Hay-on-Wye, better known as ‘the city of books’, is home to several second-hand bookshops and attracts literature enthusiasts from all over the world. The Welsh territory bordering the English county of Herefordshire has libraries with contemporary titles, but also rare volumes.
Richard Booth was a young man who lived on a farm near Hay-on-Wye. His passion for books led him to open the city’s first bookstore in 1962 after purchasing an old fire station. Today it is known with the Richard Booth Bookstore and in 1978 it was the largest second-hand bookstore in the world, according to the Guinness Book of Records. Two years later he bought the castle Hay and transformed it into a bookstore, residence and party place, in accordance with the BBC.
Are there many better sights in Wales than Richard Booth’s bookstore in Hay-on-Wye? I don’t think so… #WalkWales #HayonWye #Wales pic.twitter.com/RMfqKiDtuk
— Adventures from Wales (@AdvFromWales) March 26, 2023
Today, the city of just over two thousand inhabitants has 25 bookstores, mostly used. Some are also known as “honesty bookstores”: if you want a book you will find a mailbox with the price so you can leave the money there, according to the magazine. Travel.
Likewise, the city has the Hay Book Festival, an event that attracts writers, editors and enthusiasts from around the world. The schedule includes inspiring talks, lively debates and the opportunity to interact with leading authors and is organized by the organization Hay Festival Global, which has already managed events in Colombia, Peru, Mexico, Spain and the United States.
2024-02-15 18:15:41
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