Over the weekend I went to Hastings for a short break with the wife and my youngest daughter. We tend to turn these sort of trips into a bit of book hunting exercise and this was no exception. One place I always try to visit when I am in Hastings is Albion Books as they have a lot of military books and magazines for sale. But be warned; a visit to this store is not for the faint of heart! The inside of this knowledge emporium is a Heath and Safety nightmare. And as that happens to be my job at the charity I work for, it does take some mental preparation (and checking of my Will) before I venture through the doors. Death by book avalanche is a very real possibility inside this shop! To the brave go the rewards however and if you are prepared to spend a long time browsing there is probably something for every wargamer in its tumbled and disorganised interior. 
I was too timid to take a picture of the inside (I didn't want to offend the owner) but I found a great photo on Google Maps. Unfortunately I can't download it so go look the shop up and view some of the photo's. Piles of books fill most of the isles and if you can get across the scree slopes of paperbacks and around the hardcover hillocks without starting a chain reaction, you may well find some great purchases. And reasonably priced too. I always enjoy looking through the magazine piles and individual issues can usually be bought for just 50p. My best purchase of the day however was a hardback Zulu Conquered: The March of the Red Soldiers by Ron Lock. I've been looking for this for a while and I bought a new copy here for less than half the cover price. We almost didn't get to Hastings as my car ended up being towed home for the second time in a week. Unlike last weekends saga, which cost me a tire and ended my trip to SELWG, this time the repair bill is in the upper half a grand! Fortunately my eldest daughter loaned me her car for a couple of days and we eventually arrived in Hastings, late but in once piece, early on Saturday morning instead of Friday as planned. The first thing we did on arrival was head for the bookshops and we both found plenty to console ourselves after the unpromising start to our weekend away. Hopefully the car will be fixed in a couple of days and I can get back to the important business of planning our next book expedition.
Maybe I should make it clear I do really like this shop (safety concerns aside). It certainly has character and I never come away empty handed so despite the apparent chaos the owner appears to be doing something right.
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