{"id":3732,"date":"2019-12-05T08:46:03","date_gmt":"2019-12-05T16:46:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.tavbooks.com\/?p=3732"},"modified":"2019-12-05T08:47:06","modified_gmt":"2019-12-05T16:47:06","slug":"the-beginnings-of-tavistock-books","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog.tavbooks.com\/?p=3732","title":{"rendered":"The Beginnings of Tavistock Books"},"content":{"rendered":"

For those of you who don’t know, we deal in many genres of antiquarian materials. However, one of our specialities – and even our shop’s name – come from a wildly famous author who we happen to adore… Mr. Charles Dickens. As the author is very often associated with the holiday season, we thought now might be a good time for a little Q&A with our President, Vic Zoschak Jr., on his love of Dickens and the beginnings of Tavistock Books. Enjoy!<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Tavistock House, London.<\/p><\/div>\n

Q: Vic, could you take our recent followers on a mini journey as to our shop name? I remember getting the question of whether or not your last name was Tavistock!<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"tavistock2\"Yes, over the years, I\u2019ve often been referred to as \u201cMr Tavistock\u201d, but the name actually, rather than being my surname, has a [small] Dickens connection\u2026\u00a0 <\/span>back in the late 80s, as I contemplated opening my own business, I cast about for a name that would reflect my firm\u2019s interest in Dickens, but didn\u2019t want to be too overt in that regard..\u00a0 <\/span>you know, nothing like \u201cThe Old Curiosity Book Shop\u201d, or anything like that.\u00a0 <\/span>So, long story short, I settled on Tavistock, the name of Dickens house in the 1850s, which was situated on Tavistock Square. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Q: So why Dickens? He is obviously a world-famous writer of course, but what about his writing spoke to you, and what made you want to name your store after his house?<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Well, back in the mid-to-late 80s, while living in Sacramento, I was in a reading group that read, as one of our books, Dickens\u2019 Pickwick Papers<\/em>.\u00a0 <\/span>While I personally don\u2019t consider that his best novel, what that reading did do was spark an interest in the author himself.\u00a0 <\/span>And in pursuit of knowing more about the man, I [luckily] happened across what I consider to be the best biography of Dickens, Edgar Johnson\u2019s Tragedy\u00a0And Triumph<\/em>.\u00a0 <\/span>On reading that biography, I found Dickens to be a fascinating individual, a genius, which precipitated my dive into that gentle madness known as book collecting.\u00a0 <\/span>I collected Dickens from the mid-80s until I opened my shop in July 1997, at which point I used my personal collection to stock the Dickens\u2019 Corner here at 1503 Webster Street.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q: What is your favorite of the Dickens novels and why? Favorite character in any of them?<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Favorite novel is Hard Times<\/em>.\u00a0 <\/span>Many of Dickens’ novels required \u201c32 pages of letterpress\u201d every month, and so often, like in Pickwick Papers<\/em>, there are literary diversions therein to fill up space\u2026.\u00a0 <\/span>I don\u2019t see that in Hard Times<\/em>.\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019s spare, it\u2019s lean, it\u2019s all about the facts.<\/span><\/p>\n

As to characters, like many, I\u2019m partial to Mr. Micawber, the lovable impecunious fellow from David Copperfield<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q: Is it true that you refuse to watch Dickens-related cinema? Interesting choice! What are your thoughts behind that decision?<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

True.\u00a0 <\/span>Dickens\u2019 words call up a mental image of each & every character he\u2019s created.\u00a0 <\/span>I found that when I watched a film interpretation, my mental image of a given character, e.g., Nicholas Nickleby, engendered by Dickens\u2019 prose was replaced by the individual cast by whatever director was filming whatever version of Dickens\u2019 works.\u00a0 <\/span>In comparison, I found I preferred Dickens\u2019 version.\u00a0 <\/span>FWIW, he would only allow images approved by him, and as such, they are truly Dickensian. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Q: And last but not least… who was your favorite ghost in A Christmas Carol and why?<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Ah, tough question Ms P!!\u00a0 <\/span>I think I\u2019ll go with the \u201cGhost of Christmas Yet to Come\u201d. \u00a0 <\/span>With these visions, Scrooge realizes his future can change.\u00a0 <\/span>That\u2019s powerful stuff, knowing one can change one\u2019s future.<\/span><\/p>\n

And you know what, Ms P – it\u2019s been a few years since I\u2019ve read this popular novella. I think I\u2019ll revisit it this season… it\u2019s time. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

~ Happy Holidays ~<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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