, this is a project close to my heart and to see it founder through lack of funds would be heartbreaking.

‘So, I hope I can count on your support. You can pledge anything from £10 to £300 and there are various ‘rewards’ on offer. For any pledge, your name will be inscribed in the book as a ‘thank you’. Pledge £50 and you will get a free copy of the book ( which will be sold at around £20) and an invitation to the launch plus a choice of a tour around one of three mills in the valley. Also, the more you pledge, the more raffle tickets you will receive for a prize draw, the winner earning a balloon flight for two over Derbyshire.

‘What is further exciting is that photographers have a chance of having their images included in the book. For a £25 pledge, you can upload up to five images. There is also a £100 London Camera Exchange voucher for the best Image and there will be a framed copy of that image for the winner, too’

For the link to the project, to view the appeal video and make a pledge:

http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/the-valley-that-changed-the-world-1/

Ashley has set a target of £7,500 to raise in five weeks. If he reaches that target, the pledge turns into a donation. If he falls short, he gets nothing.

‘If you make a pledge,’ says Ashley, ‘do tell your friends and family about this project, whether that’s via email or on Facebook, Twitter, or over a drink… share your support and help this project achieve its goal.

If you need further details, contact Ashley on 01332 843908 or 07971 920382.

 TO VISIT OUR CROWD FUNDING APPEAL SITE

>>CLICK HERE<<

Project aim

To raise 50% of the cost of essential building work to secure the structure of the premises (four steel posts on the ground floor) in order to support the ever-growing weight of stock (currently approximately 100,000 books across thirteen rooms on three floors) at Scarthin Books of Cromford, which was named as the ‘6th Best Bookshop in the World’ by the Guardian Online (2008).

About Scarthin Books  |  What’s the money for?  |  Why ask for crowdfunding?  |  Your ‘Reward’

About Scarthin Books

The video and photo montage above give a great overview of the bookshop. Our ethos (one of our taglines is “a bookshop for the majority of minorities”) is very much about being at the heart of our village community (another tagline is “a homely refuge and social hub”) and we regularly host events from book-signings to story-telling events to meditation groups. Last year (2014) we celebrated our 40th Anniversary.

Something of a Derbyshire – or even national – institution, Scarthin Books has frequently featured in many of the ‘Top Bookshops’ lists that appear in the national and international media, and was listed by the Guardian Online as the ‘sixth best bookshop in the world’. We have also been featured as a location in several TV and film productions, most notably ‘And When Did You last See Your Father‘, starring Colin Firth.

Our vegetarian/vegan cafe serves a wonderful selection of lunches, both hot and cold, and our delicious cakes are hard to resist. With a large selection of teas, coffee or cold drinks, it’s a perfect way to take a rest from browsing…and we even have a small garden you can sit in should the weather permit!

During our forty years of trading the bookshop has expanded from a room below a family home to its current position of housing 100,000 books within 13 rooms, equating to over ONE MILE OF SHELVING (the proprieter and his family now live in a house behind the shop).

What’s the money for?

Scarthin Books proprietor, Dave Mitchell, nearly became a civil engineer instead of a bookseller and has used his half-baked expertise to help hold up the bookshop’s 1000 feet of laden shelves with strategically placed “Acrow props” cunningly hidden behind the books. These “temporary” builders’ supports have done the job with neither creak nor groan for the past 40 years but a properly-qualified structural engineering has now advised that something more professional is needed for the next 40 years. The work he has specified involves installing four bespoke steel-tube columns resting on concrete foundations beneath the wooden shop floor.

The shop and the cafe can stay open during the work, but most of the ground floor will be out of bounds for three or four weeks. The total cost of the work is expected to reach £4000 and another £1000 (at least) is likely to be lost because of restricted access to the stock. Work will begin ASAP.

Why ask for crowdfunding?

The shop is struggling to generate the extra funds needed for this capital improvement and even if we were able to secure a small business loan, the small margins within which we operate would make it very difficult to afford. Any small profit we do make year after year gets re-invested into the shop and its vegetarian cafe as we continue to strive to offer the ‘compleat bookshop experience’ and an unsurpassed level of customer service. We’re turning, instead, to our loyal customers and long-distance supporters in the hope that they may be able to help raise at least 50% of the cost of this urgent project. Should we receive more than our target of £2000 then we’d be able to fund the building work without the added pressure of having to cover the cost of the difference. In the event that we should raise MORE than the cost of the structural work outlined here, then other much-needed house-keeping projects could be undertaken, from paintwork to roof repairs!

