I was part of a human book-chain

On Thursday I helped iconic Melbourne institution - Hill of Content Bookshop - move one-hundred or so metres up the road, by forming a human book-chain!

On Thursday I had the great honour of being part of the new chapter in the long and storied history of Melbourne’s oldest bookshop, the Hill of Content - by physically helping them move to a new building!

The store had been located at 86 Bourke Street for 103-years, but after landlords sold the iconic building (making way for a Chinese restaurant) owners Diana and Duncan Johnston decided to stay at the incredible Bourke Street ‘hill’ location of its name, by moving just 120-metres up the road to a new premises;

• This iconic Melbourne bookshop is on the move – 120 metres up the road

And instead of wallowing in despair for what they’ve lost, the Johnston’s and their amazing booksellers decided to make some fanfare about the move by calling on the Melbourne community and their dedicated customers, to help them by forming a human-chain of book movers;

• Community forms 'human book chain' to move Hill of Content down the road

I knew it could be done, because on a recent trip to Perth I’d heard firsthand from Beaufort Street Books, about how they’d done the very same thing! (but their move was only 50-metres up the road!);

• Perth indie bookshop takes novel approach to moving this weekend

• Beaufort Street Books: Independent bookstore moves 50m down the road via ‘human conveyor belt’

Still, Hill of Content put the word out and I answered - along with some 200 other patrons who formed the human-chain from 10.30AM until about 12PM on Thursday July 10th. Bookseller and author Jaclyn Crupi guesstimated that we helped move some 4000 books (but the News items we generated were the really value to the day!)

If you Google ‘Hill of Content’ now, you’ll see a flurry of feel-good stories, because we really did have News crew there from every channel!

• Hundreds form human chain to help Melbourne’s oldest bookshop relocate after more than a century

• 'City of literature': Hundreds help to relocate Melbourne's oldest bookshop

• Hill of Content: human chain helps 103-year-old Melbourne bookshop relocate

And if you watch very carefully, you’ll spot my beaming face (and bright yellow raincoat, with yellow Merry People boots) helping out!

I did give some soundbites to News crew, but I haven’t seen any of them used - boo! - probably because I kept dissing Amazon and encouraging people to delete their account and stop giving Jeff Bezos money. Still, my quips were fit to print, thanks to the AAP;

I really didn’t get the chance to take much in the way of videos (sorry, TikTok) it all went so fast and I was having such a lovely time chatting to my chain-mates and commenting on all the books that came our way. I did joke that once Hill of Content reopens, they might have a few human-chain customers coming in asking; “What was that blue book I passed along during the move, do you know?” And if that does happen, I can attest that my author Sinéad Stubbins’ Stinkbug made the move!

And I did get a pic of the lucky last book that I handed up the front, appropriately it was The Hill of Content: 100 years of books, art, music, people.

And then it was a matter of getting a little sneak-peak at the new store. And it’s a matter of keeping an eye on their website to find out when we can go in and visit.

For me, I popped into the (now, old) store at 86 Bourke the week prior and purchased my last book from that iconic and beloved location - fittingly, I chose the Booker Prize winner Heart Lamp.

And I recorded a little TikTok, for my final goodbye to the location of one of my favourite bookstores …

But I am so heartened (and relieved!) that one of my favourite Melbourne independent bookstores lives on. I never take for granted that the entire publishing industry largely gets by on luck and magic - it feels like! - most of the time, and that extends to its associate industries like bookstores too. Especially in the age of Amazon Goliath, and I don’t ever forget that it takes showing up and real, tangible support to keep these places we love going. That’s why I so appreciated the opportunity to do exactly that in a very real way yesterday, because I also always thinking about this amazing Adam Gopnik article from 2015; When a Bookstore Closes, an Argument Ends

I’ve found many a book-next-to-the-book at Hill of Content, and I look forward to finding many more - at the new store.