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W & G Foyle Ltd. (usually called simply Foyles) is a chain of book shops with seven locations 〔(Foyles Locations )〕 but is best known for its flagship store in Charing Cross Road, London. Foyles was once listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's largest bookshop in terms of shelf area (30 miles/50 kilometres) and number of titles on display.〔John Walsh, ("Foyles, the bookshop that time forgot" ), ''The Independent'', 23 January 2003.〕 In the past, it was famed for its anachronistic, eccentric and sometimes infuriating business practices; so much so that it was a tourist attraction.〔 It has since modernised, opened new branches and established an on-line store.〔http://www.foyles.co.uk/〕 == History == The business was founded in 1903 by brothers William and Gilbert Foyle. After failing entrance exams for the civil service, the brothers offered their redundant text books for sale and were inundated by offers. This inspired them to launch a second-hand book business from home.〔 Flushed with success, they opened a small shop on Station Parade in Queen's Road, Peckham, where they painted "With all Faith" in gilt letters above the door. In 1904 they opened their first West End shop at 16 Cecil Court and a year later were able to take on their first member of staff (who promptly disappeared with the weekly takings). By 1906 they were at 135 Charing Cross Road, by which time they were described as London's largest educational booksellers. At around this period they also opened branches in Harringay, Shepherd's Bush, Kilburn and Brixton.〔Andrew Block, ''A Short History of the Principal London Antiquarian Booksellers and Book-Auctioneers'', London: Denis Archer, 1933. The 1910 edition of ''The International Directory of Booksellers and Bibliophile's Manual'' gives the following branch addresses: 65 Grand Parade, Green Lanes, London N, 431 Brixton Road, London SW, 212 Uxbridge Road London SW and 45 High Road, London NW.〕 Not long later they moved into one of the buildings at 119 Charing Cross Road, where Foyles remained until 2014. Part of additional adjacent buildings that they also acquired in Manette Street was the site of the Old Goldbeater's House. In October 1930, Christina Foyle, daughter of founder William, initiated the literary luncheons which continue to the present day. In the first 80 years, 700 luncheons were held, hosting more than 1000 authors and 500,000 guests. Speakers and guests of honour at these luncheons have included all the great literary figures, and celebrities from the world of politics, the media, the military and the theatre. They have included all the British Prime Ministers since the Second World War except Sir Winston Churchill, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron, some, such as Margaret Thatcher, several times, as well as The Duke of Edinburgh, General Charles de Gaulle, General Władysław Sikorski and the Emperor Haile Selassie. The store now also holds a large number of evening literary events throughout the year.〔 In 1945, control of the shop passed to Christina. It was under her that the shop stagnated, with little investment and poorly paid staff who could be fired on a whim.〔 She also refused to install any modern conveniences such as electronic tills or calculators; nor would orders be taken by phone. However, the shop excelled in other fields: expensive books ordered from as far off as Germany were sent with a bill without prepayment. The shop operated a payment system that required customers to queue three times: to collect an invoice for a book, to pay the invoice, then to collect the book, simply because sales staff were not allowed to handle cash.〔Michael Handelzalts, ("Foyled and found again" ), ''Ha'aretz'', 30 May 2003.〕 Equally mystifying to customers was a shelving arrangement that categorized books by publisher, rather than by topic or author.〔 A quote of this period is: "Imagine Kafka had gone into the book trade."〔 In the 1980s a rival bookshop placed an advertisement in a bus shelter opposite Foyles: ''"Foyled again? Try Dillons"''. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Foyles」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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