A captivating memoir of a bookselling empire's rise and a life shaped by literature.Tim Waterstone, the founder of Waterstone's, recounts his journey from a small-town childhood to building Britain's largest bookselling chain. This memoir explores his formative years, his complex relationship with his father, and the epiphany at Cambridge that sparked his entrepreneurial vision.
Discover the business philosophy that propelled Waterstone's to dominate the bookselling industry. This is more than a business story; it's aninspirationaltale of personal growth, resilience, and the enduring power of books. Perfect for readers interested in biography, business, and British history.
• [A] moving, funny take on business, family and mortality - Jim Armitage, Evening Standard
• The rollicking, page-turning memoir of Britain's biggest book tycoon - Daily Mail
• [Waterstone] writes movingly... Small, poignant images stand out... From such raw clay are great entrepreneurs moulded - The Tablet
• The Face Pressed Against a Window confirms one's sense that this extraordinarily energetic and well-meaning man has been, and still is, a force for good. - Literary Review
Tim Waterstoneread English at Cambridge University before moving to Calcutta to work for a broking firm. On returning to England, he worked at WHSmith for eight years, and went on to establish the bookselling chain Waterstones in 1982. In 2018 he was knighted for services to bookselling and charity.
CONTENTS
ix Acknowledgements
1 Prologue
11 Part One
Where the Children of My Childhood Played
133 Part Two
I do, ladies. I do. I ’ave a go.
289 Epilogue
Miranda Beeching
The Carriage Clock
![The Face Pressed Against a Window: The Bookseller Who Built Waterstones [Paperback]](/itemImage/2/2/8/3/2_4442886.jpg "The Face Pressed Against a Window: The Bookseller Who Built Waterstones [Paperback]")