Monday, November 30, 2009

The World's Oldest Antiquarian Bookseller


Meet Muriel Craddock. She's 97-years-old and is still selling books. You can read her story in Australia's The Age.

From the piece...

At the tender age of 97½, Muriel Craddock would like to announce the re-opening of her family bookshop in the Assembly Hall building in Collins Street. Yes Muriel, seated regally in a corner, is back in-store with daughter Kay and enjoying the unique ambience of the antiquarian book business they started with Muriel's late husband, Les, 44 years ago.

''Mum is much-loved by customers,'' says Kay. ''Just sitting there, talking to people.'' Muriel says she never loses interest in the book trade, but in recent times she has been concerned at the attrition of old faces. ''I'm out-living everybody,'' she frets.

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