Your ‘Reward’

Everyone that invests has the option to receive the following rewards:

• your name will be added to one of the support posts that your generosity has helped to erect (unless you’d prefer it not to, of course!)
• all pledgers will receive a personal thank you on a dedicated page for this project on our website
• pledges for £20 and over will receive a generous Scarthin Gift Voucher of up to 50% of the value of your payment, redeemable in the bookshop or cafe, and a ‘Thank You’ Pack (see individual plege amounts for details)
• Should anyone be generous enought to pledge £250 (or more), then they’d receive all of the above PLUS a personal invite to visit the bookshop for a tour and lunch for up to five people in our delightful vegetarian cafe

Some of our customer, however, have asked for the option to pledge an amount of their choosing but WITHOUT wanting to receive a ‘reward’. If this is your preference, then please choose the last of our options on the right, ‘Pledge £10 or More (£10-£1000), WITHOUT REWARDS’

A little more about Scarthin Books…

Each year, we help organise three popular village events;

• Celebrating Cromford (June) – a festival of music, events, stalls and local crafts throughout the village and on the Promenade in front of the bookshop plus Cromford Open Gardens
• Apple Day (October) – a chance for windfalls to be turned into apple juice, with music and stalls on the Promenade in front of the bookshop
• Christmas Fair (December) – local craft stalls and music on the Promenade in front of the bookshop
• We often celebrate April Fool’s Day, St George’s Day and a village vegetable Show is planned for this year

We host a number of regular events at the bookshop, including the following:

• Author events and booksignings
• Cafe Philosophique discussion events
• Conversation Cafe meetings (daytime)
• Bob Dylan appreciation society meetings
• Buddhist meditation sessions
• World Book Day story-telling sessions
• Book Club meetings
• Men’s Group Meetings

(to name just some of the sessions that take place at the bookshop)

We also have great links with local schools, local authorities and local authors

Emma Chapman, author of the brilliant new thriller How to be a Good Wife, will be visiting Scarthin Books at 3pm today (Monday 14th) as part of her epic tour to call in on as many independent bookshops around the UK as she can in a month.

PRESS RELEASE from Emma Chapman (http://howtobeagoodwifebook.com/)

This July, I’m coming back to the United Kingdom to embark on an epic quest. I will visit as many independent bookshops as I can in one month, to thank the kind folks that work in them for their wonderful work on behalf of authors. Starting in London, I’ll be trekking to Penzance, finishing up in St Andrews. I’ll be stopping by to say hello to the staff and sign any books they have on hand. Auto Europe rental cars have kindly offered to loan me a car for the duration: what lovely, lovely people!

Independent bookshops offer a lot more than just bricks and mortar: they are real places filled with real booklovers, who choose each book by hand and offer recommendations to their customers. Many of them offer next day delivery – just like the big A – host book clubs and author events, as well as getting even more creative with book salons and personalised gift packs. They are often at the heart of communities, offering places for people to meet and chat and form friendships.

I firmly believe that we as readers have the power to make sure that these bookshops remain a part of our towns and villages. Since 2005, almost 550 bookshops across the UK have closed their doors. It’s undeniable that they face competition from online retailers, who undercut them on price, which they are able to do as they make up their money on other goods. This growth of online retail and drop in physical booksales has made it difficult for many Indies to stay afloat. However, it’s not all doom and gloom: we’re reading more than ever, and although more people now own EBook readers (50% of those surveyed in the Internet and American Life survey), people still prefer reading print books.

It’s up to us, the people purchasing books, to make a conscious decision about where we buy them. There’s been a big uproar again this week as Amazon is exposed for paying less than 0.1% tax on goods sold in the UK. Perhaps if our favorite Indies had that option, they wouldn’t be going out of business so quickly. We can choose to shop local, and we can help these bookshops stay afloat.

That’s what my tour is all about: encouraging readers to buy their copy of my book (and any others!) from their local independent. I think authors can do more to encourage this, and you can read more about my reasons on indie bookshop Jaffe and Neale’s blog. When my novel was first published, I conducted my first London-only Indie Bookshop Crawl, visiting 26 bookshops in one day and receiving an overwhelming response from people on Twitter and Facebook who followed my journey.

I’m so excited about my journey this summer: I’m expecting a lot of driving, endless cups of tea and a real adventure! If you’re in any of the below areas and fancy popping by, I’d love to see you. If not, perhaps you could help spread the word about the tour on social media. Look forward to chatting with you – either virtually, or in person.

Emma Chapman