SPCK/SSG Two Years On: Reflections and Responses
Today, Saturday 26th June, 2010, marks the second anniversary of the SPCK/SSG blog. You’ll hear no trumpet fanfare, no roll of drums; and you’ll see no flags flying, no balloons, no fireworks to celebrate. But if you listen, carefully, you may well hear the sound of tears falling… yet listen more carefully still and you might just hear the sound of a baby crying.
Because out of the anguish and distress through which that blog was birthed, new life has emerged, new bookshops — perhaps even new ways of being bookshop — have been born. Those include:
- Christian Resources, Leicester
- Churches Together Bookshop, Cardiff
- Norwich Christian Resource Centre
- St Olav Christian Bookshop, Chichester
- Unicorn Tree Books, Lincoln
I invited some of those who were involved in the SPCK/SSG crisis from the very beginning to offer us some reflections on where we are now: Melanie Carroll, former manager of SPCK Lincoln and spckonline.com before the Brewers destroyed them, and now owner of Unicorn Tree Books — also recently described by Eddie Olliffe as “one of the most original and inspirational trade bloggers” — and Valiant for Truth, a frequent commenter on the SPCK/SSG Blog who has been keeping a particularly close eye on the still ongoing situation at Durham Cathedral, have both kindly accepted that invitation.
To read their observations, head on over to SPCK/SSG: News, Notes & Info
June 26, 2010 at 7:37 am
I really cannot take a Christian bookshop that calls itself Unicorn Tree Books seriously… A mythical animal… really?
June 26, 2010 at 11:37 am
James, if you did just a little research you would find that:
1) The Unicorn is mentioned in some bibles – some people also believe that particular book to be a bit of a myth too, but I don’t take those naysayers seriously ;0)
2) In Medieval times the Unicorn was also used as a representation of Christ himself, as well as representing the concepts of Chastity, Loyalty, Healing & Salvation.
3) Given the symbology of the Unicorn i’m pretty sure the Christian symbology of the Tree might be obvious?
However there is also a famous tapestry called the Hunt of the Unicorn, it is a series of 7 tapestries, these have been variously interpreted but one interpretation was as an allegorical representation of The Passion and Incarnation of Christ. The final panel is of the resurrected Unicorn laying in front of a pomegranate tree.
So based on these points it may not be the most usual name attached to a Christian Bookshop – but it’s hardly worthy of scorn or not being taken seriously for that reason.
I figure doing this is just a bit like judging a book by it’s cover – but then I admit I may be a tad biased here.
However being fair Unicorn Tree Books is not just and never has just been a Christian Bookshop, in fact it started as a mainly general bookshop specialising in Niche Market Books, US Imports & Fiction, with also a passingly decent range of jigsaws & hobby arts supplies – it still does all those things.
However when the two solely Christian Bookshops in Lincoln closed down within months of each other – one of which I used to manage for over 6 years – I then committed to become Lincoln’s Christian Bookshop as well by taking on one complete unit to sell Christian Books & Products and Church Supplies – it was the right thing to do and I don’t regret it, (can’t really get more Niche Market than that these days anyway
but I was hardly going to change the name of the bookshop when there wasn’t a need given the name was chosen with the Christian mythology in mind anyway :0)
However if you prefer you can just call us Lincoln’s Christian Bookshop instead – a lot of my customers do.
July 8, 2010 at 1:44 pm
[...] Former SPCK Bookshops, SPCK/SSG, SSG | Leave a Comment Less than two weeks after the post of SPCK/SSG Two Years On: Reflections and Responses and things are moving towards a conclusion of the SPCK/SSG Saga at Durham Cathedral Shop as the [...]