Q's Legacy

In her outstandingly successful book 84, Charing Cross Road - and now Letter from New York too - Helene Hanff told the story of her love affair with an antiquarian bookshop in London.

This memoir is an enchanting tribute to the work of Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch - Q - and tells the remarkable story of how Helene Hanff came to write the international best-seller 84, Charing Cross Road. Helene Hanff recounts how its success changed her life, and recalls her serendipitous discovery of a volume of lectures by a Cambridge don, Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch. She devoured Q's book, and, wanting to read all the books he recommended, began to order them from a small store in London - at 84, Charing Cross Road.

Thus began a correspondence that became an enormously popular book, play, television production, and movie, and that finally led to the trip to England - and a visit to Q's study - that Helene recounts in this exuberant memoir. Hanff pays her debt to her mentor and shares her joyous adventures with her many fans.

Q’s Legacy is a memoir, a thank-you letter, a sparkling and often moving collage of autobiography from an author whom countless fans regard as a friend.

This book has been out of print for several decades so I’ve tracked down some vintage copies to sell here alongside Letter from New York and our other Helene Hanff vintage books - Underfoot in Show Business and Apple of My Eye.

"Reading Helene Hanff's book is like making a new friend - a charming, wise, and funny one." Betty Rollin

"A potpourri . . . easy and assured . . . A delightful companion for the odd hour." San Francisco Chronicle

"Hanff's charm is such that when she exults . . . we exult right along with her." Kirkus Reviews

Each copy ordered through the website is wrapped in tissue paper and tied with a matching silk ribbon, free of charge - and also includes an exclusive bookmark designed to complement the cover design of our other Helene Hanff title - Letter from New York.