Swindon Book Co.

I absolutely love Swindon Book Co. Great selection of English books on Chinese history, Chinese art, recipes, architecture, etc. I have never left that store with less than five purchases …
And … conveniently located across the street from Marks & Spencers on Lock Street if you’re craving some chocolate and biscuits from the U.K.

Before the introduction of Pageone, Dymocks and all the other new chain bookstores, Swindon was the place to go if you were looking for English books and magazines. I spent a lot of time when I was younger as I was an avid reader of non-​fiction books, which they had lots of. Huge books with big pictures meant that I could spend hours milling about in there going through whatever I could get my hands on.
The fact that it had a monopoly on the market for such books meant that it was never really cheap in the first place but the atmosphere and the books you found in there were probably impossible to get elsewhere (in those days anyways); as such you were happy to pay for the premium demanded.
Times have moved on and of course there are now a million ways to get less accessible books in Hong Kong– the new chains, internet and simply flying to get one elsewhere is always on table. However, I do miss that feeling of going to Swindon and finding that book that you really want and knowing you can’t get it anywhere else. It felt special and the place felt quite (still does) old school which adds to the scholarly feeling you get when you get in.
In all honesty I don’t go there much now– there are just too many different ways to get books but I would really hope this place would stay where it is as a testament to the old ways.