Got a hankering for travel books? You should try Daunt Books’ new subscription service
I recently spoke to Chris Adlington of Daunt Books about their book subscription service - a must for any travel book fans who can’t easily get to the London store.
Many London travellers will already know about Daunt Books, a beautifully appointed bookshop in Marylebone, dedicated to travel books. Although they do sell other books, including a well chosen fiction section, the best part of Daunt is the back of the shop which features a main floor, gallery and basement packed with travel books. Instead of organizing books by type, as in traditional bookshops - travel guides in one section, travel writing in another, fiction somewhere else entirely - at Daunt books are organized by country. So, in looking for a Lonely Planet for New Zealand you might also find Janet Frame’s Owls Do Cry or Eleanor Catton’s The Luminaries or even Wiki Ihimaera’s Whale Rider. The shop is built for slow browsing and travel contemplation.
Of course, if you’re not based in London (where Daunt also has several other shops) it’s not so easy to access the atmosphere of relaxed reverie or the range of books available. Except it turns out you can. Daunt has a subscription service for its books. Subscribers receive a book a month (or every other month depending on your package) catered to their tastes. Each book is a surprise for the recipient - on receipt of the subscription package, customers talk to Daunt by phone or email to talk over their book preferences, then book choices are made by Daunt staff.
The service has existed for around 6 years but is growing in popularity all the time. Subscriptions manager Chris notes that people are pretty open to trying new things, even for people who don’t know that much about travel literature. The subscription service also includes non-travel related books, based on preference, and runs a Children’s Subscription service.
Selections are based partly on preference but also on books that Daunt employees currently love. The shop operates almost as a crowd-source for recommendations, as everyone is reading all the time. While occasionally books get sent back because they’ve already been read, Daunt tries to focus on less mainstream literature to avoid repetition. Readers get exposed to literature they’ve never tried before, perhaps never heard of. Works from around the world and works in translation are often well received as people have never considered them before.
From a Deliberate Travel perspective, the subscription idea has so many legs. If you’re planning a big trip somewhere it would be so exciting to receive a new book every month on about or from that location, up until you leave. Having someone else choose your reading material is simultaneously restful and exciting, allowing you to see the world from another person’s perspective for a while.
It’s essential to remember that travel literature isn’t just about travel guides, but a whole world of books - fact and fiction - that we can engage in. Daunt understands this, and their subscription system allows people outside London to experience the joy of travel book browsing and learning about the world at the same time.
Chris’ current recommendations…
Late in the Day, Tessa Hadley
Ottoman Odyssey, Alev Scott
Winter in Sokcho, Eliza Shua Dusapin
To find out more about the Daunt Books subscription service, visit the site here: https://dauntbooks.co.uk/shop/gifts/daunt-books-subscription/
Daunt Books’ flagship shop is in Marylebone High Street, W1U 4QW London