I suppose somewhere in the back of my head I knew that the Hill of Content bookshop, at the top end of Bourke Street in Melbourne, was a Collins bookshop. The one thing I didn't know was that it was owned by Collins and not run as a franchise. And, after yesterday's announcement that the Collins Bookstores chain had gone into voluntary adminstration, that this has meant that one of the best bookstores in the city would be closing its doors, according to today's "Age" newspaper.
This bookstore has always been one of my favourites. It caters for the eclectic taste with good ranges of literary, Australian and crime fiction, history, travel, science and general non-fiction books. You don't get discount books or "blockbuster tables" - I can't recall seeing that book by Dan Brown in the store, though that might well be because I wasn't looking for it. It will be a great loss to the Melbourne literary scene if it closes down. "The Age" does report, however, that there are two parties interested in purchasing the bookshop. I hope that is the case, and I hope it is allowed to retain its independent feel in whatever guise it finds itself in the future.
