Clarke's Bookshop

Clarke's Bookshop is an independent bookstore located in Long Street, Cape Town. Opened in 1957 by former British Army officer Anthony Clarke, the business specialises in Africana books largely focused on Southern Africa, offering new, used, antiquarian and out-of-print products. It also supplies African studies materials to various international institutions, including the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Columbia University and Yale University. The ''Irish Independent'' ranked Clarke's Bookshop among the 'The 10 Best Bookshops in the World' in 2009.

History

Clarke's Bookshop was opened in November 1957 as a second-hand bookstore. It was founded by Anthony "Tony" Clarke who had formerly served as a captain and commander of the Chestnut Troop “A” Battery in the 1st regiment Royal Horse Artillery of the British Army. A gay man, Clarke hailed from Richmond, Surrey, and moved to Cape Town in 1947 to become a journalist for the ''Cape Times''. He had become known for defying orders to bombard the town of Sansepolcro in an effort to preserve Piero della Francesca's fresco '' The Resurrection'' during the Italian Campaign in 1944. A suburban street in Sansepolcro was named after Clarke, who was granted honorary citizenship from the mayor, and an 18th century print of the same painting remains on display in Clarke's Bookshop. Before becoming a prominent antiquarian auctioneer, Edward Bernardi worked under Clarke as a shop assistant from the 1960s, describing him as a "poet", a "mentor" and a "dear friend."

The bookshop began specialising in Africana books from the 1970s. Amidst strict censorship under South Africa’s apartheid regime, Clarke’s Bookshop also sold books that had been banned by the government. Paul Mills became a co-owner in 1978. Henrietta Dax began working at the business in 1981 shortly before Clarke's death, and later became its sole proprietor in 1998 following Mills's departure. Born in London and raised between the US, France and England, she had previously worked at Stuttafords Bookshop for two years and then at Exclusive Books for another seven years. Her work at Clarke's involved regularly embarking on 4000-mile road trips throughout countries in Southern Africa, where she bought, sold and bartered. Dax is credited with expanding the business to include new, first-hand books alongside its second-hand material. She also initiated the business's supply of African studies material to various international universities. Clarke's Bookshop has since distributed resources to Columbia University, Yale University, the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African Art, and Leiden University's African Studies Centre. In 1995, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) listed Clarke's Bookshop among the "best dealers" for materials relating to Southern Africa. The business also supplies provincial libraries within the Western Cape. It offers new, used, antiquarian and out-of-print Africana books, spanning across genres of fiction, non-fiction, history, art, music, biography and philosophy. The bookshop also stocks old prints and maps dating back to the 16th century.

Facing potential closure after its lease wasn't renewed in two years, the business relocated to another building within the same block in Long Street in 2012. Due to financial strain amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the bookstore conducted a fundraising auction featuring works by William Kentridge, Jane Alexander, Brett Murray, Sanell Aggenbach, and Penny Siopis among others. The business also donated new and replacement materials to the Jagger Library for African Studies at the University of Cape Town after it was destroyed by the 2021 Table Mountain fire. Having worked Clarke's Bookshop since 2003, Andre Sales became co-director of the business in 2020. Politicians such as the current President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa and former Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe are frequent customers at the bookstore.

Awards

* 2002 – Merit Award (South African Booksellers Association)
* 2009 – No. 4 on 'The 10 Best Bookshops in the World' (''Irish Independent'')
* 2016 – Henrietta Dax awarded 'Lifetime’s Contribution to Bookselling in South Africa' (South African Booksellers Association)

Notes

References

External links

*
{{Authority control

Independent bookshops of South Africa
Antiquarian booksellers
Retail companies established in 1957
Bookstores established in the 20th century
1957 establishments in South Africa
Cultural organisations based in South Africa
Companies based in Cape Town
Retail companies of South Africa
Book selling websites
African studies
Bookstores of South Africa