On having up to 100,000 titles at any one time:

I have always tried to hold stock that the customer wants.

The need to display the goods:

Hidden stock is lost stock.

Retirement plans:

I hope to get back to playing a bit of golf, a bit more sailing, doing a bit of travelling.

The dusty bookshop: If you want dust, come to a bookshop. Books are tremendous dust collectors.

Strategy: Look after the customer. They are the people paying your wages. Attend to them, help them.

The value of the independent bookseller: The independents are here to stay because they give a service and I think they care about their customer.

The job's appeal:

I love buying and selling books and I love being with the customer. I hate paperwork. I think we are overrun with paperwork.