Samuel French Bookshop to Close

^ But they don't just sell Samuel French play editions, apparently, but playtexts and theatre books from all publishers. So you can browse and stumble across things that you weren't looking for. It seems a shame that they couldn't form a joint venture with the NT, but I suppose that there just isn't enough space in or near the NT.

(Hello, The Man Who Doesn't Feel The Cold!)

I used it mostly when I was a student or helping friends to find plays to put on. The staff tended to have a somewhat high-handed attitude at times, but they could direct you to, say, 'a contemporary play with a single set for three young actors' - that kind of thing.
In terms of drama text publishing, I prefer Nick Hern Books - they are better looking scripts and when I've dealt with them either for rights or orders they've been great - but Samuel French is probably better for locating contemporary American plays.
If so few of us theatre fans were going there regularly, I suppose you can see the problem. I use the NT and Royal Court bookshop more because I'm more likely to be there anyway.

If you look on Twitter there is a change.org petition addressed to Camden Council to try and save this essential resource.

For some reason it isn't letting me post the link here.

Until this thread I have never heard of this shop, so I would be a hypocrite if I said I was sad.

But wait I am sad as I mourn the loss of our great independent shops, so it will be just Starbucks, Pret, Wagamam, Tescos and Leons etc everywhere, in the continuing homogenisation of our high street, we nearly have all the same shops everywhere, what you can buy in Bromley, you can buy exactly the same in Norwich or Stoke on Trent, soon there won't be no choice, because of the decline of the independent emporiums.

So that lovely enclave in Charing Cross Road where all those great book shops are, I wonder how long they will be there, with increased rent from leaseholders and business rates going up, profits will just get leaner until the owners call it a day and all those lovely shops I named above will be in there, but no book shops.

Looking at the number of people who have never heard of it.....I'm presuming then it's just the southern based Am Drammers who are most familiar with spending half a day in there, searching for a script set to offer to their group in an effort to avoid doing a Coward for the 96th time.....yawn...

I'm sorry it's closing. Sign of the times.

Charing Cross is nothing like it was even ten years ago for bookshops. I expect when retirement cones for the remaining independents that will be it.

Twenty years ago I used to travel down to London for theatre trips and the bookshops. Including Samuel French.

Slightly OT but has the Cinema Bookshop now closed as well? Last I heard it was struggling.

Is that the one in St. Martin's Lane near the street crossing from hell? If so, yes, that closed a while ago, made me sad, too.

I visited Samuel French once some years ago, but admittedly never went back because it's so far from the little West End Orbit I spend time in before/between shows.  I do remember the happier days of Charing Cross Rd being lined with book shops of which few are left now, enjoyed a good browse there from time to time. Though I guess I'm also part of the problem as I generally buy e-Books now that don't take up space in my flat.

I agree with the monkey, Leicester Square is getting more awful with every new building. Not long until it reaches Times Square levels of awfulness with all the tacky shops like M&M World and now Lego and the big souvenir shops flogging cheap made in China tat.

For me, Leicester Square, no matter what they do to it, is kind of saved by the little park and its trees, unlike Times Square in NY which has been transformed into a seething cauldron of humanity that looks and feels like one of the inner circles of hell.

If you want to experience a genuine tourist-magnet sh*thole though, venture over to Hollywood Boulevard next time you're in LA.

You think that's amazing - I've been to the Dolby Theatre, where they hold the Oscars, and it's in the middle of an actual shopping mall.
I don't know how they manage to avoid Subway in all the red carpet coverage....

Piccadilly Circus hasn't been the same since the Dilly Boys left... (I quite liked Hollywood Boulevard.)