Mostly Books is a bookshop in Abingdon (or rather, Abingdon-on-Thames, as it says on our carrier bags). It sits in the Vale of the White Horse, a particularly beautiful and tranquil part of England - and to celebrate, a book has been published which shows us just what a special place it is.
From the opening of the book:
"The Vale of White Horse is an ancient place steeped in both history & legend. It was where The Hobbit & Lord of the Rings were dreamed, where the Moles of Duncton Wood wandered...But it is a thriving place with communities, with innovative hi-tech companies discovering and making things that might be better understood by the Ancient Gods at the Wayland Smithy than by us: mere mortals."
The book was put together as a result of a whole host of organisations coming together in the vale: chamber of commerce groups (including
Abingdon Chamber of Commerce), the
Choose Abingdon partnership and the
Vale of the White Horse District Council. It grew out of a desire to celebrate our local area. The pages comprise a mixture of scenes, photos and descriptions that have inspired or intrigued individuals living in the Vale. The beautiful images are a simple balance of amateur photography and artistic interpretation. They all capture a particular time or place important to the contributor.
Initial contributions came through a local competition organised by the contributing groups , with over 300 entries submitted. The winning entries are identified in the opening pages. The idea was to create a publication that would encourage the reader to get out and about, to do one thing each week and to explore what the Vale has to offer.
The book is beautifully produced, and - with our parenting hats on - can confirm that provides plenty of excellent inspiration for getting out to local towns and villages, and doing something fun, local and things which are definitely good for the soul.
We have copies in the shop - so come in and take a look. It retails for £9.99 - or you can order a copy securely using PayPal and have us mail it anywhere in the UK for £12...
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