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Posted by Tom Chivers on 2/12/11

Free Word’s friendly neighbourhood bookshop Clerkenwell Tales has been open since 2009 under the stewardship of Peter Ho. We caught up with this local bookseller, who can often be spotted manning the bookstall at Free Word’s events, to talk books, Clerkenwell and what reading means to him. Interview by Tom Chivers.

TC: Hello Peter, When did you open Clerkenwell Tales, and why? What was the inspiration behind wanting to run a bookshop?

PH: I opened in July 2009. Like many who go on to start their own bookshop, I was a bookseller for Waterstone’s and felt that ‘chains’ provided a certain type of book-buying experience based on maximising sales rather than customer engagement. That’s not to say “All chains bad, all indies good”! Rather that I saw a gap in the market where a well-run and curated indie could provide some of what was missing.

Daunts, LRD and a variety of North American bookshops from Nicholas Hoare to City Lights all provided moments of inspiration.

How did you choose Exmouth Market as the location?

Clerkenwell has always had a strong relationship with books and it just felt right. With Metropolitan Books closing in 2008, an opportunity was there to step in and keep the tradition alive of always having a bookshop on Exmouth Market!

What do you like about the local area? Do you find it particularly bookish?

I like the quiet confidence of the area. It’s not a hipster paradise (thank God!). My customers are an eclectic, creative bunch, and whilst not as obviously ‘literary’ as I’d expected, they are visually aware and culturally curious. They inform how I edit the stock and how the shop looks.

Clerkenwell Tales sets itself apart by the presentation of its books. Has the visual aesthetic of the bookshop always been important to you?

I was very conscious when designing the shop that I wanted a clean, uncluttered feel; where every book would be given the chance to catch the eye. The small size of the shop helped me focus on how best to maximise the book’s impact by ‘facing out’ as many titles as possible.

The strong design of the books I stock reflects the visual awareness of my customers and my own sense of design. My shop does highlight the decorative, tactile aspect of books.

You run a lot of events, both inside the bookshop and at other places. Any notable successes - or disasters?!

The most successful was also the most memorable, when a member of the audience fainted at an event with China Miéville and Cory Doctorow which attracted over 200 people. The lady who fainted had come along with her husband and son all the way from Vancouver!

What do you make of the resurgence in spoken word and live literature?

The resurgence suggests to me a very healthy desire among people to discuss and engage with the written word in a myriad of ways.

What does reading mean to you?

Reading is essential to what I do and has shaped me, culturally. Reading is life enhancing. It’s challenged my point of view and taken me out of my comfort zone. At other times it’s provided me with an escape from the noise of my life. It’s one of the most intimate things you can do in public without getting arrested...

What are you reading at the moment?

I’ve just finished Murakami’s latest, 1Q84, and I’m currently reading Sonia Purnell’s Just Boris – a biography of Boris Johnson.