A Bookshop of Ones Own: How a group of women set out to change the world

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A Waterstones Best Memoir of 2024An Independent and Stylist Best Non-Fiction Book for 2024The captivating true story of an underdog business a feminist bookshop founded in Thatchers Britain from a woman at the heart of the womens liberation movement.

What was it like to start a feminist bookshop, in an industry dominated by men How could a lesbian thrive in Thatchers time, with the government legislating to restrict her rights How do you run a business when your real aim is to change the world

Silver Moon was the dream of three women a bookshop with the mission to promote the work of female writers and create a much-needed safe space for any woman. Founded in 1980s London against a backdrop of homophobia and misogyny, it was a testament to the power of community, growing into Europes biggest womens bookshop and hosting a constellation of literary stars from Margaret Atwood and Maya Angelou to Angela Carter. While contending with day-to-day struggles common to other booksellers, plus the additional burdens of misogyny and the occasional hate crime, Jane Cholmeley and her booksellers created a thriving business. But they also played a crucial and relatively unsung part in one the biggest social movements of our time.

A Bookshop of Ones Own is a fascinating slice of social history from the heart of the womens liberation movement, from a true feminist and lesbian icon. Written with heart and humour, it reveals the struggle and joy that comes with starting an underdog business, while being a celebration of the power women have to change the narrative when they are the ones holding the pen.

Reviews

'Funny and warm' Independent

Cholmeley is an energizing riot, full of humour and grit, and her story is well worth telling TLS

[Jane] has always taken a back seat, but I think its time that younger women knew what a part she played in making the feminist movement, and also the role of women in society in general, a talking point I cant go down the Charing Cross Road now without a little feeling of regret for where the bookshop used to be. Jacqueline Wilson

A vivid and wonderful evocation of the feminist bookshop on Charing Cross Road that was a home to so many of us. A story both of the shop itself and those inspiring women's liberation movement campaigning days of the 1980s, it's a slice of social history and a much-needed reminder of how women always have to fight for space to get it, and to keep it. Bravo "Silver Moon", you are much missed. Kate Mosse

Silver Moon was the place where literature fed my life. Bookshops are always places of power; Silver Moon was a place of pilgrimage. I still dream of making my way there. Sandi Toksvig

'Essential reading, both for those of us who remember Silver Moon fondly and those who were barely born when it closed but whose lives were shaped by its being.' Manda Scott

'A gem of a book about a gem of a bookshop this was my go-to for the best books! Lesley Thomson

'Tells the fascinating story of the legendary bookstore which became the epicentre of feminism in the UK for almost 20 years.' Cheryl Robson

'Delightful conveys a real love of books, bookselling and the joys of shared-reading.' Rev'd Professor Alison Baverstock

'Treasured history from a pivotal era rises from every page of this vivid, marvelous recreation of a magic carpet of a womens bookstore on legendary Charing Cross Road' Katherine Forrest

'What a treasure! an important historical record' Lisa Alther

Author Bio

Jane Cholmeley is a key figure in the history of British feminism. She co-founded Silver Moon Womens Bookshop, which became the largest of its kind in Europe and a vibrant centre of womens writing, hosting prestigious events with authors such as Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, Alice Walker, Jeanette Winterson and Margaret Atwood. Sandi Toksvig nominated Jane Cholmeley as a Gay Icon in the National Portrait Gallerys exhibition of that name in 2009 and Jacqueline Wilson named Jane her feminist icon in Stylist, 2018.