This is really where the story of the World’s First Book Town began but, beyond a first chapter, the store is absolutely gorgeous. This is, without a doubt, one of the best Hay-on-Wye bookshops you have to visit while you’re here! He leaves behind a literary legacy and many towns around the world have now followed suit.

This is also enhanced by the Hay Festival which sees over half a million visitors descend on the town.Īlthough Richard Booth is no longer with us today. Nowadays, there are over 30 bookshops in Hay-on-Wye and bookworms arrive in their droves each year. The word soon spread and tourism in Hay-on-Wye skyrocketed! He even held cabinet meetings and gave people passports.Īlthough this move did seem bonkers to some, it turned out to be a spark of genius and it became an overnight media sensation. He made the town its own sovereign state and decided to place his throne inside Hay Castle. This is when Richard Booth rode down the High Street in a homemade crown and fake ermine robe declaring himself the King of Hay. So, he flew over to buy as many books as he could and decided to open up a dozen more secondhand bookshops!īut, what really put Hay-on-Wye on the map would happen in 1977. Soon after that, he realised that many of the libraries in the USA were closing down. So, he had the vision to transform the town into a literary destination!Īfter inheriting his uncle’s estate, he opened his very first bookshop in 1961 called The Old Fire Station.

He could see that the rural economy here was struggling and the government was doing very little to help. Also known as the self-proclaimed ‘King of Hay’ and leader of a Book Town Empire! No, the journey of Hay-on-Wye becoming the World’s First Book Town starts with Richard Booth in the 1960s. Aside from its rather turbulent Norman history in the fight for Welsh independence. In fact, for years this sleepy countryside village on the English-Welsh border was little known. The iconic open-air honesty bookshop! Firstly, how did Hay-on-Wye become the World’s First Book Town?Īlthough nowadays Hay-on-Wye is known for being a bookish town.

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