I am happy to report that locally we still have a bookshop which I could visit with a reasonable confidence that they would know who GG was. In fact I would be surprised if they didn't have at least a couple of his works in stock. For a relatively small shop they carry a surprising range, and even manage the odd "Meet the author" session. Of course it helps that we are a popular tourist destination.

They also actively offer to obtain books for you, and have a rack of volumes awaiting collection which suggests that they mean it. They even have a loyalty scheme which rewards the regular buyer.

Prices don't match buying online, but if we want such places to stay open we have to give them enough trade to make it worth their while doing so.

You have probably guessed that this isn't one of the national chains; I just hope we don't get one of them.